PirateRadio
Member
Is there a way to tell if my SKS is loaded with cosmoline without ripping the whole thing apart? What does the stuff look like?
Stupid cosmoline question...
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Cosmoline
Member
Ruggedly handsome, with eyes like a hawk.
Mikee Loxxer
Member
t is a yellow/brown sticky type of grease. When you see the rifle you will think "ew, what is all of this stuff." It's presence is unmistakable.
PirateRadio
Member
MCgunner
Member
No real need for name calling here. 
nwilliams
Member
ROFL
Great answer!
Ash
Member
Well, never having met Cosmoline, I can only comment on cosmoline. I find it has a pleasant aroma.
Ash
Ash
Dave Markowitz
Member
Cosmoline looks like brown petroleum jelly.
Cosmoline, on the other hand, looks like some strange guy on a mountain bike with a rifle slung across his back.
Cosmoline, on the other hand, looks like some strange guy on a mountain bike with a rifle slung across his back.
Mojo-jo-jo
Member
Yep, it looks like what everybody else described (except for the handsome part.....I've never met the other Cosmoline, so I can't say one way or the other)
That said,
You should rip the rifle apart before shooting it!!!
This is important with any military surplus rifle. Your rifle has probably been sitting in storage for 20+ years. Who knows WHAT is on the inside parts. You should disassemble, inspect, and clean any milsurp before taking it to the range. A barrel obstruction or loose, mis-fit, excessively dirty or otherwise obstructed internal parts may be very detrimental to your health!
Edited to add: Be sure to clean the firing pin channel on the SKS, if you don't it could go uncontrollably full auto on you. I've seen it happen to a guy that just bought it, wiped the cosmoline off and took it to the range! The internals were still loaded with the stuff and caused the firing pin to get stuck in the extended position.
In case you need it, here's an article on cosmoline removal: http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting/cosmoline/pdf/cosmoline.pdf
That said,
You should rip the rifle apart before shooting it!!!
This is important with any military surplus rifle. Your rifle has probably been sitting in storage for 20+ years. Who knows WHAT is on the inside parts. You should disassemble, inspect, and clean any milsurp before taking it to the range. A barrel obstruction or loose, mis-fit, excessively dirty or otherwise obstructed internal parts may be very detrimental to your health!
Edited to add: Be sure to clean the firing pin channel on the SKS, if you don't it could go uncontrollably full auto on you. I've seen it happen to a guy that just bought it, wiped the cosmoline off and took it to the range! The internals were still loaded with the stuff and caused the firing pin to get stuck in the extended position.
In case you need it, here's an article on cosmoline removal: http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting/cosmoline/pdf/cosmoline.pdf
wcwhitey
Member
- Joined
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I asked my wife and she said that there is something strangely attractive about a guy on a mountain bike with a rifle slung across his back especially if he has eyes like a hawk. She also said that she hates the sticky, greasy stuff that my guns come packed in. LOL, Bill
Cosmoline
Member
I put the "strange" in attractive all right.
savage116
Member
I am buying a Yugo SKS this week for $150 and I am told it still has cosmoline all over it. I don't really care about the stock because I am going to put an ATI synthetic stock on it but what is the best way to clean it off all of the metal. I know I have to strip it down but what chemicals would work best. Would hoppes bore solvent work?
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
1. Buy yourself a $9.99 Heat-Gun from Harbor Freight.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=96289
2. Hold the barreled action over the plastic bag in the garbage can.
3. Wearing heavy work gloves, melt off all the heavy accumulation of cosmoline with the heat-gun.
4. Take the barreled action to the quarter car-wash, (After the attendant has gone home for the evening)
5. Heat it up again with the heat gun to dry all the water out of it.
6. Clean & re-oil normally.
That's as simple, fast, cheap & mess-less a way I know of doing it.
rcmodel
kcshooter
Member
I still like the poiling water method the best.
I boil two or three large pots at a time, field strip, put small parts in a bucket, and alternate slowly pouring the boiling water out of one pot while the others heat back up. I leave the stock on and it gets the soaked-it crap out while raising the nap and getting out most of the dings and dents from the wood.
Takes a little more time (about an hour total), but is completely harmless to do on my driveway, cheap (like me), no messy clean up-it's hot so it evaporates right off in minutes, and no scrubbing needed. The stuff just melts away.
When cleaing the stuff in the bucket, make sure to overflow it, as the melted cosmoline rises to the top and spills over the side. Then put a drop or two of dishwashing liquid in at on the top so when it cools a bit and you reach in to fetch the stuff out, it doesn't pass thru the film left on top, if any is left.
