Quick Mosin Tweaks?

[jimmythegeek]

One of the kids I'm bringing to Appleseed this weekend got a Mosin for his birthday and we're bringing it along.  I ordered 10 stripper clips and a recoil pad, and found someone in town who will part with a spam can of surplus ammo for pretty close to the online price. 

It came with a bayonet and sling, and lots of cosmoline.  Since Mosins aren't my cup of tea (though that may change this weekend), I haven't learned much about them yet.  I understand the safety is worthless, and you should just close the bolt on an empty chamber for general use.  At Appleseed, I understand that for transitions with bolt guns, bolt back is equal to safety on. 

Anyway, are there any quick fixes we could get to before Saturday?  Sight upgrades that Cabelas might have?  Any other tips to running one of these beasts?

It's his first Appleseed, and we're agreed that it makes sense for him to use one of my LTRs for most of the weekend.  But I know we'll have  to try a few AQTs and Redcoats each on Sunday afternoon. 

When my CMP Garand comes in, I'll sign us up for a shoot with KD and we'll see who rules the roost, Commie pig-iron or the Arsenal of Democracy.  In the meantime we'll share like good allies. 

[ItsanSKS]

Jimmy-

The Mosin, while a capable rifle, lends a few challenges to Appleseed use.  Not the least of which is recoil; the 7.62x54r round is stout, comparable to 303 British.

Learning to load the rifle with stripper clips takes a determined effort; since the cartridge is rimmed, there is a potential for what is known as 'rim lock'; in this situation, the rim of the top cartridge is behind the rim below it- if this happens, one cannot move the bolt forward- the best fix is to open the floor plate of the magazine, allowing all rounds to drop free. 

There are tips to preparing your stripper clips to avoid rim lock, but they are difficult to relate through the written word. 

Special attention should be given to the chamber and locking-lug areas of the receiver; if you think you've got them clean of cosmoline, apply a heat gun (or hair dryer) to be sure.  These rifles can REALLY soak up the stuff, and failing to get it all out prior to use is a sure way to ensure that the bolt is hard to open after firing a few rounds.

Check the bolt operation; most of these rifles are pretty rough (minimal machining) which leads to less than smooth cycling of the bolt.  If you are sure the rifle is clean, and the bolt does not ride smoothly, you may be able to clean up the bolt and its guide rails by applying a small amount of valve lapping compound (available at most automotive parts stores) and working the bolt back and forth.  If you go this route, be sure to thoroughly clean the lapping compound out of the rifle after all is said and done.

[TxBobS]

A 20ga shotgun cleaning brush on a drill works great in the Mosin chamber.  What Itsansks said is right in that you have to get all of that junk out of there or the bolt will be very hard to open.

While it would be fun to shoot an AQT with a Mosin, I'm not sure I would want to shoot an Appleseed with one.  That's a lot of recoil over the course of two days.  My main concern would be making the kid not want to go anymore.

[The Wolfhound]

Too late to do you any good but there is 7.62x54R training ammo.  Only 46 grains so it is basically an empty jacket.  loud as normal but very low reciol.  A couple of places on line have it. Chech manufacture if I recall.  Supposedly accurate to 200M.  It won't improve the bolt and Mosins get cranky but it would make shooting a bit more pleasant to the shoulder.

[Caliper]

As the owner of probably more Mosins than many would think sane, I'll comment on a few things. 

Firstly, the safety is far from worthless.  It securely locks the firing pin back and the bolt closed.  The trick is realizing that it isn't meant to be used from the hip like most safeties.  Put the stock against your shoulder.  Grip the cocking piece either with thumb and forefinger, pull back and rotate to the left to engage, to the right to disengage.  It also helps to disassemble the bolt first and make sure the firing pin spring isn't clogged with cosmoline first. 

For the AQT, transitions are done unloaded, so bolt back is the best way anyways for faster loading once in position.  Oh, and test your stripper clips.  The first ones I got were steel and simply too tight to use. 

For the sights, I would personally do nothing other than zero it at 25yd.  The Russians zeroed the rifle with the bayonet on and they will typically shoot to the right with it off.  Or maybe you can shoot the AQT with the bayonet on!     Use a hammer and brass punch, or invest in one of the front sight pushers on ebay that lets you adjust things more precisely. 
Elevation can sometimes be a problem as well.  It seems that sometimes the Russians zeroed the rifles for a 6:00 hold, other times for a dead on hold and other times not at all.  A common trick if the front sight is too short is to use some wire shrink wrap to extend the post. 
Personally, I find the notch and post on Mosins pretty good and the bolt design makes aperture sights difficult to fit at best (just ask the Finns, they did it, but it takes a fair bit of modification).  Some folks swear by Mojo sights however.  These attempt to replicate a peep sight by replacing the rear sight leaf.  I find the rear sight is too far from my eye to work as a peep though.  http://www.mojosights.com/mosin_nagant.html

Regarding rimlock, the Mosin was designed with an ingenious cartridge interrupter in the action that should prevent that from occurring.  Explaining its operation is somewhat involved, but the simple test is to load your rifle trying to cause rimlock.  As you load each round, put the rim behind the rim of the one below.  Load the entire magazine this way and be sure to push the last round down fully.  Then cycle the bolt.  You will have to close the bolt fully each time to trip the interrupter, so make sure you are following all safety rules.  If the interrupter is working, you should have no problems cycling all five rounds through the rifle. 

Last, but not least, remember that the surplus ammo you have is corrosive.  One of the byproducts of the primer going off is basically salt.  You will find all sorts of techniques online, but all you need to do is each day after shooting, clean the bore with patches soaked in hot water.  This will remove the salt and prevent rust and pitting (or further pitting depending on how the Russians treated your rifle).  After the water, clean and oil as normal. 

[Nickle]

Well, lots has been said.

I'll make a mention that the 7.62x54R cartridge is more powerful than the .303 British. With light bullets (about 150 gr), it's equivalent to the .30-06. With heavy bullets (180 and up), it's equivalent to the .308.

Not much that really needs to be done to it, other than getting used to the stripper clips, making sure the interrupter works correctly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bmLGuw_bqY and check the zero @ 25 meters (adjust if you can).

Note that the sniper with the highest number of kills ever, Simo Häyhä, used a Finnish Mosin, M28 with the issue iron sights. That model isn't anything special, I own one myself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simo_H%C3%A4yh%C3%A4

[jimmythegeek]

Thanks for all the advice, folks.  Personally, I'll be glad to be on paper and go home with an intact collar bone.  I bet it makes my CZ-455 (.22LR) feel like a cap gun.

[Nickle]

Forgot to mention that if you're using a Mosin carbine (M38 or M44), make sure to use plugs and muffs, AKA double hearing protection. Those short barrels have an awful muzzle blast compared to the 91/30, 91 or the Finns.

[jimmythegeek]

Well, I didn't get around to trying Mike's Mosin.  On the line, people referred to him as "Mosin Guy" and he stuck it out for the first day 100% Mosin.  He knew a .22 would be more sensible, but there's more to life than being sensible.  I think it speaks well of him that he picked the path of loudest noise.  I doubled up on ear protection, so I couldn't hear my own shots.  In the ball and dummy drill, I was astonished to see a hole appear in the target when I was sure I had pulled the trigger on a dummy.  But I could hear Mike at the other end of the line.

I'll take him to the range soon and I'll get my chance.