Putting my Mosin 91/30 back together

[jondwright]

I'm satisfied with the cleaning and cosmo removal we've done on my Mosin. I'm ready to put it back together now. I know how, but my question is about oiling, greasing, etc...

I should do that while it is apart, right? What goes where?

Also, I remember reading about a cleaning setup some guys use at the range while firing corrosive ammo. Was it just soapy water in a spray bottle? I've searched and can't find it.

Looking at my cleaning kit that was given to me a while back, I see that I own: 1.) CorrosionX, 2.) Bore Cleaner, 3.) Gun Oil. What goes where?

Do any of these go on the stock?, or should I get some lintseed oil?

What cleaning tools do I need? I have a steel rod setup that says it is for 22 through .30 caliber. I don't own a bore snake.

Many thanks in advance for answering these questions.

 

[jefnvk]

I didn't do anything but wipe the metal down with a bit of oil.

As for corrosive ammo, water is all you need. The corossiveness comes from salts that are produced when the primer ignites, and water will dissolve the salts. You will need to clean anything that could be touched by the gases (one reason I don't like using it in semis). Boltface, barrel, outside of the muzzle, etc. Many people will insist on Windex, but it works because it is water based.

 

[jondwright]

Thanks Jeff. I'm a first generation shooter, so I have to do all my learning through the internet. You guys are kind of like surrogate fathers in that regard.

So I'm going to spray the metal parts with the can that says, "Gun Oil". I'm also going to take a spray bottle to the range.

I'll need something to stick down in the barrel, right? As a matter of fact, I need to do that now because I haven't cleaned it out yet.

 

[armoredman]

More Mosin info than you can shake a stick at... http://www.russian-mosin-nagant.com/

 

[Cosmoline]

Yes, water will work. But water and metal don't get along well unless you can remove the water quickly. In the field I use CLP or the new Hoppes' elite gun cleaner. These are said to neutralize the primer salts, and they do seem to do the trick. But ordinary bore cleaners don't always do the trick.

I've had great luck with a thin hand-applied coat of CLP on all the metal parts. This has held up better against rust than all the anti-rust sprays I've tried. And it's not nearly as nasty. Regular gun oil is fine, but it doesn't seem to stay on the metal as long.

A far as the stock goes, I play it by ear. Some 91/30 stocks are trashed up pretty bad. On these I've gone ahead and sanded them and applied BLO in the usual manner. But this is NOT what the Russians or Finns did. It's the American method. The Finns and Russians were more likely to rely on shellac-like coatings and tended to leave the stocks alone. There was no regular rubbing down with oil or wax. The dark patina you see on older stocks is mostly just dirt, and I make a point of using soapy rags and a quick rinse to clean that off. Again that's not always seen as "PC" by the purists, but it makes the stock look better.

If the finish on the stock is intact, you can just leave it as is. I must admit that when there's a neat pattern or tiger stripe under there I'm very tempted to get the sand paper and BLO out The shellac style finishes just don't bring out the beauty in the wood. That said, most 91/30 Russian stocks are pretty bland stuff.