my first milsurp!

Ruffed Grouse

Ruffed Grouse

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Hi all,

I just got my first milsurp:) A Mosin 91/30 from gunnutz sweepstakes! - I'm very excited and now thinking about trying to collect example bolt-action rifles of its era of all the major powers. So I've done some preliminary browsing, and at least some examples seem to be floating around of many guns except for Springfields. Have I just missed them, or are they a little harder to get.

But my present problem is that I don't know what to do, if anything, to get this rifle ready to use - not that I'm going to hunt with it, but I'd like to take it to the range and see what it feels like to shoot. The wood seems slightly tacky - has it been coated with something that has to be removed? Similarly, there are flakes of oily gunk in some of the workings, especially in the magazine - is this something protective that can now be removed? Finally, is there anything I should do to the bore beyond a regular cleaning?

Finally among the accessories, there is a round metal object with two threaded knobs on it. What is it? And what is the thick coating of (presumable protective) sticky gunk on this object?

Thanks,

RG

<>< <>< <>< <><
 
Sticky gunk is likely cosmolene. When I buy a milsurp, since I shoot them, I take the thing apart to its smallest components, clean them one by one, and then reassemble with lubrication. A rag is usually enough to wipe the crap off. Antiquarians will tell you it is bad to clean a historical object. However I think guns are an exception since they are working pieces of history - like an antique car that you still want to drive. I have no compuction about giving them a good cleaning inside and out. I do not like to refinish the wood or remove patina but the refurb shellac is sometimes a mess and since it was done after the war, it's not really that valuable. I would consider it fine to refinish the wood with a correct amber shellac from Home Depot or better.

It's still ready to use presuming the numbers match.

Springfields are hard to find and expensive. Get a Garand.

The round object is... an oil bottle??
 
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Yup, the weird two-caps thingy is a useless oil bottle. Surplus Mosins often come with extras, not sure how more attractive this makes them.

Good advices from skirsons. Good cleaning, even in the tight places. If you're uncertain and do want to make sure it's all ok, take it to a gunsmith for a quick look.

Find ammo... then enjoy!

Lou
 
It is likely that all we will have soon is the $24.99 packs of newly made non-corrosive stuff. But yeah, use ammonia to clean that barrel if in doubt.

I am really mechanically minded and I love disassembling my new gun, but I understand it's not for everyone. Mosin Nagants are about the simplest rifles in terms of disassembly so I still recommend it. It's not like taking the safety of an Enfield No1 Mk3 where you have to screw it together 15 times before you get it right.

Your rifle should have also come with a teardrop shaped tool which is excellent for taking apart the bolt and also for checking the firing pin protrusion.

This site has tips on disassembly:

h ttp://www.surplusrifle.com/russianmosin189130/index.asp
 
In anticipation of the rifle coming I bought some Czech-made Sellier and Bellot ammo. That's modern non-cororosive right?

Yes, there is a funny-shaped wrench, so I should be set to try to take it apart tonight.

Will an oily rag really be enough to take off the cosmoline? It seems like it would be harder to wipe off than that.

Thanks for all the info.

RG

<><
 
If you check over on surplusrifle.com, there are lots of methods people use to get cosmoline off. You might need a solvent on your rags but I would take the action out of the stock if possible.

I've used brake cleaner (keep away from wood and plastic!), but to tell the truth boiling hot water does a great job on the metal parts, as long as you thoroughly dry and oil them afterward. Even mild heat will get a lot out. Leave your rifle outdoors on a sunny day and it will begin to "weep" cosmoline.

At a minimum, wipe the exterior down as well as you can and thoroughly clean the bore. Also I would take the bolt apart as quite often the cosmo in there will prevent the firing pin from striking properly. There's step-by-step directions to the bolt disassembly at the website above.
 
To clean Cosmo, Use kerosene, It won't strip "all" of the oil off ( it will leave a film) It won't harm the wood, just wipe off & oil with clean lube.

I gave up on the Surplus ammo thing, Some ammo shot well, other stuff was aggravation each round. Buy some and try it, "all surplus 7.62x54R is corrosive"
The Czech made Sellier and Bellot ammo is very good and is not corrosive. I shoot it and roll my own loads....
 
