2 funny stories

[jimbubba]

I was out shooting yesterday with my son.Took out the old Enfield and the 1891 Mosin-Nagant.I have had the Enfield for years,just got the MN a while back.Never fired either one of them.

Fired the MN with great care and it went bang all right,but I couldn't open the bolt at first,had to use a wooden block;then the spent cartridge would not extract.Oh well...tried the cleaning rod,too short,so,end of that story.

Turned to the Enfield,fired carefully,went bang,cool.Fired another 9 ,shoots well,trigger is surprisingly light.
Gave it to my son to shoot,since it didn't blow up on me and got out the video.

Well,darned if it doesn't go BANG for him and when he works the bolt,out comes the bottom of a full case head separation!!I managed to fish the rest of the cartridge out with the MN cleaning rod and resume firing.

The next 2 rounds were both squibs!! Dunno where that ammo came from,it was in commercial boxes,some was military,some was not.

Managed to bash them out with the ,you guessed it ,MN cleaning rod.

Just about out of ammo,sonny says "Let's try this pop can".I had forgotten to bring targets and used a cardboard someone else had left behind.Course,by the time he's pulling off these feats,I had grown tired of filming him not shooting the Enfield.

I said"Well,OK,but I guarantee you'll never hit it with that old rifle". He tosses it out about 30 yards,and nails it!
One more round,one more pop can,toss it out there,me making the same mutter.By golly,he nails that one too!!Had me howling!! No film though.

Got back to the house with these two grandfathers and cleaned them carefully.Looks like the MN bolt lug recess was gucked up enough to overcome the extractor's traction,because after picking it with patches, a dental pick and plenty of solvent,the bolt opens,closes,extracts and ejects with enthusiasm.

We are looking forward to making this old Russian go bang again.

Quite a different day at the rifle range!!

 

[H Wally]

You're probably aware of the whole hot water thing with corrosive ammo in nagants, but any gun that has had cosmolene gets a boiling water and soap bath with me.

Not only thoroughly cleans the gun but melts and dissolves the cosmolene out of all those hard to find and reach recesses in the gun. First time you heat that gun up you're going to be very very very surprised how much brown water comes flowing out of absolutely everywhere!

 

[bearhunter]

jimbubba, are you implying that you took two rifles that you've never fired, one of which you've stored for years and the other just purchased and you didn't clean them first?

Your son was lucky that you're so lucky.

I watched a fellow do a similar thing this spring, on the power line range and blow up a nice 7.62 Israeli k98. He to was lucky. He at least had enough sense to wear shooting glasses but needed a few stitches in his hand from the stock splitting and making a large slice in the thumb mound, on the palm. The barrel split from the rear sight to the muzzle. He hadn't looked down the bore and seen that it had cosmolene packed in it. I have no idea how he even chambered a round.

That was a pretty extreme example, it happens more often than we like to think about.

As for the 303 and case head separation, is the bore rusty, from shooting corrosive ammunition? Were some of the cartridges reloads? Get the headspace checked. A rimmed cartridge is different from a rimless when it comes to fire forming. The rimmed cartridge head spaces on the rim while the rimless head spaces on the shoulder. Blowing the shoulder forward on a rimless will usually take care of a head space problem as long as the cases are reloaded for that rifle. It doesn't work on rimmed cartridge. If the cartridges were reloads from a smaller chambered rifle it can, some times, cause head separation.

You need to take better precautions, for your sake and your son's.

I've been at the stage you're at. A long time ago, when I couldn't afford to buy decent ammunition and would shoot just about anything I could scrounge. I was lucky as well. I also had a few case head separations in an old mod 94, 30-30 and a NoI MkIII Lee Enfield in 303 Brit. It was just a nuisance at the time, until I was taken under the wing of a knowledgabe mentor. He allowed me to help with chores around the farm in exchange for ammunition of decent quality. Usually hand loads, with cast/gas checked bullets. He also educated me on how luck I really was and demonstrated by showing me a bulged barrel and sprung action from a rusty Lee Enfield. His brother had been shooting corrosive ammunition in it, without cleaning, until it went KABOOM. He gave up on shooting as it was to dangerous.

I'm not trying to flame you, just making sure you know what you're doing. If you don't know, ask. If you don't have a PAL, get one. The course and book will give you the basics of safe gun handling.

Take care.

 

[tbhupe]

I know how frustrating it can be to finally get to the range only to find that you have forgotten something or that the ammo/gun combo just doesn't work. For many of us the range trips are not frequent enough to have a routine.

Just two weeks ago I finally got out my Steyr M95 carbine with some loads I have been wanting to try (its been years since I had it out) and I swear I put the 20 rd box in my range bag. Of course I didn't and I had to make do with 50 rds of 22 (thankfully I brought 2 rifles to the range that day) but it was still disappointing.

Something that you might try is making a checklist of everything you could possibly want to take to or do at the range. It could include formulating a quick plan or overview of what you would like to do. Also things like tools, targets and stapler, cleaning kit, ammo etc. You can also list cleaning/ inspecting/functioning the guns you are going to take prior to leaving. lt doesn't have to be a big production, just a reminder to do the things we should be doing.

This is a sample of my list;

Range Checklist

 Shotguns
 Rifles
 Pistols
 Inspect/Clean/Function
 Magazines/Bolts/Scopes/Slings
 Trigger Locks/Cases
 Ammo
o Rimfire
o Centrefire
o Shotshell

 Plan of what you want to accomplish
 Chronograph / Tripod
 Batteries
 Tools
o Screwdriver(s)
o Pliers
o Flashlight/Pick/Mirror

 Cleaning Kits
o Oil/Solvent
o Patches/Pushrod/Brush
o Scope Brush

 Sandbags/Shooting Bench/Stool
 Camera
 First Aid Kit
 Targets/ Target Stand/ Target Patches/Orange Paint
Staples and Stapler/ Cord/Rope/String/ Tape
 Notebook/Pencil
 Hearing and Eye Protection
 Shooting Jacket/Hat/Raingear
 Ground Sheet/Mattress
 Water/Snacks

As I said not everything is going to go to the range every time but at least I think about it before I go.

Good luck on your next trip.

tbhupe

 

[jimbubba]

Thanks for the concerns fellas.

Let me assure you,I looked down the bores of both rifles before firing.I gave the MN a soap and water bath and then numerous brushings and patchings after the firing.Ditto the Enfield.Indeed,the bores are both dark and dirty but the rifling seems sound,no significant signs of erosion.

I laid both rifles on sandbags and weighted them down with more sandags and put sandbags over the actions and pulled the first triggers from standing as far back as my arm would reach.When they went bang instead of having the actions fly apart I felt more comfortable.Ears and safety glasses,no body armour since our AG has decided it is too dangerous to allow into civvy hands!

I am not a shooting newbie,I have been reloading since 1984 and have never blown anything up.Unless I intended to...

Shooting old ammo?I inspect it and if the corroded ring doesn't look too bad ,I go.I have discarded brass and ammo that looked too far gone,but it is surprising what will still fire despite appearances.After firing ,I crushed the squib brass and 6 other brass that looked suspicious though it had fired before discarding it in the brass can.

Since I am only 5 minutes from the range, forgetting the target,the rubber mallet and the extra rods to poke out squib bullets=not that big a deal.Fun with my son=priceless.


All in all it was a day of fun and giggles.