A final Mosin-Nagant safety question...

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Okay, I'm convinced that it is a very secure and silent safety mechanism, and more or less easily applied when you get the hang of it. There's only one thing that worries me. When turning the safety off, what is keeping the knob and associated bolt components from flying forward and pushing the firing pin into the primer of the chambered round, other than the trigger part that pokes up through the bolt channel floor? (not sure of the technical terms for certain parts/areas...)

I was messing around with my '44 M38 tonight, and when I would disengage the safety, the knob would predictably return to the "cocked" position, as it should. But if I recall correctly (I possibly don't), when I first bought it some time ago, the safety knob would fly forward when released, unless one was careful. Now, I tightened the receiver screws up soon after I got the rifle (they were pretty loose), which tightened the trigger up, among other things, and I may well have totally misunderstood how the safety was supposed to operate, so I may be asking a series of unsensible questions.

So, to boil it down: When one is disengaging the M-N safety, (by pulling back on the knob and rotating the safety clockwise off the notch/rail it sits in when engaged), what is preventing the cocking piece from flying forward and touching off a round, and how safe and reliable is it?

This gun is a plinker for me, so it's kind of academic - I won't be hunting with it and am unlikely to need have it "cocked and locked" with 5 rounds in the magazine, I just like to know how this stuff works. Thanks!

 

[Ivy Mike]

I wondered the same thing when I got my M44.
It came down to remembering to ease the safety forward when taking it off.

 

[Oleg Volk]

The part, I think, is the sear. It should hold pretty well, but repeated slamming would eventually peen it. The part about Mosins that worries me is their handling of gas from ruptured cases...inadequate.

 

[rangerruck]

you gotta be careful witht that safety, this is the reason i never use it. yes, they are bad about ruptures, i had a milsurp case splat on me, and the primer slammed into my right glass lense. had to change the pants on that one.

 

[Cosmoline]

I've had at least fifty burst primers over the years. One Mosin in particular would do it all the time. But I never had so much as a blast of gas in my face. The bolt body is segmented, and any gas is vented off through the cracks. It shouldn't need a vent cut given this feature.

As to the safety, both the sear and the bolt stop prevent the bolt from slamming forward. But it's still a good idea to avoid taking it off safety while loaded unless you're pointed in a safe direction. I usually point up against a berm.

 

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Okay, my questions are answered. Thanks for the replies, everyone!

 

[armoredman]

I don't use my Mosin safety, it's a range boomer...Enfield is the new field bolt.

 

[Cosmoline]

It's also worth remembering that a tiny piece of metal is all that's stopping the pin in most rifles, even when the safety is engaged.

 

[ball3006]

The best safety on a Mosin Nagant....

is the one between your ears............much better than a mechanical device.......the less fiddleing you have to do to a gun while shooting, the safer you will be.......chris3

 

[Cosmoline]

Cocked and UNlocked with a rifle?! I like my toes where they are, thank you very much.

 

[MilsurpShooter]

Don't know if it can be done on a Mosin but on my mauser, until I'm setup and ready to fire, I have 5 in, press down so the bolt is closing without catching the bullet. 5 in but not one in the chamber so to speak