'New" SKS first time cleaning?

dono18

dono18

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Hey everyone, I just ordered an SKS from Wantsalls and it is the first rifle I purchased. I understand that any military surplus gun usually needs to be cleaned before firing for the first time. I have never cleaned any gun before. There's few videos on YouTube that shows you step by step how to take the rifle apart, but I was just wondering what tools/supplies will I need for a first cleaning? I hear cosmoline can be a pain to get off...I am not looking to do a refurb job or anything, just enough so that I can shoot the gun safely.

Thanks!
 
The You tube videos arepretty good, they will show you how to take it apart, not mant tools required at all, A pan of varsol and a old toothbrush make cleaning the cosmo off easy.
 
The cosmoline can sometimes be a pain to get off. Break Clean works good. Pretty much any cleaner that will break down and remove the oily cosmoline.
 
My sks was my first rifle too. Look up videos on YouTube, that's how I learned.

Make sure you take the bolt apart, ie, take the firing pin out, to get the Cosmo out. Paint thinner works great on all the metal. I soaked everything and used a cheap paint brush to get all the Cosmo out from the nooks and cranes. Make sure no oil in the gas chamber when you're done. For the stock, warm your oven up to the lowest setting and stick it in there. Wipe it down every 15 minutes or so until no more is oozing out.
 
Many solvents can remove cosmo from the metal parts, it just takes a bit of time and elbow grease. Not sure where you live but if you still have some nice hot days, you can wrap the stock in newspaper and paper towels and place it on the dash of an old car for a few days in the sun to sweat out the rest of the grease. Any cosmo you miss will ooze out when the rifle gets hot from shooting.
 
Cleaning/removal of cosmoline is actually quite easy. It is just a little time consuming. This is what I did on two SKS's just a few weeks ago. The end result was two SKS's that are so clean they look like they came from the showroom floor.

I purchased a tote that was long enough for the barrel/receiver and threw everything into it with some general paint thinner and allowed it to sit for about an hr. The tote cost me around $8 from Canadian Tire. I tried to take the firing pin apart but after a couple of attempts it was clear to me that the pin holding the housing together was not going to come out easily so I decided to avoid possible damage and instead just sprayed some wrench super penetrant into it which actually worked quite well. After wiping it down I then took it, along with everything except the barrel/receiver, and threw them all into an old camping pot and boiled them for about 20 mins on the stove. The pieces were so hot when I removed them that they literally dried on their own once I removed the surface moisture. For the barrel/receiver I used an electric kettle and poured hot water down the barrel and all over to remove any thinner or cosmoline residue. For the stocks I gave them a wipe down with some paint thinner and finished them with a hot towel wipe down.

This may not be what others do but it worked for me. The SKS's that I cleaned have zero cosmoline on them and they are so clean you would never have guessed they were covered in it. I had the paint thinner sitting around from a recent paint job and I always have super penetrant so I basically had everything on hand except for the $8 tote. If you don't have these supplies laying around already I wouldn't worry about buying them just to clean your SKS. Hot water is all you'll need. The hot water literally melts the cosmoline right off. You can literally fit every SKS piece, excluding the stock and barrel/receiver, into a pot and boil it on the stove which will completely melt off everything. Just remember to wipe them down with a dry rag then give them a good oiling like you would with any firearm. If anything, I guess I would recommend spending $6 and get a can of wrench super penetrant to make sure the fire pin housing is completely free floating but all you really need is hot water and time.
 
MikeAK said:
I tried to take the firing pin apart but after a couple of attempts it was clear to me that the pin holding the housing together was not going to come out easily so I decided to avoid possible damage and instead just sprayed some wrench super penetrant into it which actually worked quite well.
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You really need to bang on that pin from the side. I used a couple 2x4s to prop it up, used the tool from the cleaning kit that looks like a center punch, got a hammer and started whacking. The first time was an extremely tight fit, but future cleanings went much better.
 
dragonbait said:
You really need to bang on that pin from the side. I used a couple 2x4s to prop it up, used the tool from the cleaning kit that looks like a center punch, got a hammer and started whacking. The first time was an extremely tight fit, but future cleanings went much better.
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Yeah, I figure if I really wanted to get in there I could and if the super penetrant hadn't worked so well I probably would have kept on trying. Between the penetrant and boiling it in water the firing pin is as clean as it will get even if I open it up.
 
Wow lots of info here, thanks everyone. So it sounds like hot water, paint thinner, and a brush should do the trick.
 
dono18 said:
Wow lots of info here, thanks everyone. So it sounds like hot water, paint thinner, and a brush should do the trick.
Click to expand...

Pretty much. Paint thinner works well to break the crud down but if you don't have it I wouldn't go out and buy it. Once you've cleaned 1 or 2 SKS's you learn that hot water is really all you need. Just remember not to use a wire brush or anything that might scratch the metal. Use something synthetic like a tooth brush or paint brush. Depending on the year of your SKS the only thing you really have to focus on is the firing pin and making sure it is free floating. This is where the penetrant works it's magic, it will completely dissolve any corrosion, crud, and rust that may have built up over the years. Throwing it in an old camping pot and boiling it after will completely remove the cosmoline and the liquified crap left over from the penetrant. If you have an air can laying around a couple shots into the housing will allow you to see if there is anything left inside. If you can gently shake the firing pin housing and the pin rattles back and forth with ease then you are probably safe.
 
Just little update on this...

The gun arrived on Thursday and I just took it apart today with plans on cleaning the cosmoline out. To my surprise however, when I stripped it down there was no gunked up cosmoline anywhere. The gun is thoroughly oiled and it seems like it should be good to go out and shoot...So was this cleaned before hand or what? Has anyone else ordered an SKS from Wanstalls or anywhere else that came cosmoline free?
 
I recently picked up a steamer cleaner from XS cargo for $20 which works like a charm on my SKS, and I think would work well on cosmoline as well. I would still give your gun a good clean even though it wasn't completely gunked up.
 
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