New K98 - first steps

[RangeRover]

Further to my earlier post on my newly-arrived RC K98 I have now had a few minutes to take a closer look. I am a milsurp newbie, though, so am looking for guidance as how to get it functioning a smoothly as possible.

I ran some hot water through the bore and while there was some gunk, she's pretty shiny and, now, oiled. Hard for my inexperienced I to determine bore condition beyond that, but there is a least a bit more rifling than in my 12-gauge, which I take as a good sign.

Reading up on this and other sites it sounds like I should, at a minimum, check headspace with a field gauge, before firing it. There's also lots of great advice on cleaning up the stock, should I choose to do so, but I have found less about what I might expect to find or experience with all the moving parts.

Again, without anything to compare against, the action is very stiff, as is the safety. The trigger pull also seems heavy and, for lack of a better word "gritty" (certainly not smooth).

I won't have a chance to really get in close to the rifle until this weekend, so suggestions as to what to look for (common problems), potential simple fixes (oil this, that and the other thing) would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Sigismund]

The safety is supposed to be hard to move. The trigger should be smooth. However, if your used to match triggers on modern rifles, your opinion of a smooth trigger may differ from mine.

 

[H Wally]

As with most milsurps - a good going over with a rage, a lot of toothpicks, and some good brushes should solve most issues. If it was comsmolined when you got it it'll probably need to be completely disassembled, or at least to the point you can get at every surface. The gritty trigger may be cosmoline and dust or grit somewhere in the trigger group or inside the bolt.