Hello everyone, I'm new to this gun forum but it looks like a good one so I think that I'm going to stay! All the information I've gotten is great and I've been posting questions around but I'm just going to post this and ask a few questions that I hope some of you seasoned Mosin collectors won't mind answering.
I'm buying my first Mosin saturday at a gun show. I read about the cleaning, looked way over my head (remember how little i know about old rifles) and I was wondering if there was a way that I could get a pre-cleaned Mosin at this gun show. If not i'll clean it myself but it seemed hard so i was wondering if there was a way around it.
Second off, I was wanting to scope my Mosin. PU scopes look very expensive and I was thinking about getting a Leapers scope because i saw that most of them are decent scopes are under $100. If i do get this Leaper scope, should I attempt to install it myself or have it done professionally? I've heard that they can be very tempermental and must be installed with great accuracy to be effective.
Third and finally, when I buy my Mosin this satuday, what should i look for to make sure that it's a good mosin that won't give me problems? What specifically should I inspect to make sure that it's going to function well. (but remember I am inexperienced with this stuff so i may not understand terms that are too technical about these old guns.)
Thanks a ton for your time! I would greatly appreciate your feedback!
Welcome to G&G! Here's the down and dirty before you become inundated!
1. Look for a cleaned one(you'r still gonna have to clean it)!
2. Don't worry about a scope yet. There's all kind of ways to scope it! Just get it home first.
3. Look at the stock for cracks and splits. Check metal for rust or deep pitting. Cyce the bolt(open bolt, close bolt, pull trigger). If it works, then all right! While looking at the metal check for serial numbers on the barrel, bolt handle, magazine, and buttstock. If they match, great! If not, no biggy. Look down the bore. See daylight? Good enough for now. Most don't know what they are looking at anyway!
4. Ask what comes with it. Sling, bayonet, ammo pouch, oil bottle, and a partial cleaning kit are a few of the regular accesories.
5. Let us know when you get her home and we can help you from there.
Good Luck !!
__________________ I keep tellin ya Doc, I'm in pretty good shape considerin the shape I'm in !!
Welcome, I’m new myself but let me give you my take on this. First, be careful going to a gunshow with the idea that you are going to find one you want. This may mean settling for one you really don’t want, paid too much for, and may regret later. I love my Mosins but have passed on some that were just in bad shape or way overpriced. Save yourself buyer's remorse. My take on scopes is, “It’s your gun, do what you want” I personally would never drill. I want to preserve the original gun. That’s just me. Have you considered the scout mounts? They work well and no permanent damage to rifle. Again, your call of course.
Check out the “Sticky” Marion57 posted above. You can learn a lot from there. Good luck and happy hunting. PS. I feel I must warn you in case nobody else has told you; Once you start down that slippery slope of buying your Mosin, there's no going back!!
What Swede said. He's one of the Mosin Kahunas on the forum.
I would not sweat the Cosmoline issue too much. As long as you get the cleaning kit with your rifle, you have most of what you need to clean out the cosrmoline. It's not as hard as you think; just follow the instructions in the sticky. The only other thing you're going to want for the cleaning job apart from what's in the sticky is a wide-bladed screwdriver. Remember, after you remove the bolt you only have to remove four screws to dismantle a Mosin; 2 in the buttplate, two in the receiver and magazine. The Mosin is about the simplest bolt action there is to disassemble.
If you want or need a visual aid because you got yours without a manual, you can find videos on YouTube explaining how to disassemble a Mosin Nagant and the Mosin bolt. It's not hard. If I, Mister Fumble-Fingers the Mechanical Oaf, can do it so can you. Just budget about four hours and half a gallon of mineral spirits for the cleaning job and you'll be fine. Keep us advised of how it's going, and don't hesitate to ask if you have a question.
you can also go to 7.62x54r.net they have a lot of usefull info there.
if you want to scope it i would go with a scout mount that replaces the rear sight
and a long eye relief scope. that setup can be done at home.
__________________ JESUS....THE REAL HOPE AND CHANGE
Welcome to the forum. I hope you get a really nice gun.
You might want to try out your new gun with the good old iron sights just like Ivan had when the gun was issued for combat. Who knows? You may find that you like them more than a scope. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck in getting a nice Mosin.
