Mosin Nagant magazine won't close

The mag on a Mosin is a really simple mechanism. If you have the little pincers on the magazine floorplate clipped onto that little bar there, it should just pop right in. Maybe a picture would help better describe your trouble?

As for the specks, just the finish showing wear. Keep in mind this rifle was ultra mass produced, and can normally be expected to show a little wear. You can always refinish your wood, there's a multitude of tutorials out on the web and youtube for it. As for Windex, I always keep some windex around my Mosin's, especially in the trunk after shooting. The ammonia in it helps counter act the corrosive remnants of the ammo you're probably shooting. It's a neat trick for those hours between the range and the chance to actually strip and clean it after shooting.

Are you trying to close the magazine loaded or empty?
If loaded, unload it & try to close the matg.

The stock flakes are 60-year-old varnish flaking off. They were re-furbed after WWII, and the varnish just doesn't stay put forever.
Windex may accellerate the process on spots where the varnish is already detaching from the wood.
Denis

Some of my magazines need quite a rap to close, the magazine latches are tight.
It's a good thing, if it's loose the magazine pops open while you're shooting.:banghead:

Mono,
You didn't say if you're trying to close loaded or empty.

There's nothing wrong with Windex, I use it on my Mosins. I just try to keep it off the wood & I don't dump it down the bore.
Spray it on patches, run them through, then a dry patch, followed by Break Free (in my case, you can substitute your own favorite) on patches till they start coming out sufficiently clean, then a final dry patch.

Just about any water-based liquid & several liquids that aren't water-based can accellerate peeling varnish.
Just the nature of the varnish, its age, and its storage conditions.
Denis

Open the magazine floorplate all the way, squeeze the mag follower until it is sitting flush with the floor plate, and then pull straight out to remove the magazine base plate and follower.

Then it should be obvious how to put it back together, just compress the follower again and clip the little groove in the front of the mag assembly onto the pin inside the stationary part of the magazine.

Make sure the mag plate is seated where it cams to hold at the front of the magizine well. Check your catch for fouling, clean it.

Plain boiling water is what I use to dissolve, flush and dry the bor of corrosive salts, and clean like normal, never ha d a rust problem.

The varnish is to the wood what the cosmo is to the metal, a presevative. Use vodka to wipe it down, and keep it oiled as you go. A light oil on the, metal and a bit to the wood is always nice for a rifle you use a lot.

It's a Mosin, get a hammer!

I would imagine that pushing it real good would help.

Mosin charger thoughts

I have not had experience with the magazine floor plate not closing but I have had some experience with chargers. I found they were hard to strip cartridges off of until I oiled them very lightly with ballistoil. It seems to help. For cleaning corrosive salts, I am told that ballistoil mixed with water in a 1:10 ratio in a spray pump bottle works very well. So far, I have only shot non corrosive ammo, so I can't vouch for it. Also, check YouTube for tutorials on how to prevent rim lock.

I have had to adjust the spring on a few. Also hit it hard.

I had trouble with this at one point as well. Hit it harder (by hand) or try taking a small screwdriver to slide through the slot and gently 'pry' the latch so it lines up with the slot to catch. When I say pry I am only implying to align not exert any force. Good luck.

As with all things Mosin, give it a smack!

Your talking about the cheap sheet metal latch that retains the floor plate?
Ruski mosins are really crude and junky......just have to treat em that way.
I have one that has a funky latch also....DO NOT SLAM IT. Slamming it closed will make it worse and bend the cheap sheet metal even more.
If its just a little off close till it touches and than use your finger to full the tab into place.
If it's really bent you will have to slip a screw driver underneath as you close it.

I had one like this. The retaining spring needs to be bent "outward" and the contacting surface on the mag floorplate polished and it should improve. Otherwise, if you hold the spring back with your thumb as you close it, you should be able to get it done. Good luck.

monotonous_iterancy said:

Yes, the little sheet metal latch. It's bent, and no longer aligns.

Click to expand...

Just be careful with it. Slide it into place with something as your closing it.