Mosin Nagant Maintenance
- Thread starter modrummer
- Start date
I clean my Mosin like I do every other rifle except that I spray the chamber, bolt, etc, down with water immediately after shooting due to corrosive surplus ammo.
Please don't forget that last part
The oils on your skin won't rust it. Oil doesn't cause rust, water does. You might have water on your hands though.
If I don't shoot my Mosin for a while I spray a little CLP down the bore (like every other rifle), do a visual inspection to make sure there isn't any rust from any missed corrosive salts, and clean it every once in a while (including after range trips) with some hoppes-soaked patches down the bore, a good hopes rub-down, some oil on the bolt, etc etc.
Mosins are one of the most durable rifles on the planet (it's probably older than you are, you won't hurt it), so there isn't a need to baby it.
edit: I wear rubber/nitrile/latex/whatever gloves when cleaning my guns. One reason is to prevent lead particles being soaked in through my skin and the other reason is because my hands sweat when I work with them, and salt+water(sweat) = bad for guns. You can get them for $4, $5 for 50 (probably cheaper) at your local Wal-Mart.
Please don't forget that last part
The oils on your skin won't rust it. Oil doesn't cause rust, water does. You might have water on your hands though
.If I don't shoot my Mosin for a while I spray a little CLP down the bore (like every other rifle), do a visual inspection to make sure there isn't any rust from any missed corrosive salts, and clean it every once in a while (including after range trips) with some hoppes-soaked patches down the bore, a good hopes rub-down, some oil on the bolt, etc etc.
Mosins are one of the most durable rifles on the planet (it's probably older than you are, you won't hurt it), so there isn't a need to baby it.
edit: I wear rubber/nitrile/latex/whatever gloves when cleaning my guns. One reason is to prevent lead particles being soaked in through my skin and the other reason is because my hands sweat when I work with them, and salt+water(sweat) = bad for guns. You can get them for $4, $5 for 50 (probably cheaper) at your local Wal-Mart.
sc928porsche
New member
Your skin contains oil, water, and salt. When touching metal, it will cause the area of contact to rust quicker.
Again, is it not the oil that causes rust, it's the water and salt on your hands.
I will again suggest just wearing rubber gloves when you clean. Other than that, a quick rub with a Hoppe's patch (not dripping, just a little wet) will neutralize the water and salt and protect the metal.
Don't use alcohol, it will stain the wood.
Ignition Override
New member
Sefner, and fellow shooter:
You guys provide the most comprehensive info I've ever seen on this topic. Those gloves are an excellent idea. Hope that you folks don't mind a few basic questions.
1) As for Hoppe's, are we to assume that people always refer to H. #9, or are there other liquids sold by the company for cleaning bores? Many believe that it cleans powder and potassium chlorate 'salts', but not copper.
2) Can a typical tiny bore light really allow people to see tiny spots in the bore which have corrosion?
3) If you shoot (i.e.) about 20-30 rds. of modern Prvi Partizan .303 in a clean Enfield, after about how many days are needed for the typical powder residue (no cleaning) to attract moisture and begin to corrode the bore? I always clean within two-three, and the rifles are kept in a very dry house.
You guys provide the most comprehensive info I've ever seen on this topic. Those gloves are an excellent idea. Hope that you folks don't mind a few basic questions.
1) As for Hoppe's, are we to assume that people always refer to H. #9, or are there other liquids sold by the company for cleaning bores? Many believe that it cleans powder and potassium chlorate 'salts', but not copper.
2) Can a typical tiny bore light really allow people to see tiny spots in the bore which have corrosion?
3) If you shoot (i.e.) about 20-30 rds. of modern Prvi Partizan .303 in a clean Enfield, after about how many days are needed for the typical powder residue (no cleaning) to attract moisture and begin to corrode the bore? I always clean within two-three, and the rifles are kept in a very dry house.
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stubbicatt
New member
To OP: The way to prevent the skin oils from leaving behind salts that can rust is to get you an old chamois or similar and spray it down with CLP. Use this to wipe down all of your firearms before putting them in the safe.
