Maybe I am just a sissy...smooth bolt operation

DasKorvin · 07-11-2008, 01:42 PM

Ok, so I got done cleaning my first mosin ever (1945 M44). It had almost zero cosmo on it, but I went ahead and did a detailed disassembly following the tutorial on 7x62x54r.net. I used mineral spirits, then I oiled everything up that should be, and finally I rubbed some white lithium grease inside the receiver.

I have to say that the rifle looks awesome, but this being my first bolt action rifle I have a question.

How smooth should the cocking be? The reason I ask is because my friend has a Gew 88 that cocks like butter, while my newly acquired M44 takes a bit more muscle. It's not like I need a 2x4 or anything, but there is a difference between the two.

So....am I just a paranoid, newbie, sissy boy?

SwedeSteve · 07-11-2008, 01:57 PM

The Mosin is a bit rougher, its normal though.

musicmaniac · 07-11-2008, 02:01 PM

^+1
Couldn't agree more Steve. The M44 isn't nearly as smooth as my Rem 700 CDL, but, it's not HARD either. DasKorvin, just keep in mind that it was designed as a military rifle and not a competition shooter and you will have a BLAST shooting it! And I mean that in more way than one! Haha!

cremley · 07-11-2008, 02:49 PM

I have to beat on mine a little. I think it is how it is made. my little savage .17HMR is pretty smooth and my m44 and 91/30 take some muscle!

SGRAVESOK · 07-11-2008, 02:53 PM

I just got my 4th & 5th MNs. The 91/30 Tula is the only one that is very hard to cycle. The others are pretty smooth.
You've been bitten by the bug now. More MNs are in your future--you may not know it, but you already have an incurable (sp?) disease (Mosinitis). Don't fight it, you will not win.

marion57 · 07-11-2008, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cremley

I have to beat on mine a little. I think it is how it is made. my little savage .17HMR is pretty smooth and my m44 and 91/30 take some muscle!

keep shoohting soon you will have arms like popeye the sailor man hehe

Rex in OTZ · 07-11-2008, 03:45 PM

I had a Mauser 1909 that was a bit to manipulate not as smooth as my Mosin 91, I would suggest lubricating the cocking cam on the striker.

R5CYA · 07-11-2008, 04:50 PM

i'm gonna polish the mating surfaces on one of my bolts to see how smooth it can get. i'm sure there's room for improvement on most mosins.
p.s. if the bolt action bothers you, you're gonna hate the recoil!

Geo M44 · 07-11-2008, 05:12 PM

If all else fails... clean and polish the receiver. There is probably 60 year old cooked-in, caked-on, cosmolene, and possibly a very small burr or two in there making it a snug fit.

Think of how set the burned-on grease on your BBQ is and that will give you an idea of what may be in there, even if it looks clean. Would you expect mineral spirits to clean a BBQ? Get in there with boiling water, some dishwasher liquid (like Cascade), a 12ga brush on a drill (careful not to bottom it out). Give it a good scrubbing and then rinse with boiling water. Don't forget to run dry patches and some Hoppes through the bore afterwards.

Caution: Either dissassemble the rifle or be very careful when cleaning as the detergent and boiling water will remove varnish from the stock.

Now you should notice a lot smoother cycle with steel cased ammo and almost effortless with brass.

If not... time to polish.

DasKorvin · 07-12-2008, 03:05 AM

I got some free time before my ammo arrives next week, so I think I will polish the bolt surfaces. Any suggestions on products to use? Specific brands or types, etc.?

SwedeSteve · 07-15-2008, 11:36 AM

Flitz or jewelers rouge.

robertscheib · 07-15-2008, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DasKorvin

Ok, so I got done cleaning my first mosin ever (1945 M44). It had almost zero cosmo on it, but I went ahead and did a detailed disassembly following the tutorial on 7x62x54r.net. I used mineral spirits, then I oiled everything up that should be, and finally I rubbed some white lithium grease inside the receiver.

I have to say that the rifle looks awesome, but this being my first bolt action rifle I have a question.

How smooth should the cocking be? The reason I ask is because my friend has a Gew 88 that cocks like butter, while my newly acquired M44 takes a bit more muscle. It's not like I need a 2x4 or anything, but there is a difference between the two.

So....am I just a paranoid, newbie, sissy boy?

FWIW:
We have over a dozen frequently shot M-N rifles in our family collection - the Mosin is no Mauser, Springfield, or Enfield in the "smooth" bolt action department but they can definitely be made much better!
To make smooth[er!!] cycling bolts, I polish all of the sliding/mating surfaces with 600 then 1000 grit wet/dry paper and gunoil, following a thorough detail cleaning with brake cleaner or lac.thinner. Really work on the "camming" ramps of bolt body and cocking piece, when they are very smooth you will notice a big reduction in cycling effort. Also get ALL of the fossilised gunk out of the chamber - this can take a session or two preferably after shooting to melt and remove. Extraction issue can be mistaken for a "stiff" acting bolt too.
I've found that just wiping down bolt assembly prior to assembly with a patch dampened in CLP works best - gun oil, or grease seems to "gum" things up and attracts dirt/grit.
Another thing I discovered is to put a dab of synth. moly grease on the camming surfaces of a freshly polished bolt assembly, then cycle it repeatedly to burnish into metal. Wipe off the grease and you should be good to go.

SwedeSteve · 07-15-2008, 01:05 PM

Another point is to make sure your firing pin is adjusted properly !!

texnmidwest · 07-15-2008, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwedeSteve

Another point is to make sure your firing pin is adjusted properly !!

