Started cleaning my Mosin tonight. Stuck barrel bands?

Vegetaman · Nov 10, 2013

*UPDATE* -- got her done! See post #11 for a picture of her all back together and post #5 for all the parts spread out.

*OLD POST BELOW*

First thing I did was work on the bolt. I gave it two hot water treatments, and plan to give it a mineral spirit bath next (pictures below). But, next I was going to take the barrel bands off so I could take the barrel out and clean it and the stock and the mag well. But alas, the two barrel bands seem stuck. Not only that, but the front spring clip doesn't seem to compress far enough to slip the band over it if I wanted. Anybody have any advice?

Vegetaman · Nov 10, 2013

Well got the barrel bands off. Took a snap ring pliers and opened them up the extra distance to get them off. Ammo well is soaking right now, and just got done cleaning up the gunk off the trigger assembly. Tonight is just hot water and WD-40 treatment. Tomorrow we get out the patches and hoppes and the mineral spirits for the real work. Just the big chunks now.

Badkarma 1 · Nov 10, 2013

If you have a used .30cal bore mop, punch the bore with it first to get the cosmoline slug out, then hit it with the mineral spirits and hoppes.
Dale

wyccad915 · Nov 10, 2013

I'm glad you got it off. I had a similar issue. The spring clip on mine is very hard to shove in so I can get the band past.

Vegetaman · Nov 10, 2013

Yeah I think there must be gunk inside the spring or something, I hope to clean it out a little while I've got it apart, though I hope to never have to strip her down this far again.

They also are kind of fickle to get a cleaning patch to run down it seems. But did get a few patches down the barrel now. Currently have her all broken down and laid out having done a first pass cleaning of gunk:

boykinlp · Nov 11, 2013

What year is yours and in which factory was it made?

LVSteve · Nov 11, 2013

You will almost certainly need to use a heavy duty copper remover on the bore. Hoppes and CLP won't cut it. I suggest Outers Foaming Bore Cleaner or Sweet's 7.62 if you want to get really viscous. Just don't leave the Sweet's in overnight. I also recommend a good hammering with a bronze or nylon brush to break up the surface of the gunk so your cleaner of choice can get in there. Don't be surprised if the cleaning produces multiple strata of copper and powder fouling.

My first milsurp was a 1943 Izhevsk 91/30 that was an absolute copper mine. The only other ones that come close was the first Enfield No.4 I bought and a Balkan Mosin M91.

Vegetaman · Nov 11, 2013

This one is also a 1943 Izhevsk 91/30. Interestingly, there is what looks like a Tula star stamped on the stock though (could be meaningless or any number of things, of course), but no year visible under that.

I will have to pick up some supplies to do that work on the barrel internals, it sounds like, as all I have on hand is Hoppes.

LVSteve · Nov 11, 2013

Vegetaman said:
This one is also a 1943 Izhevsk 91/30. Interestingly, there is what looks like a Tula star stamped on the stock though (could be meaningless or any number of things, of course), but no year visible under that.

I will have to pick up some supplies to do that work on the barrel internals, it sounds like, as all I have on hand is Hoppes.

I doubt that stock is original. By 1943 they were using stocks without the screwed in escutcheons. That stock looks just like one of the stocks I got from Aim Surplus about a years ago, 3/$49. The way the shellac is slopped over the escutcheons is very familiar.

Mosin Nagant Sling Slots & Swivels

Vegetaman · Nov 15, 2013

Well it did clean up easy, at least. I agree the stock does not seem original, since it has the "pre/early-WWII" type sling holes as per that site. Just a few rags with some mineral spirits rubbed the gunk off, then another one to dry/buff it a bit, and it got rid of the sticky but didn't harm the finish. Spent some time working the gunk out of the barrel band spring slots and did some mineral spirits soaking on the bolt and cleaned up the trigger mechanism. Just need to reassemble her this weekend. It'd be done already if we didn't get a cold snap with snow and ice keeping me from working on this outside.

Vegetaman · Nov 16, 2013

Final update here. At long last, I have finished with the diassembly, clean, lube, and reassembly of my Nagant. Went back together very smoothly. Got the firing pin in the right spot on the first try (that multi-tool this thing comes with is quite handy). And was careful when cleaning the grease off and didn't so much as tarnish the finish one bit. Odorless mineral spirits is truly a great product. Total time spent actually working on it was maybe... 4 hours? She was greased up pretty good when I got her.

Started cleaning my Mosin tonight. Stuck barrel bands?

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