My New Mosin: Update

Cyrano · 03-03-2008, 04:57 PM

This past weekend was a "work weekend" at my gun club. One of the membership requirements is that everyone, from the club president and the members of the board of directors to the newest probationary members, must put at least 4 hours of sweat equity into the club each year. I was working with Louie, one of the board members of the club, and I mentioned I had just bought a M-N that was full of cosmoline and I'd have to disassemble her and clean her out before I could fire her.

"No problem," he said. "I own half a dozen Mosins. Bring it on down to the clubhouse on Monday, and I'll help you strip and clean it. I know a few tricks you need to learn if you're going to shoot and collect Mosins."

So I showed up this morning with a gallon of mineral spirits, disposable aluminum pans, a paint can for holding the used mineral spirits, my cleaning kit,and some rags. Louie broke out his rifle rest ("You've gotta get yourself one of these; it makes working on rifles so much easier!") and his Cleaning Gear Bag, which is the size of a small suitcase and is full of every kind of tool you could ask for to clean out a firearm fresh from long term storage.

The first thing we did after verifying she was empty was remove the bolt, which went into a pan of mineral spirits to marinate for awhile. Removing the barrel bands I'd thought would be hard, but Louie holding the spring down with channel locks while I used a dowel and a mallet to walk them up the forearm until they'd slide made it easy. After that, it was the work of a minute to unscrew all four screws in the stock, remove the magazine and buttplate and then drop the barreled receiver out of the stock.

Louie looked down the barrel and agreed with my assessment: "It looks like the far side of the Moon in there; all cosmoline and dust - or maybe it's sand." Putting the receiver into a bucket, we plugged the chamber with a spent 7.62x54R case and a wad of cotton, then used my funnel to fill the barrel full of mineral spirits. While the cosmoline and dirt clogging the lands and grooves soaked in the spirits, he directed my work in removing the cosmoline from the stock. "It would be better if we heated the stock up to sweat it out, but the varnishing job was so nicely done it would be a shame to wreck it. Get the worst of it now, then fieldstrip it and leave the stock upside down in the sun for awhile come summer. A few days of that and it'll all come out on its own."

He looked at my slender brass cleaning rod, sniffed, and got out his M-14 cleaning rod, which is far superior to anything you can buy in a store. I mentioned the technique of using a soaked brass brush in a cleaning rod locked in a drill for removing the really stubborn stuff.

"Let's hold that in reserve for now. Let's try this first. You hold the barrel down in the rest and I'll use my military cleaning rod and brush on it. You couldn't get away with this with your brass rod. That's okay for cleaning after firing, but getting cosmoline out needs something sturdier."

With me holding it steady in the rest and Louie pushing and pulling the cleaning rod, it took about three minutes before the rod would move easily in and out. We flipped the receiver end for end and went in from the chamber side because the M-14 rod was long enough to clean the barrel but not the chamber. That took another minute of work before the rod would move freely. We switched to a soaked patch and scrubbed some more, and after about 10 minutes the barrel was clear. He looked at it through his borescope and delivered his verdict.

"I think the dealer you bought this from told you the truth. It's not counterbored and I've never seen lands and grooves as crisp as these in a Mosin. It looks as pristine as a new modern barrel, and you could eat off the chamber. I think it's hardly been fired. Let's get it put back together and test-fire for function!"

"What about detail-stripping the bolt?" I asked. He looked at the color of the mineral spirits in the pan and swished the bolt back and forth. No new tendrils of dissolved cosmoline appeared.

"I don't think you need to, not this time anyway. I worked the action before we started and it's not sticky at all. I think you got lucky and they just inserted the oiled bolt after they soaked the action and barrel in cosmoline. There was hardly anything on the bolt when it went into the bath and there's nothing there now. Oil your rifle up good and let's start reassembly."

It took about five minutes to reassemble the rifle. One sticking point was the barrel bands. They didn't want to go back where they belong. I looked at Louie.

"Would it hurt anything if we were to use some of the grease you had me put on the receiver on the forearm to ease the barrel bands on past the band springs, then clean it off after?"

"Let's try it and see." With the thinnest coating of grease on the wood, the barrel bands slid home with just the lightest taps of the mallet on the dowel. Louie looked at me with new respect.

"You just taught me something. I'll have to remember that one!" I wiped the grease off the wood and slid the bolt home. It was smooth as glass. Louie nodded his head in approval.

"Let's take it down to the range and test-fire it, see how it works."

There wasn't time for more than that, because I had to leave to pick my son up at school. We set up a target at 50 meters and Louie waved me into the firing position. I loaded a stripper into the magazine, worked the bolt, aimed and sqeezed the trigger.

As anticipated, the recoil was substantial, but thanks to the lace-on buttpad SwedeSteve sold me (thanks again, Steve!) the perceived kick was no worse than that of my SKS. I'd expected a blast of fire, but it never materialized; again, no more preceived muzzle blast than my SKS. The Mosin sights are actually better than the SKS sights, a good clear notch-to-post presentation.