+1 Doesn't seem like it would make much difference but it really does on a Mosin!

DasKorvin · 07-15-2008, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texnmidwest

+1 Doesn't seem like it would make much difference but it really does on a Mosin!

Oh yeah, I am paranoid about that stuff. I check my pin every time I take the gun out, regardless if I am going to fire it or not.

SwedeSteve · 07-15-2008, 04:54 PM

LOL !! When I am bored I take out a Mosin and disassemble the bolt, reassemble, and gage the firing pin.

Mosin Shooter · 07-15-2008, 07:34 PM

The thing is, when you open the bolt to the Ready-to-Be opened position, you are also cocking the rifle, moving metal around so that kinda why there hard to open.

07-11-2008, 01:42 PM	#1
DasKorvin Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 10	Maybe I am just a sissy...smooth bolt operation Ok, so I got done cleaning my first mosin ever (1945 M44). It had almost zero cosmo on it, but I went ahead and did a detailed disassembly following the tutorial on 7x62x54r.net. I used mineral spirits, then I oiled everything up that should be, and finally I rubbed some white lithium grease inside the receiver. I have to say that the rifle looks awesome, but this being my first bolt action rifle I have a question. How smooth should the cocking be? The reason I ask is because my friend has a Gew 88 that cocks like butter, while my newly acquired M44 takes a bit more muscle. It's not like I need a 2x4 or anything, but there is a difference between the two. So....am I just a paranoid, newbie, sissy boy?

07-11-2008, 01:57 PM	#2
SwedeSteve Thor's Hammer Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Alaska Posts: 10,346 Images: 1	The Mosin is a bit rougher, its normal though. __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

07-11-2008, 02:01 PM	#3
musicmaniac Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Glendale, AZ Posts: 473 Images: 7	^+1 Couldn't agree more Steve. The M44 isn't nearly as smooth as my Rem 700 CDL, but, it's not HARD either. DasKorvin, just keep in mind that it was designed as a military rifle and not a competition shooter and you will have a BLAST shooting it! And I mean that in more way than one! Haha! __________________ A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity. -- Sigmund Freud

07-11-2008, 02:49 PM	#4
cremley Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Southern New Mexico Posts: 966	I have to beat on mine a little. I think it is how it is made. my little savage .17HMR is pretty smooth and my m44 and 91/30 take some muscle! __________________ There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who have guns and those who dig. You dig.

07-11-2008, 04:50 PM	#8
R5CYA Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: San Bruno, Republic of Kalifornia Posts: 636	i'm gonna polish the mating surfaces on one of my bolts to see how smooth it can get. i'm sure there's room for improvement on most mosins. p.s. if the bolt action bothers you, you're gonna hate the recoil! __________________ *TROLL HUNTER!*

07-11-2008, 02:53 PM	#5
SGRAVESOK Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 60	I just got my 4th & 5th MNs. The 91/30 Tula is the only one that is very hard to cycle. The others are pretty smooth. You've been bitten by the bug now. More MNs are in your future--you may not know it, but you already have an incurable (sp?) disease (Mosinitis). Don't fight it, you will not win.

07-11-2008, 03:45 PM	#7
Rex in OTZ Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Kotzebue, Alaska Posts: 441	I had a Mauser 1909 that was a bit to manipulate not as smooth as my Mosin 91, I would suggest lubricating the cocking cam on the striker.

07-11-2008, 05:12 PM	#9
Geo M44 Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: The Desert Posts: 2,197	If all else fails... clean and polish the receiver. There is probably 60 year old cooked-in, caked-on, cosmolene, and possibly a very small burr or two in there making it a snug fit. Think of how set the burned-on grease on your BBQ is and that will give you an idea of what may be in there, even if it looks clean. Would you expect mineral spirits to clean a BBQ? Get in there with boiling water, some dishwasher liquid (like Cascade), a 12ga brush on a drill (careful not to bottom it out). Give it a good scrubbing and then rinse with boiling water. Don't forget to run dry patches and some Hoppes through the bore afterwards. Caution: Either dissassemble the rifle or be very careful when cleaning as the detergent and boiling water will remove varnish from the stock. Now you should notice a lot smoother cycle with steel cased ammo and almost effortless with brass. If not... time to polish. __________________ Remember when seconds count... the police are only minutes away. Last edited by Geo M44; 07-11-2008 at 05:15 PM.

07-12-2008, 03:05 AM	#10
DasKorvin Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 10	I got some free time before my ammo arrives next week, so I think I will polish the bolt surfaces. Any suggestions on products to use? Specific brands or types, etc.?

07-15-2008, 11:36 AM	#11
SwedeSteve Thor's Hammer Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Alaska Posts: 10,346 Images: 1	Flitz or jewelers rouge. __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

07-15-2008, 01:05 PM	#13
SwedeSteve Thor's Hammer Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Alaska Posts: 10,346 Images: 1	Another point is to make sure your firing pin is adjusted properly !! __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

07-15-2008, 04:54 PM	#16
SwedeSteve Thor's Hammer Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Alaska Posts: 10,346 Images: 1	LOL !! When I am bored I take out a Mosin and disassemble the bolt, reassemble, and gage the firing pin. __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

07-15-2008, 07:34 PM	#17
Mosin Shooter Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 416	The thing is, when you open the bolt to the Ready-to-Be opened position, you are also cocking the rifle, moving metal around so that kinda why there hard to open. __________________ Save a cow, eat a vegetarian.