Pitting question

[tgrillo]

I just purchased a M38 mosin. I know milsurp is a gamble so I know what to expect. But this time I am at a loss. I disasembled the M38 the stock is in excellent condition. I am thinking that this has seen little use. The bolt was the smoothest working bolt for any mosin in my collection. The barrel was counterbored but I expected that. When I cleaned the cosmoline out of the barrel the barrel looked to be in very good condition. But there is a 6 inch section at the reciever end of the barrel that has pitting. It is confined to the bottom of the barrel and goes halfway up the barrel and there it stops. How in the world did that happen. I have seen old rifles with pitting. But the barrel had been neglected and the pitting was everywhere. Can anyone figure this one out.

 

[Ash]

There was moisture under the barrel against the stock. Then it got packed in cosmo and allowed to do its work. Or, Boris was killed while driving his truck and bled on it. The carbine survived the war and Ivan, during the refurb, just shrugged as he dipped the action in bluing before putting another stock on and storing it for the war with the west (or, as is really more likely, as busy work in the workers' paradise). As long as it is superficial, it's okay. If it is significant or deep, it may not be safe, though. Post some photos.

In any case, it does show that even oiled or greased, firearms can rust. Important for folks who think you can pack them in axle grease and store them underground in pvc for decades.

 

[cracked butt]

It is confined to the bottom of the barrel and goes halfway up the barrel and there it stops. How in the world did that happen. I have seen old rifles with pitting. But the barrel had been neglected and the pitting was everywhere. Can anyone figure this one out.

Probably stored in a crate horizontally for decades with moisture in the barrel.

 

[rcmodel]

I bought a Nornico SKS like that in the 80's.

By all outward appearances, it was like new.

But everything under the wood was pitted so deeply you could almost see daylight through some of the pits.

I figured it had spent years in Vietnam, with a water soaked stock promoting the rust, before being rounded up and arsenal re-blued, restocked, and sold.

rcmodel

 

[cracked butt]

Another more morbid theory might be blood pitting. A soldier carrying the m38 might have been hit by and artillery shell splintering the stock and atomizing the soldier. Blood is extremely corrosive to steel.

The Russians seemed to reuse everything. It wouldnt be too farfetched for them to take a battlefield pickup and rearsenal it to 'like new' condition.

I have a Finn rebuilt 91/30 where the outside of the left side of the magazine is very badly pitted, but it was cleaned up at sometime and reblued.

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Another reasoning for pitting below the woodline is from the drying/curing process of the stock material. Walnut was air dried over a long period of time before cutting into a stock. Some arsenals, to speed up production used salt to draw the moisture out of the wood. Pitting below the stockline is very common in Czech Mausers because they often used this process.

 

[Ash]

Oh, you mean like Boris driving his truck, getting killed and bleeding all over it, only to have Ivan refinish it later?

Ash

 

[cracked butt]

You not bleed on mosin nagant, mosin nagant bleed you.

 

[jrfoxx]

On top of the theories others have poined out, I suppose it could be that during cleaning, Ivan let some water or whatever with dissolved, but not "deactivated" corrosive salts from the ammo leak into the area and didnt realize it. Just another guess.Regrdless, if its not deep, I wouldnt sweat it. just a cosmetic issue, and unless I'm misreading, sounds like its on the underside where it's not visible when assmbled anyway, so thats cool.Just be sure to put some type of corrosion prevention on it, and clean off any rust if there is any. that will keep it from getting any worse.

 

[tgrillo]

Thanks for the input. I really gained a lot of good ideas on the pitting. I was particularly interested about the bury the rifle bathed in axle grease and in a PVC pipe. I was considering that thought but now I am backing away from that idea.

 

[tgrillo]

Took the M38 to the range today. Good groupings at 50 yards. Cleaned up the pitting and lubricated. The Stock was in excellent condition and the correct one for the M38. All and all pretty satisfied with the Mosin.

 

[tgrillo]

Did someone say how about a picture.