Numerous misfires with Mosn Nagant

Y

yggorf

New member
I am shooting my first Mosin Nagant 91/30, and am getting fairly frequent misfires. About 1-2 out of 10. I've checked the firing pin protrusion and it is within spec, and the primers have nice deep centered craters (but not pierced). When a given round misfires, I can put it back in the chamber and it fires on the second try.

Do those with more 91/30 experience think this is normal for this rifle, or is there something I can check/adjust? I am using Wolf ammo.
 
You may have checked this, but make sure there's not any grease in the firing pin channel. I had that happen once with my mosin... Somehow I got some heavy oil in the channel and it slowed the pin enough to do exactly what you have described.
 
You may have checked this, but make sure there's not any grease in the firing pin channel. I had that happen once with my mosin... Somehow I got some heavy oil in the channel and it slowed the pin enough to do exactly what you have described.
Click to expand...

+1.

I've had this problem in a couple of different rifles.

A used Remington 721 that a picked up had similar symptoms your Mosin .... completely cleaned the bolt, insid and out and that cured it.

My Yugo M59/66 had gunk in the bolt, and sometimes it would misfire ..... and sometimes it would double..... cleaning cured the misfires, as well..... the doubling reguired a different firing pin.
 
Replace the mainspring. Even though the Nagant has a powerful ignition system, your mainspring may be over a century old, to a half century. Time to replace. This does make a difference on firing pin speed, and that may be your problem.

Clean out the inside of the bolt, remove all grease and oil, take off the mainspring, and replace. Go to Wolff mainsprings and order their 24 lb mainspring. I do not recommend the 30 lb mainspring as your bolt will be very difficult to open and you will end up cutting coils.

Wolff Nagant mainsprings
https://www.gunsprings.com/index.php?page=items&cID=2&mID=102&dID=182
 
What ammo?
First thing to do is give it a really good bath and change ammo.
You do not need to change springs just because they're old. Coil springs do not lose temper due to age. Coil springs do not lose temper from being compressed either.
 
Clean out your rifle, including the bolt assembly THOROUGHLY. Then, have a competent gunsmith check headspace before firing again. If problems persist, get a new bolt mainspring.

If that doesn't do it, you have the world only Mosin Nagant that can't be fixed LOL! :D
 
Also keep in mind how the Firing Pin on a Mosin is installed. it's very easy to screw it in 1 turn too shallow and than makes the pin not hit the primer very well. You may just have to check the pin protrusion. If it's shallow turn it to the place its supposed to be.
 
Also keep in mind how the Firing Pin on a Mosin is installed. it's very easy to screw it in 1 turn too shallow and than makes the pin not hit the primer very well. You may just have to check the pin protrusion. If it's shallow turn it to the place its supposed to be.
Click to expand...

The OP stated in his 1st post that he checked protrusion and it was within specifications.

The Mosin Nagant pattern rifles are stoopid simple, stoopid reliable, and was designed for stoopid illiterate peasant to use. They are very easy to work on. OP, have no fear. I'm sure you will get to the bottom of these misfires. ;)
 
I was about to suggest the same. I was shooting Russian surplus in spam can, having similar rate of misfire. No problem with other ammo. I just put in one more turn till I used up this particular batch of cartridges.

-TL
 
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