Very excited, finally bought a Mosin 91/30

[neededausername]

We got our tax refund and my wife actually encouraged me to buy a Mosin. I know it's not the finest rifle, but it's powerful and I hope accurate enough(haven't had a chance to clean or shoot it yet). But I now own a centerfire rifle that is a piece of history, and if I need to hunt with will work. I'll post pics when we get our new camera and I get it cleaned up.

 

[TylerPearce]

I have a mosin that I got as a gift and love it. I have an AR, and have owned AK's, but this mosin is just as fun, and a FRACTION of the price... Just clean it good after using corrosive ammo!

 

[Ro1911]

People have always said that about that corrosive Russian ammo, but I've been doing a little experiment for about the last 8 months or so with a mosin I bought at a gunshow for $40. I've been shooting 20 rounds a week through it and not cleaning it except for the rem oiled patch I ran through it at 4 months and 8 months and after all that abuse it bore still looks as good as it did when I bought it.

My point is the rifle was made to shoot corrosive ammo, I know if you did this to an AR it would be a pile of junk in less than a month, but the mosin was basically made to be mistreated so I really would worry about cleaning that one except for the fact that if it is well maintained it will out live your great-grandchildren.

 

[Cosmoline]

Ro--exactly what ammo were you shooting? In my experience the corrosion kicks in quickly with typical surplus 54R. But modern Russian production is not corrosive.

Mind, no extreme measures are needed. A basic cleanup of the bore promptly after shooting with mpro or a home remedy neutralizer will work. Also remember to swipe the bolt face.

 

[Ro1911]

It was some of that "spam can" surplus ammo

If I ever figureout how to post pictures I can post a before and after

What does the newer ammo look like, is it copperish in cartridge case color?

 

[deimos256]

You'll love it, but you should probably clean it asap. If there is any cosmo on it wipe it down with a rag soaked in mineral spirits and proceed to attack the bore. Mine had a lot of copper fouling in it and it took me a good weekend to remove it all. You made a wise purchase, just make sure you got that thing firmly against your shoulder when you fire it!

 

[fallout mike]

I don't know what everybody is used to shooting when they talk about the recoil. I dont think it kicks harder than a .270 or.30-06 or just about any typical deer hunting rifle.

 

[Rancho Relaxo]

What year is your Mosin and from what arsenal?

 

[Franco2shoot]

I know there are a lot of Mosin geeks out here that can chime in, but I love my 91/30 better than the carbine M44. I did a great deal of barrel cleaning using J&B rouge, both grey and red (one is coarser). I used a patch on a rod and turned it with a 1/4 inch drill (slowly)pulling the rag out the front and rotating in the direction of the twist. Eventually I started seeing shiny spots, and it was at this point that the MOA got down to 1". I had already corked the barrel, so I stopped trying to make it better. I have the ATI scope mount and bolt adaptation, and a cheapo Wally world Scope that I usually set at 10 power. Since the Ammo is inexpensive I can practice almost weekly. Scope and all there's probably less than 200 bucks in the rifle. Just a whole lot of elbow grease on the furniture. (I used a rag soaked in gasoline to remove all Cosmoline, then went to mineral spirits to remove the gas) finished with a walnut and cherry stain then light oil.

I shoot it without the bayonet attached.


KKKKFL

 

[Rmiller31]

I've been thinking about ordering one from classic arms. They look like a lot of fun.

 

[Johnonthebass]

I'd honestly never heard of a Mosin before joining this forum the other day but i've seen several threads on them already, and it really makes me want one!

 

[henschman]

Mind, no extreme measures are needed. A basic cleanup of the bore promptly after shooting with mpro or a home remedy neutralizer will work. Also remember to swipe the bolt face.

My favorite cleaning compound is the original recipe used by the Russians in the field... drink one liter of vodka, eat 2 cups of borscht, and piss down the barrel and on the bolt.

Really, all you need is something with ammonia in it to neutralize the corrosive salts. Windex works fine, but it is just not as authentic. The true purist mil surp collector will piss on his rifle to clean it.

 

[John Wayne]

People have always said that about that corrosive Russian ammo, but I've been doing a little experiment for about the last 8 months or so with a mosin I bought at a gunshow for $40. I've been shooting 20 rounds a week through it and not cleaning it except for the rem oiled patch I ran through it at 4 months and 8 months and after all that abuse it bore still looks as good as it did when I bought it.