Works for me.
Works for me.
Ignition,
You're welcome! That's what the forum is for. And I'd hate to see a Mosin go to rust
1. When we say Hoppes we are referring to the Hoppes #9 solvent. There are tons of other chemicals out there. There is Breakfree, CLP, RemOil, etc etc. They all work in pretty much the same fashion. Do a search for cleaning on the forum and you'll have a lifetime's worth of reading on which chemicals and oils are better than others.
2. I have a bore light and I can see almost every detail of my 91/30's bore. Corrosion is easy to spot, it's dark splotches or spots on the bore and bore lights light up a shiny bore real nice.
3. Modern Prvo Partizan is not corrosive, so you won't have to worry, it'll just make the gun a little dirty. If it was corrosive, you would start seeing rust the day after shooting depending on the environment. Corrosive ammo comes in the cool Russian/Belgian/Yugoslavian cans.
bigghoss linked to http://7.62x54r.net ... that's an excellent resource on everything about Mosins.
Also, have you shot it yet? Do you have a sticky bolt after a few shots?
You're welcome! That's what the forum is for. And I'd hate to see a Mosin go to rust
1. When we say Hoppes we are referring to the Hoppes #9 solvent. There are tons of other chemicals out there. There is Breakfree, CLP, RemOil, etc etc. They all work in pretty much the same fashion. Do a search for cleaning on the forum and you'll have a lifetime's worth of reading on which chemicals and oils are better than others.
2. I have a bore light and I can see almost every detail of my 91/30's bore. Corrosion is easy to spot, it's dark splotches or spots on the bore and bore lights light up a shiny bore real nice.
3. Modern Prvo Partizan is not corrosive, so you won't have to worry, it'll just make the gun a little dirty. If it was corrosive, you would start seeing rust the day after shooting depending on the environment. Corrosive ammo comes in the cool Russian/Belgian/Yugoslavian cans.
bigghoss linked to http://7.62x54r.net ... that's an excellent resource on everything about Mosins.
Also, have you shot it yet? Do you have a sticky bolt after a few shots?
Very helpful topic. I recently acquired a mosin and look forward to shooting it. I cleaned it after I picked it up from the dealer with some Sweets cleaner than followed it up with Outers cleaner then lubes it with some hoppes. Do I ever need to use the heavy oil that came with it or am I safe with regular lube? I plan on using non corrosive ammo with it. Also, I haven't found a 7.62 bore snake yet, what would be a comparable size to use? .308? And is it even okay to use a bore snake on this rifle?
JBial said:
You don't need to use the heavy oil. It's fine to just use Hoppes Oil, RemOil, or whatever oil you find works best for you.
.308 is the Bore Snake you're looking for and it will be fine to use in the Mosin.
modrummer said:
Yep! Sticky bolts are generally caused by cosmoline on the bolt or in the receiver. The first step is to boil any metal parts you can fit in a pot for a good 10 minutes, pull them out, and wipe them off. You should see the oil (that's the cosmoline) in the pot as you boil them. This will not harm any metal parts as long as you dry them properly and cosmo isn't toxic, but clean your pans well unless you want cosmo-flavored bacon... which wouldn't actually be that bad...
You will also need to do this to the barrel, which is very long and includes the receiver. The best way I've found to do this is to set your hot water heater on the highest setting possible, wait for it to kick off (that way you know it's reached that temperature), then give your barrel and receiver a hot shower. The water will be HOT, I had to wear insulated gloves and it was still hot. But this will melt the cosmoline off the barrel and because it's so hot, all the cosmo that's leaked into the nooks and tiny scratches of the receiver. Do this until you can look down the barrel and don't see too much cosmo. This might take a while, so give yourself some time.
Another way to do this is with mineral spirits/paint thinner. It's much quicker but not everyone has access to it.
If you still have a sticky bolt (it's most evident after a few shots in rapid succession cuz the cosmo heats up and expands), there is a video that will damn sure fix your problem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXC_PQkLkNA In my opinion the video is a little overkill for the issue, but if you really don't like sticky bolts, there ya go