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azredhawk44 · November 17, 2008, 09:27 AM

I've got a 91/30 that shoots amazing for a $60 rifle... I love going out and plinking with this thing. It's an absolute blast.

I've scrubbed at the chamber with a .30 caliber ratcheting chamber brush from an M14 kit, a .45 caliber bronze brush, warm soapy water to get rid of any corrosives and then Hoppe's #9 to remove all copper fouling from the bore and chamber. Disassembed the bolt, cleaned and oiled it, checking for rust or cosmoline anywhere.

I can work the action just fine... it's a bit stiff, and it takes a 2-whack technique to run this rifle quickly, but I can run it.

I had some friends shoot it this weekend though, and they were having problems. They aren't new to guns by any stretch, it was just the stickiness or tightness of the bolt that was causing problems for them.

I'd like, ideally, for this rifle to have a nice smooth action. I don't know if that's possible or not, but what can I do to ease it a bit? I don't see Russian soldiers in WWII movies having to double-whack the bolt to open the thing... it seems to open easily for them.

I think I've gotten the cosmoline out, but I guess one can never really be certain. I've heard that soaking the stripped action in gasoline will leech it all out of the metal's pores. Is this a recommended technique? What do I do with this gasoline afterwards... what is a safe way to dispose of it?

What other options are available to smooth this Mosin's action?

November 17, 2008, 09:27 AM	#1
azredhawk44 Junior member Join Date: September 28, 2005 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 6,465	Mosin Nagant action tuning I've got a 91/30 that shoots amazing for a $60 rifle... I love going out and plinking with this thing. It's an absolute blast. I've scrubbed at the chamber with a .30 caliber ratcheting chamber brush from an M14 kit, a .45 caliber bronze brush, warm soapy water to get rid of any corrosives and then Hoppe's #9 to remove all copper fouling from the bore and chamber. Disassembed the bolt, cleaned and oiled it, checking for rust or cosmoline anywhere. I can work the action just fine... it's a bit stiff, and it takes a 2-whack technique to run this rifle quickly, but I can run it. I had some friends shoot it this weekend though, and they were having problems. They aren't new to guns by any stretch, it was just the stickiness or tightness of the bolt that was causing problems for them. I'd like, ideally, for this rifle to have a nice smooth action. I don't know if that's possible or not, but what can I do to ease it a bit? I don't see Russian soldiers in WWII movies having to double-whack the bolt to open the thing... it seems to open easily for them. I think I've gotten the cosmoline out, but I guess one can never really be certain. I've heard that soaking the stripped action in gasoline will leech it all out of the metal's pores. Is this a recommended technique? What do I do with this gasoline afterwards... what is a safe way to dispose of it? What other options are available to smooth this Mosin's action?