I have to share this... sorry. So a friend calls today and asks for advice. He want's a Magpul stock for his grand dad's Mosin Nagant that was handed down to him, and he asked where he might could find one. I told him to check midwayusa or brownells. Then he pulls out the doozy....
Him: So yeah, I have another question. I'm trying to clean a couple of these old guns up and they have a ton of crud on them. Is it okay if I use some sandpaper and mineral spirits to clean the crud and rust off?
Me: DO NOT DO THAT!!!
Him: So I shouldn't use that? Well, I already cleaned one up and it has a silver colored barrel. I can see the sandpaper lines so I guess you're right. Oh well, at least the barrel is stainless steel.
Me: Wait, you said a couple of these old guns? What all do you have.
Him: A Mosin, a K98, and an Arisaka (I already helped him discover that he had an Arisaka a year or so ago).
Me: None of those rifles had a stainless finish, you actually removed all the bluing with your sandpaper and it will now likely rust overnight. Wait, you have a German Mauser? Where did it come from? Is it a Russian capture?
Him: Oh, that's ok. I think I'll duracoat it anyway. Oh my grandfather was in WWII and he brought the K98 back from Europe. Nothing Russian about it that I know of.
Me: DO NOT TOUCH ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE GUNS WITH SANDPAPER. As a matter of fact, don't touch them at all. I will happily help you clean them up.
I know it's his stuff and he can do what he wants in the end, but I know for a fact that he's going to hate himself if he bubbas all of it. I think I did convince him that the Mauser needs to be *properly* cleaned and then left alone. Not just that they are getting pretty rare and valuable, but also because his grandfather brought it back from the war. Have any of you ever cringed after a conversation similar to this?
Him: So yeah, I have another question. I'm trying to clean a couple of these old guns up and they have a ton of crud on them. Is it okay if I use some sandpaper and mineral spirits to clean the crud and rust off?
Me: DO NOT DO THAT!!!
Him: So I shouldn't use that? Well, I already cleaned one up and it has a silver colored barrel. I can see the sandpaper lines so I guess you're right. Oh well, at least the barrel is stainless steel.
Me: Wait, you said a couple of these old guns? What all do you have.
Him: A Mosin, a K98, and an Arisaka (I already helped him discover that he had an Arisaka a year or so ago).
Me: None of those rifles had a stainless finish, you actually removed all the bluing with your sandpaper and it will now likely rust overnight. Wait, you have a German Mauser? Where did it come from? Is it a Russian capture?
Him: Oh, that's ok. I think I'll duracoat it anyway. Oh my grandfather was in WWII and he brought the K98 back from Europe. Nothing Russian about it that I know of.
Me: DO NOT TOUCH ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE GUNS WITH SANDPAPER. As a matter of fact, don't touch them at all. I will happily help you clean them up.
I know it's his stuff and he can do what he wants in the end, but I know for a fact that he's going to hate himself if he bubbas all of it. I think I did convince him that the Mauser needs to be *properly* cleaned and then left alone. Not just that they are getting pretty rare and valuable, but also because his grandfather brought it back from the war. Have any of you ever cringed after a conversation similar to this?