Best way to clean Mosin's ???

[moreammoplz]

Shot both of my Mosin rifles over the holidays and waited 5 days before cleaning. WOW what a mess.

I used Hoppe's and then brass brush to get some of the rust out, but it didn't seem to work very well.

Ended up using WD-40 (Soak for 10 min) and the brass brush for about 10 min on each rifle. I think I finally got them clean, but wow did it take a while.

I was shooting Bulgarian ammo which I take was corrosive.

Any tricks to cleaning these things????

M

[M1 Tanker]

The best bet is to clean them immediatly after shooting with corrosive ammo. Pour some ammonia down the barrel and then run a oiled patch down it. That should buy you a few days if you cannot get to it immediately after shooting.

As to what you have now, some CLP and elbow grease.

[jlpskydive]

It is corrosive ammo. The best thing is to clean them immediately after shooting. Start with neutralizing the corrosive salts with some Windex. Then clean as normal (the same day you shoot)

[QuickDrawMcGraw]

I have rigged up a Brass Brush to a rod and placed it into my cordless drill and gently let it run in circles as I ran the rod up and down the barrell. Make sure your drill is Variable speed , and your brush is Brass. It takes a lot of the work out of it . Make a few passes up and down and then clean the brush in Bore Cleaner, repeat as needed. This works very well, but be smart and go slow and see what works best for your application .

[tomoshenko]

Shot both of my Mosin rifles over the holidays and waited 5 days before cleaning. WOW what a mess.

I used Hoppe's and then brass brush to get some of the rust out, but it didn't seem to work very well.

Ended up using WD-40 (Soak for 10 min) and the brass brush for about 10 min on each rifle. I think I finally got them clean, but wow did it take a while.

I was shooting Bulgarian ammo which I take was corrosive.

Any tricks to cleaning these things????

M


The main trick is cleaning before the leftover chloride salts from the corrosive primers have a chance to attract moisture and start the rust process!

First neutralize these salts with a mild ammonia, dish soap and water solution
followed by a thorough cleaning with CLP. A very strong ammonia can cause etching in the metal. For long storage, after cleaning use a product like BreakFree Collector.

Allowing a nice bore on an old military firearm to rust and pit is a form of
"bubbification by negligence" and severly dissaproved of at this forum.

[SteelCore]

All 762x54r that I have shot is corrosive.

Everyone has their pet way to clean the salts left in the bore from shooting. Since they're salts, most folks use ammonia based cleaners (like Windex) or just plain water to get the salts out. I've used windex, but now I just use water on a patch, run it thru about 2-5 times (changing/watering the patch each time). Then follow up with a boresnake fulla CLP.

Keeps my 91/30 and M-44 tip top.

[hunter_la5]

It is corrosive ammo. The best thing is to clean them immediately after shooting. Start with neutralizing the corrosive salts with some Windex. Then clean as normal (the same day you shoot)

+1, this is the method I use with my corrosive ammo, and so far my barrel still looks great

[ctdemolay0405]

I have rigged up a Brass Brush to a rod and placed it into my cordless drill and gently let it run in circles as I ran the rod up and down the barrell. Make sure your drill is Variable speed , and your brush is Brass. It takes a lot of the work out of it . Make a few passes up and down and then clean the brush in Bore Cleaner, repeat as needed. This works very well, but be smart and go slow and see what works best for your application .

be very carefull useing this method, used a bore guide if possibe even if not doing this way. i personally would be to afraid of the cleaning rod to damage stuff to do it with a drill, but hey, to each thier own. some people use gasoline to clean cosmoline.... whatever works

[WildBillCody]

I bought a enfield, the bore looked terrible, I cleaned the traditional way(rod/patches) It looked better, and nothing was really coming out on the patches. Then I tried the foaming bore cleaner on it, Wow!! what a difference, the stuff that came out was as dark blue as a pair of jeans, two or three days of soaking with that stuff and a fresh patch every now and again, it worked great, that's all I have been using since.

[SteelCore]

That was copper fouling you were seeing that was blue. I use Pro Shot's copper solvent for milsurps. it will increase the accuracy of a worn out milsurp, and bring it back to life.

[vista461]

When I get home from shooting corrosive , I give a bunch of squirts of the walmart version of windex (cheap and is already in a squirt bottle) and then run a bunch of windexed patches down , then clean as normal. No problems yet with my mosins or mausers

[moreammoplz]

Thanks guys I appreciate the advice on the Windex and others.....

Just picked up 1,200 more rounds today since it is getting so hard to find the ammo, figured I should stock up. Never thought the Mosins would be so much fun to shoot. I like them better than my AK or SKS. :icon_biggrin:

[nowhereman]

I only take one gun with the corrosive ammo. Then clean it at the range immediately after shooting. Got a giant bottle of Gunscrubber. I too waited only two days my first time out w/ my m38 and bulgarian. That was a mistake....

[brewskzilla]

If you already waited 5 days and are seeing rust, use WD-40 to remove the rust, then remove the WD-40 with hot water and dish soap. The bore brush in the drill trick works well, but make sure the threads on the brush are not backwards. Once the rust is gone, clean the bore and chamber with CLP and leave a thin coat in there to prevent further rust. Also, for those with Muzzleloader knowledge, some bore butter will protect the crap out just about any bore for long storage. Remember... Corrosive ammo fouling will draw the moisture right out of the air and cause your bore to corrode at an accelerated rate. FIE on you for waiting 5 days...

[XO3319]

After shooting corrosive I run a patch through them at the range with 50% ammonia and 50% water to dissolve the salts and then clean immediately at home with Sweets 7.62, and Ed's Red

When I first get them I loosen the gunk first with bore brushes and Ed's Red, then use Outers Foul Out III electrolysis and follow up with Kroil and J&B bore paste, more Kroil and finish up with Ed's Red

Mosins have been abused for years and can take it, but I clean them immediately after shooting corrosive.