Rusty bore in my Mosin - learn from my lesson.

Muskyhunter1

Muskyhunter1

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
93   0   0
Location
Near the tree with the crooked limb.
A couple months back I bought a Mosin thru the mail and didn't get around to cleaning the cosmoline off till tonight. I figured it was almost new in all aspects so why shouldn't the bore be.

The gun is mint exterior but it appears when they (Russians) packaged it up for refurb that no cosmoline was in bore. I scrubbed and scrubbed the bore with all kinds if chemicals and it is pitted and the grooves are dark.

Just a word to the wise. When you buy a gun thru the mail check it over right away. Don't assume like I did that it is good. I contacted the Seller to see what he says???? I may be selling Mosin parts on EE.

rustybore004fixed_zps48f7ab0a.jpg
 
Pitted milsurp bores happen alot, even before they end their service life. It was not uncommon for soldiers to not have time to clean their rifles during the war. It simply was not possible at all times so some ended up corroding. Its also possible the dealer cleaned the cosmo out of the bore, Ive had that on more than on occasion. On top of that, Mosin bores are usually pretty rough due to the haste with which they were built. Its always a crap shoot unless you inspect if before you buy it. It will probably be shootable but will foul quickly and take a while to clean.
 
my SVT-40 is similar, very cruddy bore, however, she shoot bang on, out of the box it was 2" high, and a simple adjustment fixed that.

I do wonder though, what can be done to improve barrel condition?
 
I would be very very careful when buying any Surplus Russian rifles. Just because they have been arsenal rebuilt/refinished, does not mean that the bore is pristine, or even close. Case in point. I checked out four 91/30 sniper rifles that a local gun shop had in stock, which included cleaning the bores. These are from the current batch batch of Sniper rebuilds that many businesses are currently selling. All of them had some cosmo in the bore as shipped. Only one had a bore that came out bright with sharp rifling and NO pitting after cleaning, and on that one, the first patch came out brick red! The other three had pitting in the grooves. Not much mind you, but enough that I wouldn't have bought any of them had it been 4 for 4.

If you can't check out the rifle in person (as is the case in online sales), then at least try and get a guarantee from the seller as to the general condition including bore, or a 3 day inspection. Before the internet, 3 day (non firing) inspections were the norm in the industry when dealing by mail order.
 
jakester said:
I would be very very careful when buying any Surplus Russian rifles. Just because they have been arsenal rebuilt/refinished, does not mean that the bore is pristine, or even close. Case in point. I checked out four 91/30 sniper rifles that a local gun shop had in stock, which included cleaning the bores.
Click to expand...

I don't have a clue what you're talking about. I've bought 4 Russian rifles in the last four months, and probably 40 in the last four years. Everyone of them shoots to spec. It doesn't mean a darn thing that there is a trace of rust in the barrel, and if you base the quality of your rifle purchases by whether or not a patch comes out clean, I would suggest that you're very new, naive, or inexperienced and purchasing surplus rifles and should probably stay away from it.
 
fiddler said:
I don't have a clue what you're talking about. I've bought 4 Russian rifles in the last four months, and probably 40 in the last four years. Everyone of them shoots to spec. It doesn't mean a darn thing that there is a trace of rust in the barrel, and if you base the quality of your rifle purchases by whether or not a patch comes out clean, I would suggest that you're very new, naive, or inexperienced and purchasing surplus rifles and should probably stay away from it.
Click to expand...

Generally, I base my surplus rifle purchases on the quality of the bore. I prefer pristine, not pitted and or rusty, and apparently so does the fellow who started this thread. You're certainly showing your inexperience in dealing with people.
 
I can't see from the blurry pic how bad it is. Brass brush with ample WD40 and see how much comes out.

With milsurps it is not uncommon to get frosted, or even pitted bores. More often than not, the rifle still shoots like a champ.

If you are concerned with mirror bright bores, get detailed pictures or buy only in person. It is the only way to be sure.
 
