Surplus rifle cleaning? Best methods? Restoring?

Question

I'm picking up a Mosin and will need to clean it up. What is/are the best methods for getting the rifle in tip-top?

What about refinishing the stock?

Answer 1

My advice is; Other than cleaning of the "coso something" (cosmoline a black tar-like coating that protects a weapon in long term storage) that Larry suggested, I recommend you leave it in its original condition. sanding and laquering the stock is considered no-no by any half-way serious collector.

BTW cosmoline is best cleaned off with a soft rag soaked in kerosene. Disassembling the weapon may be necessary to accomplish this.

If there is no cosmoline, I recommend disassembling the weapon, inspect it for rust or corrosion, clean it thoroughly using a light oil (I use WD-40) and that's about it.

Answer 2

You need some Mineral Spirits or Turpentine and a pile of clean cotton rags. Clean the Bore and Chamber with a high quality Bore Brush and Chamber Brush using a quality Firearms Clesning Solvent like Hoppes #9 or Shooters Choice (Available most anywhere).To remove the "Cosmoline" (This is Brownish/Black Grease used for long term storage of Military Firearms, use the Mineral Spirits or Turpentine on a clean rag, and the Cosmoline will come off onto the rags. Remove as much Cosmoline as you can until the metal parts and interior of the rifle are clean.

As far as the stock goes in order to keep it original, you can clean it with Mineral Spirits too. After you have cleaned the stock you can sand it lightly with 80grit sandpaper to remove the rough spots to your liking. In order to refinish it simply buy a pint of Boiled Linseed Oil (Paint Dept of any hardware store). Wipe the Linseed oil on the stock, let soak in and wipe off the excess with a clean rag, after about 20 minutes, allowing the oil to soak into the wood. Repeat this until the Linseed Oil has soaked into the wood and the wood is saturated. Wipe off the excess and you will have your stock back to the way it was manufactured........This makes a great Military Rifle finish that is water & moisture resistant, and inexpensive and easy to do yourself..Good Luck....

NOTE* NO clear-coat finish is neccessary if you use Linseed Oil......

Answer 3

Sometimes it's best to leave it original, as refinishing it can cause it to lose value. I don't think you have to worry about that with a common rifle like a M-N.

Be very careful when stripping the stock if it has any checkering, as you can sand it right off if you get aggressive with a heavy sandpaper. NEVER use a power sander, EVEN an orbital. I'd recommend a chemical stripper if it has remnants of varnish/polyurethane to remove. If you're not familiar with sandpaper, 80 and 120 grits are shaping papers... 220 and up will remove less material and start to give you a finer finish. Start with 120 and work your way up to 320.

I think the action refinishing product is called Cosmoline. There are many types of products for this purpose. Check out Brownell's.

Answer 4

I just cleaned mine like I would any other rifle. They come a bit greasy from the packing but just wipe it off. No biggie. Anytime I answer a Mosin question I warn that a sharp blow to the butt of the rifle will cause the rifle to fire. I tested this on two different rifles with the same result.

Answer 5

I have heard that you need to heat up the metal and wipe off all this film called cosmo-something if it hasn't already been done. Other than that just run some powder solvent through it till the patches are clean, and oil it. Sand the old finish off the stock, if you want stain it, then put about 3 coats of polyurethane on the stock.

Answer 6

Heres a good article on refinishing the stock..... im going to try this on my Lee Enfield.....

http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting/refinish/index.asp

For the metal.... I take all the metal and use a tooth brush and alcohol.... the oil up the metal afterwards.....

My Mosin came totally refinished..... got lucky on that one, but my Lee Enfield looks like it just came out of the heat of battle so it needs a total restoration......