Mosin Nagant chamber question

[Guns Go Bang]

I've got an M44 that is giving me the sticky bolt issue. I'm going to try to clean the chamber with the 20ga brass brush but as I look at it I realize that the 20ga brush is too big for the chamber that holds the cartridge. Am I supposed to force it in there or just clean the bolt chamber and not the cartridge chamber?

I is cunfuzled

 

[offthepaper]

I use a 12 ga brass brush dipped often in mineral spirits while attached to a cleaning rod inserted in a variable speed drill. I use a speed just above the slowest. Be patient and repeat the process until the chamber is absolutely spotless. It's quite amazing how such a tiny amount of crud/cosmo can nearly lock up the MN bolt. It's always a bigger issue with the Mosins.
But I love 'em anyway. I own more than a dozen and love every one of them as much as some of the more pricey rifles. If those things could talk.

 

[SimpleIsGood229]

The 20 gauge brush should work just fine. Have you disassembled the bolt yet? Lots of cosmoline and assorted crap can hide in there.

By the way, welcome to THR!

 

[NCsmitty]

I think it's flexible enough to fit, and besides, you need to get the crud out to fix it. Just make sure you have solvent like Hoppes to lubricate and clean.

NCsmitty

 

[j-easy]

what about burs in the chamber? ive got a m91/30 that has sat in my safe for months, i have literally only shot it twice, both times there was a gouge and a long scratch from ejecting the spent brass and the chamber was very difficult to open after this happened, what should i do in a situation like this? i would take it to a gunsmith but im worried his services will cost more than what i paid for the rifle $89.99 and i would be better off buying a new one

 

[Guns Go Bang]

Well here is a small thing I just noticed. I'm taking spent casings and loading them into the chamber and I'm noticing some deep scratches near the base of the case by the rim. It's difficult to even get them to fit back into the chamber.

Am I supposed to just force the brush to contort to the chamber?

Here is another question, the shop I bought this Mosin from has a 30 day warranty type deal. They should be able to polish the chamber and all of that good stuff right? Should I have them do that? Along with a head space check?

 

[SimpleIsGood229]

If the shop will do that, then go for it. The burrs can be removed, though.

www.gunboards.com has the mothership of Mosin forums.

 

[clone]

I use a 410/.45 brush for my Mosin. It fits snug and doesn't break the bristles. 20ga brushes don't seem to last long being bent and contorted to that small of a space, and 12ga even less so.

To each his own, just my $0.02.

 

[7mmsavage]

Are you guys using plastic or brass brushes? I recently got a Mosin that has terrible sticky bolt syndrome. I'm sure a dirty chamber is the culprit, the bolt is smooth as glass until I try to chamber or extract a cartridge.

 

[foghornl]

I took a .45 brush, wrappped a dripping-wet-with-mineral-spirits patch around it, and did the "chucked in a very slow drill" exercise for several patches. I couldn't beleive how much crud came out, even though I couldn't see any 'resi-doo-doo' in there.

Did the drill-spin patch bit with a new dry brush, patch covered in "Flitz!" polish, using several patches. Chamber has a nearly mirror-finish now, and no more sticky-bolt syndrome.

 

[stubbicatt]

I use one of those Swiss army cleaning kits and brushes with Kroil on a hot rifle. I clean the chamber as well as I can before leaving for the range. At the range I fire and fire until it starts to get sticky. At that point I squirt some Kroil on the chamber brush portion of the Swiss kit and commence to twirling it about the chamber. I'll do it for a couple of minutes, and follow it up with a mop.

Chamber and fire until it repeats. Repeat treatment. My rifles no longer have that annoying sticky bolt.

Too, I grease the bolt and the camming surface in the receiver really well to assist in removal of empties. Doesn't take a whole lot, just enough plastiplate to keep things slick.

While the sticky bolt syndrome is alleviated, these rifles still require an authoritative manipulation to open. They are not a Remington 700 by any means.