:stirthepot2:
fiddler said:
I don't have a clue what you're talking about. I've bought 4 Russian rifles in the last four months, and probably 40 in the last four years. Everyone of them shoots to spec. It doesn't mean a darn thing that there is a trace of rust in the barrel, and if you base the quality of your rifle purchases by whether or not a patch comes out clean, I would suggest that you're very new, naive, or inexperienced and purchasing surplus rifles and should probably stay away from it.
Click to expand...
 
fiddler said:
I don't have a clue what you're talking about. I've bought 4 Russian rifles in the last four months, and probably 40 in the last four years. Everyone of them shoots to spec. It doesn't mean a darn thing that there is a trace of rust in the barrel, and if you base the quality of your rifle purchases by whether or not a patch comes out clean, I would suggest that you're very new, naive, or inexperienced and purchasing surplus rifles and should probably stay away from it.
Click to expand...

Doesn't seem like hes running one patch through,it comes out dirty then he says no thanks. He's actually cleaning it out to the point that he can see how bad the pitting may be and personally don't see anything wrong with that but definitely dont think the OP should shy away from a rifle just because of a little tarnish in the bore unless they want too much or there's a better rifle available hence the reason "we" check before "we" buy. There's even variation amongst new mfg guns of the same make and model not to mention much variation amongst CGNers and their views.
 
Muskyhunter1 said:
A couple months back I bought a Mosin thru the mail and didn't get around to cleaning the cosmoline off till tonight. I figured it was almost new in all aspects so why shouldn't the bore be.

The gun is mint exterior but it appears when they (Russians) packaged it up for refurb that no cosmoline was in bore. I scrubbed and scrubbed the bore with all kinds if chemicals and it is pitted and the grooves are dark.

Just a word to the wise. When you buy a gun thru the mail check it over right away. Don't assume like I did that it is good. I contacted the Seller to see what he says???? I may be selling Mosin parts on EE....
Click to expand...
I hope you didn't believe a $100-150 Mosin had a mint bore?
You should have specified, new barrel or nothing on your purchase.
Unfortunately, a lot of dealers will not take the time to inspect bores with a borescope, nor let you pick through a crate of Mosins while you clean each bore out to see which is best.

Your best bet was to buy from a collector so you can get a certified pristine bore. All the refurbed Mosins look good on the outside and it's a lottery in the bore department when ordering online.
 
I have a refurb 1950 tula sks that has a pretty dark pitted bore but the rifling is still strong and it seems to still shoot fine. Not being chromed doesnt help much either i suppose.
 
jakester said:
I would be very very careful when buying any Surplus Russian rifles. Just because they have been arsenal rebuilt/refinished, does not mean that the bore is pristine, or even close. Case in point. I checked out four 91/30 sniper rifles that a local gun shop had in stock, which included cleaning the bores. These are from the current batch batch of Sniper rebuilds that many businesses are currently selling. All of them had some cosmo in the bore as shipped. Only one had a bore that came out bright with sharp rifling and NO pitting after cleaning, and on that one, the first patch came out brick red! The other three had pitting in the grooves. Not much mind you, but enough that I wouldn't have bought any of them had it been 4 for 4.

If you can't check out the rifle in person (as is the case in online sales), then at least try and get a guarantee from the seller as to the general condition including bore, or a 3 day inspection. Before the internet, 3 day (non firing) inspections were the norm in the industry when dealing by mail order.
Click to expand...

It's not just that local store. I've seen a lot of those "repro" Mosin snipers, they are not in very good nick. Not sure who's doing them, but they seem to have gotten the short end of the Mosin batch stick.
 
I had a rusty & frosty bore in my Mosin M38 & it shot great!!!
As a matter of fact... the more I shot it and cleaned it, the shinier the bore got!!!

Shoot that sucker like crazy, enjoy it & keep cleaning that corrosive stuff & you will soon have a barrel with no visual rust!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom