Cleaning a 91-30 for the first time.
So, I bought a 91-30, and as with all of them, it has been lathered up with cosmoline.
At the recommendation of the shop that sold the gun to me, I bought some Hoppes.
Any pointers, do's or don'ts about cleaning it for the first time?
At the recommendation of the shop that sold the gun to me, I bought some Hoppes.
Any pointers, do's or don'ts about cleaning it for the first time?
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Buy a gallon of the purple power cleaner in the auto department at Wallmart, or take it down to the local car wash that has the high pressure hot soap hose, to clean the freekin thing. A bottle of Hoppes is not going to cut it, for getting all that congealed, 30 year old East Bloc cosmoline off it. 0 -
Well, for starters, don't use Hoppe's on the wood...molto bad as it stains as bad as oil does. I would dissasemble the gun to the point of naked wood and use the sunshine and old towels route, although that is slooooooow. For the metal, kerosene, acetone, gun solvent, brake cleaner...there are a hundred methods. One thing for sure; after you fire it with mil surp ammo, run some warm soapy water down the bore and then clean normally with solvent of your choice (I like Break-Free CLP for mil-surp guns) as the water will defeat the corrosive salts from the primers and most solvents wont! 0 -
I have cleaned a hundred of them by now. I use Diesel, pour about 1/4 gallon in a bucket,Strip you gun down and go to scrubbing with a brush, The cosmo will run right off. I even clean the wood with it then I put the wood in cheap clay cat litter and it will suck up any extra oil left in the wood..It may not be the right way but it works for me. I can clean the worst one up spotless in 15 minutes or less 0 -
Hmmm... The picture is getting a bit more clear now...
Sounds like this is not a real technical process.0 -
Sohighi
Call me oddball, but I like taking down the cosmo-- sort like un-wrapping a present. And you know at least the arm was thought of enough to store it like that. (Wouldn't mind finding some cosmo myself, actually?).
Anywho-- many ways to do this, as a few been noted already. My .02cents atop are rags, lots of 'em, $1.00 Store plastic paint scrappers + brass or stiff nylon brushes. Then have at it.
If you take the barrel/action down off the stock off, then when re-assembling... underneath where both wood and metal mate, I use a good carnuba wax on both. Then a light film of good gun oil where metal is exposed.
EDIT Also, not knowing your shooting experience?, if you are brand new at it, start another posting saying so, and start asking lots of questions.
Welcome first time here,
45er0 -
You got it! Elbow grease and a decent, non-aggressive solvent of whatever kind for the wood. Mainly, use dust free rags and toss them the Heck OUT...cosmo is normally lanolin (and I think some of the eastern bloc guns I have used some sort of fish based stuff...gnarly smelling excrement!)based and you won't want to wear that t-shirt again even after 100 washes! I have a friend who uses a 50 gallon barrel with a propane heater under it and dunks the stocks by the dozen in hot water and then scrapes them with cheap nylon brushes. Used to do the actions that way too but reoiling them made it too laborious so he uses a barrel with 20 or so gallons of Kero in it to soak the barreled action for an hour or so. Can't believe how nice they come out; makes me jealous I didn't think of it first. 0 -
Disassemble the weapon, separating the wood from the metal.
The idea of using a pressure washer to blow-wash the cosomoline off is a good one, however, you have to be careful that there are no parts that the pressure washer will damage or blow off the gun and cause to become lost. I would not hold the pressure washer too close to the metal, either...you are looking to clean, not abrade the finish off the thing, if that is even possible with the lower pressures that the carwash and home pressure washers are capable of. Just be careful.
Then get some Simple Green or some generic equivalent. Pour some in a spray bottle and spray every nook and cranny. Let sit about ten minutes and then pressure wash it off again. Spray on more SG and use an old toothbrush where necessary to get the stubborn cosmoline off. Then spray rinse the thing again, dry it off as best you can and then spray-saturate the metal parts well with WD-40 to displace the water from the nooks and crannies. Wipe it down well, then, if you have it, spray on Break-Free CLP lubricant (my opinion, the absolute best so far) or another good weapons protectant rust inhibitor (no, WD-40 is not a good rust inhibitor for weapons).
Cleaning the wood is a different matter and everyone has their own ideas...not sure any of them will give the results you hope for, but try the one(s) you think will work for you. Spray the wood with Simple Green, rinse gently with warm water, not a pressure washer, which will literally chew up the wood. Do this several times, using as little water as possible. You do not want to saturate the wood with water, but it does need to be rinsed well. Wipe it down well, drying as best you can. Then, get a long, narrow pan and pour warm kitty litter in it and bury the wood in that to absorb the oil as it leaches out of the wood. You might try a cheapo plastic wallpaper soaking tray or anything else that you have that will contain the stock and the kitty litter. If the plastic tray is too short, try two of them, each with one end cut out and nested together, then taped together with duct tape to make it longer. Repeat this process to get as much oil out of the stock as possible. The warm kitty litter (heat it in the oven when it is new but not after it's been used!!...instant death from crazed wife going postal!!) will also suck out any left-over water. Check the Internet and do a search on this GB Experts Forum for oily gunstock cleaning methods (i.e. Easy-Off oven cleaner, "whiting", dry washed sand, etc.).0 -
Dozen different ways, mainly involving warmth or some type of solvent. If you are new to the 91/30, some really good info for you- http://www.surplusrifle.com/russianmosin189130/index.asp Enjoy your rifle- 0 -
Well, you all have given me a lot to try. Thanks for all the input. 0 -
The only thing I'll add to the above is that cosmoline can soak into all the crevices in the bolt and gum everything up.
To do a really thorough job, you should probably diassemble the bolt, clean it out (you can dunk in solvent of your choice then brush out insides, etc), then reassemble.
Instructions here:
http://www.gunpics.net/russian/m9130/mnboltdis.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHJihQB7Lcw0 -
Here is a sight with a lot of info:
http://surplusrifle.com/0
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