I boil two or three large pots at a time, field strip, put small parts in a bucket, and alternate slowly pouring the boiling water out of one pot while the others heat back up. I leave the stock on and it gets the soaked-it crap out while raising the nap and getting out most of the dings and dents from the wood.
Takes a little more time (about an hour total), but is completely harmless to do on my driveway, cheap (like me), no messy clean up-it's hot so it evaporates right off in minutes, and no scrubbing needed. The stuff just melts away.
When cleaing the stuff in the bucket, make sure to overflow it, as the melted cosmoline rises to the top and spills over the side. Then put a drop or two of dishwashing liquid in at on the top so when it cools a bit and you reach in to fetch the stuff out, it doesn't pass thru the film left on top, if any is left.
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RenardSubtil
Member
+1 Boiling water.
Run that water down the barrel too before you go through with bore cleaner. I noticed in my first few tries that nothing works better cleaning the "initial" crap out of the barrel than a mug or two of boiling water.
I also did my cleaning on a warm summer night so the water evaporated pretty quick - I went through and wiped the rifle dry and then followed up with a cloth damp with CLP just in case.
Run that water down the barrel too before you go through with bore cleaner. I noticed in my first few tries that nothing works better cleaning the "initial" crap out of the barrel than a mug or two of boiling water.
I also did my cleaning on a warm summer night so the water evaporated pretty quick - I went through and wiped the rifle dry and then followed up with a cloth damp with CLP just in case.
dispatch55126
Member
Bake or heatgun the big parts. Boil the bolt and springs. Heatgun, hot water and Brillo the stock (it'll need to be refinished afterwords but it'll look nice).
Guitargod1985
Member
Isn't that five?
KiltedClaymore
Member
tear it down, boil the metal parts (use water heated to pig-scalding temperatures). i used the dish washer method to get the goo out of my stock.
savage116
Member
Thanks for the advice. I think I will try the boiling water method. I am not going to worry to much about the stock maybe if I get bored one evening I will clean the stock sand it and refinish it.
I am so exited considering this is my first semi-auto rifle besides a 10/22. Maybe later in the week I will get the AR ordered and then the next range trip will be very exiting.
I am so exited considering this is my first semi-auto rifle besides a 10/22. Maybe later in the week I will get the AR ordered and then the next range trip will be very exiting.
ColinthePilot
Member
If you do decide to do the stock, I have two words: dish washer. strip off all the metal you can, stick them in the dishwasher on pot scrubber mode with no detergent, and forget about it for an hour. Its just like the boiling water method, but easier (unless you're married or still live with your mother...then it might be harder). We did it to my friend's Yugo, but his girlfriend flipped when she found out what we did.
Ben Shepherd
Member
Seriously, as already mentioned: Get ALL the cosmoline out of the firing pin channel I HIGHLY reccomend tearing the bolt all the way down with a hammer and punch. Make sure you put the firing pin back in correctly during reassembly.
I've PERSONALLY seen TWO SKSs (that I know for a fact had the bolt assembly boiled for 10 minutes plus) stick the pin forward and slam-fire the whole magazine.
One of them did it on the first trigger pull, the other one did it as soon as the bolt was intitially released
That second one was close to a bad situation, as the owner dropped the bolt before shouldering the rifle. Luckily the muzzle was pointed in a safe direction.
I may not be as expert as some, but I have put over 2 dozen unissued yugo SKSs into service. ALL of them had the bolt dissasembled, and a pipe cleaner used vigorously in the pin channel. NONE of them have slamfired due to firing pin stuck forward by cosmoline.
I have had a few pierce primers and stick forward due to a small piece of the primer jaming it forward however.
I've PERSONALLY seen TWO SKSs (that I know for a fact had the bolt assembly boiled for 10 minutes plus) stick the pin forward and slam-fire the whole magazine.
One of them did it on the first trigger pull, the other one did it as soon as the bolt was intitially released
That second one was close to a bad situation, as the owner dropped the bolt before shouldering the rifle. Luckily the muzzle was pointed in a safe direction.I may not be as expert as some, but I have put over 2 dozen unissued yugo SKSs into service. ALL of them had the bolt dissasembled, and a pipe cleaner used vigorously in the pin channel. NONE of them have slamfired due to firing pin stuck forward by cosmoline.
I have had a few pierce primers and stick forward due to a small piece of the primer jaming it forward however.
KiltedClaymore
Member
thats why you send her shopping/spa/ect. and do it when she ISNT HOME. then, you dont go and tell her what you did!
lol- Status