I'm going to a gun show this weekend to look for either a nice M44, or a nice Russian-made SKS. I'll just be looking and probably won't buy a thing (yeah, sure).
welcome !
The scope thing like they have said the scout rear sight scope is the cheap simple way to go. The only reason I put one on my m44 was for the ease of sighting because I use the rifle with the bayonet folded and I didnt want to mess with the front sight too much seemed really tedious so I added a scop that I can just turn some dials to get it sighted in with, otherwise I would have left it with iron sights. If you get a 91/30 M38 or M39 or something like that you wont have this problem as they dont have bayonets, if you get the m44 and want to shoot as accurate as possable you will either have to shoot with the bayonet extended or resight it in to shoot with it folded, or like me add a scope and sight it in with that.
At any rate tho I like them both my m44 and my m38 Im still fine tuning things with them, still trying to get the scope set on the m44 I found out that the settings are backward, I was turning the up down that is actually the left to right and vice versa, really screwed me up in the field trying to sight it in, everything I turned made no sense to me. The M38 had a little sticky bolt problem, I gave it a really good detailed cleaning and checked the firing pin adjustment and will try it next shooting trip in hopes its a bit smoother action.
Have fun and no matter what you get I know your gonna have fun with it !!!
Last edited by thebluesbox; 04-01-2008 at 02:33 AM.
Thanks a lot for all the information! I'll be sure that I'm going to get a nice Mosin before i decide to buy one at the gun show Saturday. One more question though, where can I get these mineral spirits and what kind do I need? What exactly do I use them for while cleaning the gun?
You can get mineral spirits at any hardware store. Usually in the paint section. Use it to cut through the cosmoline(that addictive vaseline-like substance the rifle is covered in). Soak your bolt pieces in it, scrub your chamber with it, anywhere you find that sticky stuff. But like I said, you might find one already cleaned!
__________________ I keep tellin ya Doc, I'm in pretty good shape considerin the shape I'm in !!
I use a metal paint roller pan and put the small parts (bolt, fittings, magazine) in the well and fill it with mineral spirits enough to cover the parts. I use a cheap utility paint brush to "scrub" the parts. As parts are cleaned I put them up on the angled area of the pan. When finished I dump the used mineral spirits into an unused empty paint can (you can find all of this stuff at home depot) and reuse later.
I use a metal paint roller pan and put the small parts (bolt, fittings, magazine) in the well and fill it with mineral spirits enough to cover the parts. I use a cheap utility paint brush to "scrub" the parts. As parts are cleaned I put them up on the angled area of the pan. When finished I dump the used mineral spirits into an unused empty paint can (you can find all of this stuff at home depot) and reuse later.
you guys do it the hard way.. put em in a pan and spray them with carb cleaner wipe em off and oil them put it back together nothing to empty and no residue
__________________
You can have my gun when you pry it from my cold dead fingers
just dont rub it on the stock it will dilute your finish !!
Ditto, I actually did that on a few spots. One spot I was able to fix to a certain point with tru oil. Another is too blotchy to try to fix. Now some of the finish is gone. What to do now? I would love to keep the old finish anf try to repair this spot. Is this possible or do I have to refinish the whole thing now. I will post pics when I have time.
Sounds good, thanks again....so if i dont use the mineral spirits on my stock, what do i use on my stock? I've heard you can cook it at 135 degrees F, and the Cosmoline will be off in a few hours.
Ditto, I actually did that on a few spots. One spot I was able to fix to a certain point with tru oil. Another is too blotchy to try to fix. Now some of the finish is gone. What to do now? I would love to keep the old finish anf try to repair this spot. Is this possible or do I have to refinish the whole thing now. I will post pics when I have time.
well two choices
Strip it and re shelac it
strip it and stain it and tru oil it
I dont much like shelac so guess what I would do he he
Quote:
Originally Posted by SwedeSteve
I wondered what that big 'ol can of brake cleaner was doing on my bench!
+1 yepper glad to remind you ..I know how you guys have those senior moments LOL
__________________
You can have my gun when you pry it from my cold dead fingers
Please Mr Custer I dont wanna go
Last edited by marion57; 04-03-2008 at 10:52 AM.
Reason: Automerged Doublepost
