Purchased first C&R rifle today

F

FloridaGuy

New member
Well today I went to the range to shoot. When I finished shooting I noticed that they had a Russian M91/30 Mosin Nagant for sale. They had it priced at $140.95 which to me was a good price. They also had 440 rounds of 7.62x54R ammo for $80.00. I picked up 440 rounds to go with the rifle. When I got home in the box with the rifle was a lot of other stuff. It included a sling and 4 ammo pouches and a bunch of other things that I am not sure what they are.

Now everything in the box is covered with a brown oily fluid. Since this is my first rifle what is this stuff and how do I clean it off of everything?

rzoi.jpg
 
That's cosmoline, an anti-rust preservative. On the metal parts use hoppes 9 and/or gun scrubber with lots of rags and Qtips. To get it out of the stock you can wipe it down with a soapy rag or just put the stock itself in a plastic bag and leave it in the sun, that'll sweat the cosmo out.

Pay special attention to getting all that stuff out of the chamber, receiver, bore and bolt.

You'll need to break down the bolt and wipe each part down. Here's how: http://www.surplusrifle.com/finnishmosin/boltdisassembly/index.asp
 
you got 4 pouches? lucky... both of mine only came with 1.

the brown liquid is called cosmoline. it is very similar to axel grease. it stinks, it's sticky, and it gets on everything but if you are going to store something mechanical for a long period of time it is a great way to keep wood from rotting and metal from rusting.

when it gets hot it liquifies but if it gets really hot it can crystalize so it is common practice to remove it before firing it. I usually completely disassemble the gun, boil all the small parts that will fit in a pot and while those are boiling I use good ole CLP to get it off and out of the reciever and barrel and then oil everything nice and good. I usually just remove surface cosmoline by using a rag with rubbing alcohol and then finishing with a very fine grit sandpaper then finishing with a coat of linseed oil.

congrats... just so you know you just took the first step towards a debilitating addiction. before you know it you'll be wanting a springfield, enfield, mauser, carcano and arisaka....
 
Brake cleaner on the metal parts to dissolve the cosmoline. Cheap and effective.
The black garbage bag with the stock in it (w/newspaper)- on the dash of the car in the sun- is a good trick for the wood stock.
 
Melkiper - it is dated 1942 on the barrel. The armory listed on the box just states "State Factory".

I spent several hours today cleaning this gun. I took the gun completely a part and cleaned the small parts in the sonic gun cleaner. The barrel I cleaned with boiling water and then gun scrubber and some hopes 9. Since the gun is now clean I have noticed that a lot of the bluing came off during the cleaning process of the barrel. It is mostly around the muzzle and about 1 -2 inches back. What may have caused this or is it common? I may go and have the barrel re-blued in the future.

Are all C&R guns always covered in cosmoline?

My C&R want list is as follows:
  1. Romanian TTC Tokarev Pistol - 7.62x25 or Yugoslavian M57 TT Tokarev Pistol - 7.62x25
  2. Nagant M1895 Revolver - 7.62x38R caliber
  3. Chinese SKS Rifle - 7.62 x 39
  4. US Model Springfield 1903A3 .30-06 Rifle
 
worn finish is fairly normal. some were used quite harshly during the war so they are missing a great deal. this was more than likely not caused by the cleaning, it's more likely just hidden by cosmoline until it's gone then it stands out more. a tube of perma blue should be good enough to keep heavy rust form forming in the mean time.

yes they are put in cosmoline for long storage periods. if you buy third party then it's less likely to have it.

after the mosin nagant the springfield will feel like the role royce of battle rifles:D

as for identifying it, does it have a triangle with an arrow inside or a star with an arrow in it? star is tula, triangle is izhevsk.
 
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