I recently acquired my first Mosin Nagant, a 91/30, from Aim Surplus. I've gotta say, I love it! It shoots great and the ammo and the rifle were really cheap. It's even gotten a few of my less gun-inclined friends to consider buying one.
There's one problem, though. The bolt is really hard to operate. Turning the bolt before pulling it back requires probably a lot of force--a lot more than any bolt action I've ever used. It's stiff enough that I have trouble operating it with one hand from a shooting position. This is my first Mosin, so I'm not sure if this is normal. It seems like the spring holding back the firing pin is way too strong. After the pin is retracted, the bolt is very easy to operate, and slides very easily.
It's not an issue of friction between the bolt and the rifle.
The rifle is well oiled and clean, but I'm thinking I should completely disassemble the bolt and check out that spring, and clean it thorougly. Anybody have any suggestions?
There's one problem, though. The bolt is really hard to operate. Turning the bolt before pulling it back requires probably a lot of force--a lot more than any bolt action I've ever used. It's stiff enough that I have trouble operating it with one hand from a shooting position. This is my first Mosin, so I'm not sure if this is normal. It seems like the spring holding back the firing pin is way too strong. After the pin is retracted, the bolt is very easy to operate, and slides very easily.
It's not an issue of friction between the bolt and the rifle.
The rifle is well oiled and clean, but I'm thinking I should completely disassemble the bolt and check out that spring, and clean it thorougly. Anybody have any suggestions?