Mosin-Nagant Safety

[50caliber123]

I have a Mosin-Nagant M1938 dated 1943. It is a handy little rifle, but has one HUGE drawback: The safety. I know how it works, you pull back on the end of the bolt and turn counter-clockwise. But it is a real pain! I seriously hate this safety! Is there a way to loosen it up or a different safety altogether? Disengaging the safety is very difficult on this rifle, and I would like to use it for a SHTF weapon (easy/cheap to stockpile). Anybody else have this problem or a solution?

 

[Mikee Loxxer]

Just keep the bolt open

I have a MAS 36 which has no safety at all. The feeling was that you would keep the bolt open until you needed to fire it. I would imagine the Russians had a similar philosophy.

 

[mole]

Here's how I do it

Hold the rifle by its middle in your left hand. Put the butt of the gun in the crook of the right elbow. Hold the rifle against your right side/belly with the gun pointing down. Use your index and middle fingers. Bend them at the knuckle into a "hook". Place the index on the left side and the middle finger on the right side of the safety and hook it. It sure now be fairly easy to pull your hand back and rotate your wrist to put the bolt in the position you desire.

Hope it helps
mole

 

[roo_ster]

I think the spring you're fighting is the firing pin spring. Weaken that & you risk light strikes on primers:
http://www.buymilsurp.com/pictorials/mnriflepictorial.html

Another idea is to load the rifle, push the rounds down in the mag, push the bolt forward & close on an empty chamber. When you want to fire, work the bolt & do so.

 

[Q-Lock]

I've got a 91/30 and for some reason, I don't find the safety a pain at all to use. Perhaps try some different angles of leverage? I hold the rifle with my left hand(just under the mag well), point the rifle down at about a 45 degree angle and just pull back and twist then slowly release the safety. It seems to work just fine for me without any problems.

Quinten

 

[longrifleman]

http://www.gswagner.com/mosin-nagant/safe/safe.html

Check out this modification. The entire series is interesting.

 

[Ash]

Mole's instructions are right on the money. Most folks mess up by trying to use their entire arm to move the safety. The trick is to rest it in the crook of your arm and use the tips of your fingers. Real easy and very silent. I had a weight lifter try it with his whole arm and had trouble. After constant embarassing ragging from me, who could do it without any trouble, he made me show him how I did it. Really is not tough if you do it the right way.

Ash

 

[RTFM]

Great site Longrifleman, my only problem is that I am able to work the bolt while keeping a good cheek weld, with the doo-dad add on I would poke my eye out.

But I like his idea.

Thanks.

 

[Onmilo]

My Viet Nam Vet buddies tell me the Viet Cong wouldn't even use the safety on a Mosin rifle, they would just leave the bolt turned up vertical until they wanted to fire.
Then they just slapped the bolt handle down and went to shooting.

 

[dfaugh]

i don't have so much of a problem with trying to use the safety....I just find it a bit scary that you must put the gun into battery w/ the safety off, before you can engage it....

 

[MechAg94]

I don't think I have ever really used the safety when firing my M44(?). Like someone said, I would rather just close the bolt over the full mag without a cartridge in the chamber or leave it open. To me, that safety is awkward. I guess the safety on the K31 is similar.

It is not advisable to depend on mechanical safeties anyway.

 

[Sleeping Dog]

I guess the safety on the K31 is similar.

Similar, but the ring on the K31 is much easier to grip and pull. Closing the bolt on an empty chamber works ok on the Mosin. But for hunting, or any situation requiring stealth, there is no way to work the K31 action "silently".

Regards.

 

[Cosmoline]

My Viet Nam Vet buddies tell me the Viet Cong wouldn't even use the safety on a Mosin rifle, they would just leave the bolt turned up vertical until they wanted to fire.
Then they just slapped the bolt handle down and went to shooting.

That's not a terribly good idea, even if the VC actually did it. Unlike SMLE's, Mosins have NO HALF COCK. If you leave the bolt open and tip the barrel down, it can chamber a round on its own and may drop far enough to be fired.

LEARN TO USE THE SAFETY. It's a very effective, silent and secure safety. But you cannot use your fingers alone like a switch or toggle safety. WHile the rifle is secure against your chest, held pointing in a safe direction, grip the safety knob with your right hand and lock your wrist. Then use your ARM, NOT your fingers, to roll the safety on and off by simply rotating your arm to the left then back over right. Anyone who can lift the rifle in the first place has enough muscle to cycle the safety using their arm muscles. You should be able to manipulate it from any standard shooting stance.

 

[49hudson]

Grow stronger!

 

[ocabj]

My safety is my trigger finger.

Seriously though, shouldering the weapon and rotating the rifle as opposed to turning your hand is my preferred way to operate the safety.

 

[Cosmoline]

Grow stronger!

 

[Ash]

Cosmo, I find it much, much easier to use my fingers to pull the safety and my wrist to turn it rather than using my arm. Perhaps I have the forearms of Popeye, but pulling with just my finger tips, with the butt in the crook of my arm, is simple, easy, and very silent.

Ash

 

[Cosmoline]

Try it with the rifle held in a normal shooting stance. The method I use does not require that you bring the rifle down. You should be able to engage and disengage the safety without having to shift it. Your elbow should rotate up on the engage stroke, and rotate down to disengage.

 

[rangerruck]

close the bolt with the trigger pulled rearward, that is the best safe. then cycle it as normal, when you wanna heat er up.

 

[dm1333]

Instead of trying to pull the safety knob with your fingers, hook your fingers under the knob and then push the rifle away from you using the hand you are holding it with. Use your fingers to hold the knob in place while you push the rifle away from you and twist it. I have also taken a few coils off of my firing pin spring which has made it easier. No light strikes of FTF even with the lighter spring.