I think you may be surprised what comes out when you actually clean it. Running an oiled patch down the barrel will make it nice and shiny and you may not be able to see all the pitting and corrosion until you run a proper wire brush and solvent-coated patches through it.

*edit*
Some ammo is more corrosive than others. Sometimes the powder/primer itself isn't actually corrosive so much as it is hygroscopic (it holds water). If you live in a desert, your gun won't suffer the same effects as if you live near salt water.

 

[Cosmoline]

JW is right about that. I've had many Mosins that appeared to have OK bores, only to discover bad pitting hiding under a layer of crud.

 

[merlinfire]

I got my M44 out this weekend (finally warming up in SW ohio) for the first time, never shot a mosin before at all. Also got the Saiga 308 out.

Neither one kicked nearly as much as I had anticipated, even with the 16" barrel on the saiga and the carbine version of the mosin. I suspect this is because i gripped them firmly to my shoulder, as I had learned on the boards here that this is the way to avoid bad recoil. It worked! They were practically comfortable: my brother-in-law's 44Magnum revolver is way worse.

As to the surplus ammo: I have never tried it. I have read that with proper cleaning it's fine. I am a little on the lazy side, the type that just likes to swab a boresnake through it twice after a range session. A good compromise for me is buying the cheap brown bear zinc-plated steel case ammo for ~ $6 a box of 20. Compare this to the surplus stuff, you're talking ~30cents per as opposed to about 22c per. Not too bad.

 

[Yankee]

I took my new Mosin 91/30 to the range for the first time on Monday and I absolutely love it. It is much more accurate than I was expecting and the recoil is no worse than other Milsurps like the Springfield or SMLE. I'll have to take a stab at smoothing out the chamber as it sometimes needed a good hard slap on the bolt handle to unlock it after firing.

I also have an M44 and I would definitely recommend cleaning thoroughly after using any corrosive ammo. I once ran just five old corrosive rounds through it along with a bunch of hand loads and when I went to shoot it again a few days later, there was quite heavy rust frosting inside the barrel. I had dragged an oiled patch through it but no ammonia.

 

[huskershooter]

Welcome to the club! You won't be disappointed. I shot a 1.5" group at 150yds open sighted and also shot through two cinder blocks and an oak tree in one shot. Haven't got to get a deer with it yet though.

 

[Ro1911]

I just looked at my ammo today and it was made in 1982, so I'm betting it's not corrosive.

I also decided to throughly clean the rifle and there is no pitting and looks like a vertually new bore, but that doesn't surprise me since I'm pretty sure the ammo wasn't corrosive.

 

[lonegunman]

Mosin's are great rifles, especially for the price. Be sure and clean it after shooting surplus ammo, all of which is corrosive to some degree.

I found an awesome early Tula that was arsenal perfect with a bright shiny bore for a whopping 99 bucks a few months ago.

 

[Elbert P . Suggins]

I started buying Mossys 3 years ago. I have three 91/30s, two 44s, two 38s, and a 51/90. I've went thru at least 3 green tins of 440 rnds each of 1957 vintage so I assume it was corrosive. I only use Ed's Red to clean which is Mineral Spirits, ATV, and Kerosene of equal parts. I have never used a water or ammonia base to clean. I have also went at least a week at times before cleaning and have never seen any sign of corrosion. Bright as a dollar! But I live in Idaho where humidity is lower than some parts. My technique has worked so far. My gun smith said some of the cleanest bores he has seen are Swedish and Swiss and all they used was Kerosene in the 40's.

 

[neededausername]

Sorry I haven't updated this yet, but I'm still waiting on a back ordered camera to take some pics. The cosmoline was light on the rifle, but I still had fun taking it apart and getting to know it. It is a 1943 Izhevsk factory refub. Nothing special, but in good condition. The recoil is not bad at all, in fact I was shooting my father in laws Rem. 700 .308 at the same session and that kicked a lot more. The Mosin just has such a long barrel and enough weight to contain the power of the round. My wife is a bit of a rusophile so she loves the gun as well. It's just the perfect rifle for my needs.

 

[Morrell]

My favorite cleaning compound is the original recipe used by the Russians in the field... drink one liter of vodka, eat 2 cups of borscht, and piss down the barrel and on the bolt.

Really, all you need is something with ammonia in it to neutralize the corrosive salts. Windex works fine, but it is just not as authentic. The true purist mil surp collector will piss on his rifle to clean it.

Henschman.... you just made my day. Laughed long and hard at that!