Ruffed Grouse said:
Hi all,

I just got my first milsurp:) A Mosin 91/30 from gunnutz sweepstakes! - I'm very excited and now thinking about trying to collect example bolt-action rifles of its era of all the major powers. So I've done some preliminary browsing, and at least some examples seem to be floating around of many guns except for Springfields. Have I just missed them, or are they a little harder to get.

But my present problem is that I don't know what to do, if anything, to get this rifle ready to use - not that I'm going to hunt with it, but I'd like to take it to the range and see what it feels like to shoot. The wood seems slightly tacky - has it been coated with something that has to be removed? Similarly, there are flakes of oily gunk in some of the workings, especially in the magazine - is this something protective that can now be removed? Finally, is there anything I should do to the bore beyond a regular cleaning?

Finally among the accessories, there is a round metal object with two threaded knobs on it. What is it? And what is the thick coating of (presumable protective) sticky gunk on this object?

Thanks,

RG

<>< <>< <>< <><
Click to expand...

Do you own a paint stripping heat gun? They work like Jack the Bear...just don't get anything hotter than the minimum it takes to make the cosmo liquify...you'll need to strip the rifle right down to do this. Don't hold the heat in any one place for any length of time, you can do damage for sure by overdoing it...so just enough. No chemical fumes either, except for that toxic melting cosmoline...:eek::runaway:
 
Ruffed Grouse said:
But my present problem is that I don't know what to do, if anything, to get this rifle ready to use
Click to expand...

Congratulations .... :cheers:

Now you're going to need a lot of research and reference material, so here's a good start ... ;)

Check the Technical Articles for Milsurp Collectors and Re-loaders (click here)http://www.milsurps.com/forumdisplay.php?f=25

With thanks to dimitri, here's a FREE excellent scanned publication that everyone should have stored on their computer, which provides complete instructions on assembly and disassembly of almost every milsurp made.

How to load, operate, disassemble, assemble American, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and other military small arms. 218 pages with photographs and line drawings.

a_basic_manual_of_military_small_arms.pdf.jpg


Basic Manual of Military Small Arms by W.H.B. Smith (Expired Copyright 1943) (click here)http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=1122

Regards,
Badger
 
Wow, BadgerDog, I didn't know you had a connection to any kind of military surplus information site. This is the first I'm hearing of it. :D
 
Ruffed Grouse said:
I just got my first milsurp:) A Mosin 91/30 from gunnutz sweepstakes! - I'm very excited and now thinking about trying to collect example bolt-action rifles of its era of all the major powers.
Click to expand...

As an afterthought and remembering what it was like to become a "new" collector", here's a personal word of advice..... ;)

Do some research and try to focus historically on some specific genre (or country) of these old girls that you'd like to collect. It will go easier on your pocketbook and you'll find you'll become far more knowledgeable about a narrower focus of firearms, than trying to learn everything about all of them at the same time.

I made the mistake of trying to collect everything and now I've got far too much invested in a broad range of quality pieces, but I don't find I'm as interested in almost half of them, as I thought I would be. So, starting this summer, I'm going to be running a large sale over several months of some outstanding pieces, many of them rare such as sniper rifles.

My wife ~Angel~ was the smart one. She purely focused on Enfields manufactured from the late 1890's through to the late 1970's. She has quite a nice collection and it's much easier to do research, become knowledgeable and actually appreciate and enjoy a collection of pieces with a common heritage, when you do it this way.

Just my two cents of experience about what I've learned during this journey into collecting (and shooting) old milsurps. :D

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to post them here, or on the Milsurps Knowledge Library, as you'll find a terrific group of people who will graciously help you out as a fellow collector.

Besides being a Contributing Dealer (click here) http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=148 financially supporting CGN, we provide members with the Milsurps Knowledge Library (click here)http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=212931.

If you aren't a member you have to join, however, you can register for FREE..... Sorry, but if we don't have people register with legitimate email addresses, we get plastered with posts from spammers selling on-line prescription drugs and advertising ####ography sites.

Good luck with your new found addiction to collecting old milsurps. :D

Regards,
Badger
 
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