The first round was dead center of the target. I scattered the rest over 4 inches, but that was more due to my being in a hurry because I had to leave than to any flaw in the rifle. Louie delevered his verdict.

"That's an accurate rifle you have there. It's a beauty. Once you get used to it, you'll be shooting one inch groups all day long. Buy yourself a can of ammo and start practicing!"

Which is just what I have in mind to do. But that doesn't mean I've given up on the M38, and the M39, and an original M1891; and if I can get a decent 91/30 from J&G, I'd like to sporterize it..... You know how Mosinitis works. Nobody owns just one!

neophyte · 03-03-2008, 05:08 PM

Cyrano: Sir; I like this post.

It does reinforce decency in mankind.

Your ?probation? chap just won an award

Smile, style, and profile. Do a follow-up follow-up when you can.

just_a_car · 03-03-2008, 05:47 PM

Awesome! Cyr, it sounds like you done got yourself a sweet little Ruskie!

Geo M44 · 03-03-2008, 06:02 PM

Life is... good... when the planets align and a good MN falls into your hands. My '48 M44 is like that (virtually brand new).

These things are definatley habit forming.

Cyrano · 03-03-2008, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neophyte

Cyrano: Sir; I like this post.

It does reinforce decency in mankind.

Your ?probation? chap just won an award

Smile, style, and profile. Do a follow-up follow-up when you can.

Thank you. I'm the "probie" in the club. Louie's been a member for half past forever, and is the honcho who takes care of planning maintenance in the place. He used to work for NYC Transit and he can fix almost anything. Since I'm free for a few hours a day while my son is in school, I can get over there and help him out when he needs not very skilled labor. But all the members freely exchange information and help with firearms they know well, and teach each other things.

SwedeSteve · 03-03-2008, 08:16 PM

Belonging to a club is great! Glad to hear that buttpad worked out for you Cyr!

marion57 · 03-04-2008, 02:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrano

Thank you. I'm the "probie" in the club. Louie's been a member for half past forever, and is the honcho who takes care of planning maintenance in the place. He used to work for NYC Transit and he can fix almost anything. Since I'm free for a few hours a day while my son is in school, I can get over there and help him out when he needs not very skilled labor. But all the members freely exchange information and help with firearms they know well, and teach each other things.

The american spirit lives!!
Great stuff !!

SwedeSteve · 03-04-2008, 09:14 AM

Made me wish I was there!

ArkansasHunter · 03-04-2008, 09:25 AM

Cyrano you are BLESSED feller !!! You got a great shooter and have made a valuble friend.
Again you are blessed buddy...A.H

Oxford · 03-05-2008, 01:54 PM

Cyrano...that was a vivid and interesting narration of your experiences of cleaning that old rifle and getting it back into use again. It makes me think about building a bigger gun case which will hold more guns. It's missing the one like you just got in your possession.

03-03-2008, 04:57 PM	#1
Cyrano Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: New York Posts: 2,296	My New Mosin: Update This past weekend was a "work weekend" at my gun club. One of the membership requirements is that everyone, from the club president and the members of the board of directors to the newest probationary members, must put at least 4 hours of sweat equity into the club each year. I was working with Louie, one of the board members of the club, and I mentioned I had just bought a M-N that was full of cosmoline and I'd have to disassemble her and clean her out before I could fire her. "No problem," he said. "I own half a dozen Mosins. Bring it on down to the clubhouse on Monday, and I'll help you strip and clean it. I know a few tricks you need to learn if you're going to shoot and collect Mosins." So I showed up this morning with a gallon of mineral spirits, disposable aluminum pans, a paint can for holding the used mineral spirits, my cleaning kit,and some rags. Louie broke out his rifle rest ("You've gotta get yourself one of these; it makes working on rifles so much easier!") and his Cleaning Gear Bag, which is the size of a small suitcase and is full of every kind of tool you could ask for to clean out a firearm fresh from long term storage. The first thing we did after verifying she was empty was remove the bolt, which went into a pan of mineral spirits to marinate for awhile. Removing the barrel bands I'd thought would be hard, but Louie holding the spring down with channel locks while I used a dowel and a mallet to walk them up the forearm until they'd slide made it easy. After that, it was the work of a minute to unscrew all four screws in the stock, remove the magazine and buttplate and then drop the barreled receiver out of the stock. Louie looked down the barrel and agreed with my assessment: "It looks like the far side of the Moon in there; all cosmoline and dust - or maybe it's sand." Putting the receiver into a bucket, we plugged the chamber with a spent 7.62x54R case and a wad of cotton, then used my funnel to fill the barrel full of mineral spirits. While the cosmoline and dirt clogging the lands and grooves soaked in the spirits, he directed my work in removing the cosmoline from the stock. "It would be better if we heated the stock up to sweat it out, but the varnishing job was so nicely done it would be a shame to wreck it. Get the worst of it now, then fieldstrip it and leave the stock upside down in the sun for awhile come summer. A few days of that and it'll all come out on its own." He looked at my slender brass cleaning rod, sniffed, and got out his M-14 cleaning rod, which is far superior to anything you can buy in a store. I mentioned the technique of using a soaked brass brush in a cleaning rod locked in a drill for removing the really stubborn stuff. "Let's hold that in reserve for now. Let's try this first. You hold the barrel down in the rest and I'll use my military cleaning rod and brush on it. You couldn't get away with this with your brass rod. That's okay for cleaning after firing, but getting cosmoline out needs something sturdier." With me holding it steady in the rest and Louie pushing and pulling the cleaning rod, it took about three minutes before the rod would move easily in and out. We flipped the receiver end for end and went in from the chamber side because the M-14 rod was long enough to clean the barrel but not the chamber. That took another minute of work before the rod would move freely. We switched to a soaked patch and scrubbed some more, and after about 10 minutes the barrel was clear. He looked at it through his borescope and delivered his verdict. "I think the dealer you bought this from told you the truth. It's not counterbored and I've never seen lands and grooves as crisp as these in a Mosin. It looks as pristine as a new modern barrel, and you could eat off the chamber. I think it's hardly been fired. Let's get it put back together and test-fire for function!" "What about detail-stripping the bolt?" I asked. He looked at the color of the mineral spirits in the pan and swished the bolt back and forth. No new tendrils of dissolved cosmoline appeared. "I don't think you need to, not this time anyway. I worked the action before we started and it's not sticky at all. I think you got lucky and they just inserted the oiled bolt after they soaked the action and barrel in cosmoline. There was hardly anything on the bolt when it went into the bath and there's nothing there now. Oil your rifle up good and let's start reassembly." It took about five minutes to reassemble the rifle. One sticking point was the barrel bands. They didn't want to go back where they belong. I looked at Louie. "Would it hurt anything if we were to use some of the grease you had me put on the receiver on the forearm to ease the barrel bands on past the band springs, then clean it off after?" "Let's try it and see." With the thinnest coating of grease on the wood, the barrel bands slid home with just the lightest taps of the mallet on the dowel. Louie looked at me with new respect. "You just taught me something. I'll have to remember that one!" I wiped the grease off the wood and slid the bolt home. It was smooth as glass. Louie nodded his head in approval. "Let's take it down to the range and test-fire it, see how it works." There wasn't time for more than that, because I had to leave to pick my son up at school. We set up a target at 50 meters and Louie waved me into the firing position. I loaded a stripper into the magazine, worked the bolt, aimed and sqeezed the trigger. As anticipated, the recoil was substantial, but thanks to the lace-on buttpad SwedeSteve sold me (thanks again, Steve!) the perceived kick was no worse than that of my SKS. I'd expected a blast of fire, but it never materialized; again, no more preceived muzzle blast than my SKS. The Mosin sights are actually better than the SKS sights, a good clear notch-to-post presentation. The first round was dead center of the target. I scattered the rest over 4 inches, but that was more due to my being in a hurry because I had to leave than to any flaw in the rifle. Louie delevered his verdict. "That's an accurate rifle you have there. It's a beauty. Once you get used to it, you'll be shooting one inch groups all day long. Buy yourself a can of ammo and start practicing!" Which is just what I have in mind to do. But that doesn't mean I've given up on the M38, and the M39, and an original M1891; and if I can get a decent 91/30 from J&G, I'd like to sporterize it..... You know how Mosinitis works. Nobody owns just one!

03-03-2008, 05:08 PM	#2
neophyte Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 3,500 Blog Entries: 2	learning Cyrano: Sir; I like this post. It does reinforce decency in mankind. Your ?probation? chap just won an award Smile, style, and profile. Do a follow-up follow-up when you can. __________________ Craig By the standards of most

03-03-2008, 05:47 PM	#3
just_a_car Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Edmonds, WA Posts: 3,512	Awesome! Cyr, it sounds like you done got yourself a sweet little Ruskie! __________________

03-03-2008, 08:16 PM	#6
SwedeSteve Bullet Maintenance !! Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: The anchor point, Alaska Posts: 10,300 Images: 1	Belonging to a club is great! Glad to hear that buttpad worked out for you Cyr! __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

03-04-2008, 09:14 AM	#8
SwedeSteve Bullet Maintenance !! Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: The anchor point, Alaska Posts: 10,300 Images: 1	Made me wish I was there! __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

03-03-2008, 06:02 PM	#4
Geo M44 Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: The Desert Posts: 2,172	Life is... good... when the planets align and a good MN falls into your hands. My '48 M44 is like that (virtually brand new). These things are definatley habit forming.

03-04-2008, 09:25 AM	#9
ArkansasHunter Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: South Arkansas Posts: 10,678	Cyrano you are BLESSED feller !!! You got a great shooter and have made a valuble friend. Again you are blessed buddy...A.H

03-05-2008, 01:54 PM	#10
Oxford Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Gladstone, Missouri Posts: 13,022 Blog Entries: 4	Cyrano...that was a vivid and interesting narration of your experiences of cleaning that old rifle and getting it back into use again. It makes me think about building a bigger gun case which will hold more guns. It's missing the one like you just got in your possession. __________________ "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right".