Mosin-Nagant M44 Carbine

[jefe]

Greetings. As preface, I apologize for being completely new to firearms. I purchased a Mosin-Nagant over the Summer. Since acquiring the firearm, I've been looking around on websites about Mosin-Nagants, and maintenance. I am wondering, what is the best route to take for refinishing the rifle stock? Should I strip it down and refinish? The rifle is is pretty good shape, though I wouldn't mind cleaning it up.

I've also seen photos of the firearm, with the metal practically shining. Is this a good route to go? Should the rifle be as shiny as I've seen online? If so, what is the best route to take towards cleaning up the metal?

I've also order a cleaning kit (though I have yet to fire the rifle, as I do not know where to go in the Portland area) that should be here soon, and a "tuna can" of Russian ammo. I realize the ammo is corrosive, and I will need to keep the rifle in tip-top shape. What is the best route to take for cleaning a rifle barrel? I am literally a novice. I don't even know where to begin. Do I disassemble the rifle and soak the barrel? It is laughable, how little I know of this process. I am laughing as I compose this!

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[FMJ 911]

Well for starters, buy a book on gun maintenance. Trust me, it will save you alot of trouble. And since you bought a Mosin Nagant M44, you are in good shape for a beginner. Go and buy a Buttstock Recoil Pad, and some stripper clips. I used to have a M91/59 Carbine, and believe you me, it was a shoulder cannon!

is the Stock a oil finish or a clear lacquer?

 

[Aero Denezol]

Welcome aboard!

You don't need to disassemble the M44 to clean it. Just remove the bolt and use a 30 cal cleaning rod. I think they're around $30. The cleaning rod will be threaded for attachments (purchased separately), namely brushes and jags on which you'll attach cleaning patches. The patches are soaked in solvent, like Hoppe's #9... You'll run the brush through a few times from the chamber end, all the way through, not back and forth, and then push wet patches through. Repeat this process until you get a clean patch. With the Mosin Nagant, depending on how much pitting is in the bore, you may never get a completely clean patch

There are lots of good videos on the Mosin Nagant, if you check out YouTube.

 

[jefe]

Well for starters, buy a book on gun maintenance. Trust me, it will save you alot of trouble. And since you bought a Mosin Nagant M44, you are in good shape for a beginner. Go and buy a Buttstock Recoil Pad, and some stripper clips. I used to have a M91/59 Carbine, and believe you me, it was a shoulder cannon!

is the Stock a oil finish or a clear lacquer?

-The stock appears to be an oil finish. It is of a 1946 production run.
-I appreciate the recommendation of buying a book on gun maintenance. Something inside my head is now screaming "duh." Because you recommend buying a buttstock recoil pad, it must have one **** of a kick to it. I will readily accept your advice, and do so soon.
-Do you think the stripper clips are an essential item? I've been toying, back and forth, with purchasing the clips, but I'm not quite sure. I know there is not an issue with loading the gun, one round at a time. Based on your experience, are the clips that much faster?
-What sort of ammo were you using? I've seen an M44 Compensator available. Do you think that would do much to lessen the kick? (I ask because I want for my wife to become comfortable with the rifle).

 

[jefe]

Welcome aboard!

You don't need to disassemble the M44 to clean it. Just remove the bolt and use a 30 cal cleaning rod. I think they're around $30. The cleaning rod will be threaded for attachments (purchased separately), namely brushes and jags on which you'll attach cleaning patches. The patches are soaked in solvent, like Hoppe's #9... You'll run the brush through a few times from the chamber end, all the way through, not back and forth, and then push wet patches through. Repeat this process until you get a clean patch. With the Mosin Nagant, depending on how much pitting is in the bore, you may never get a completely clean patch

There are lots of good videos on the Mosin Nagant, if you check out YouTube.

Thanks, I will check out youtube soon. As for the cleaning, one of the reasons why I ask is because I've come across websites that mention when using the Russian surplus ammo, you can use hot water and dish soap for cleaning. I've never figured out if they mean to run the water/soap through the barrel, or soak the barrel, or (now, because of your comment) whether to soak the cleaning patches in the water/soap and then run it through the barrel?

As for pitting, I don't see any sort of damage (though I need to clean the bore, as it has been sitting around and I'm sure dust has fallen into it). Based on pictures I've seen on the internet, I would say the bore is is pretty good shape.

 

[FMJ 911]

-The stock appears to be an oil finish. It is of a 1946 production run.
-I appreciate the recommendation of buying a book on gun maintenance. Something inside my head is now screaming "duh." Because you recommend buying a buttstock recoil pad, it must have one **** of a kick to it. I will readily accept your advice, and do so soon.
-Do you think the stripper clips are an essential item? I've been toying, back and forth, with purchasing the clips, but I'm not quite sure. I know there is not an issue with loading the gun, one round at a time. Based on your experience, are the clips that much faster?
-What sort of ammo were you using? I've seen an M44 Compensator available. Do you think that would do much to lessen the kick? (I ask because I want for my wife to become comfortable with the rifle).

If you want to refinish a "Oil-Finish" Stock, you need to remove the old oil and crud with solvent. Turpentine will work. Oven Claener works well, but it may damage the wood. Then after a light sanding with fine grit(120 or higher) use some boiled linseed oil to "Finish" it.

Stripper clips are not a requirement, but they can help if you want to get rounds loaded quickly. be careful as you may cut your thumb on the clip, and you have to practice with them. I can get 5 clips for $7 and a standard pouch holds 6. Loading 1 at a time is good too. Also some of the clips are new production, and the clips will spread out, causing the rounds in the clip to spill out. Just take a good look at the clips you want to buy.

I have a rubber recoil pad, and it works very good. A muzzle brake may work too, but I had one split and fly off the gun after 3 rounds. the AK-74 Style ones seem to work, but get new mounting screws as the ones supplies with it are garbage. With the right setup, a child could shoot a Mosin-Nagant Carbine.

I generally use Bulgarian Steel Core Ammo with a "10" on the headstamp, it shoots okay, but the one that works great is the "7n1" Sniper ammunition that I got. and Commercial ammo such as S&B works good too.

One more note: Mosin-Nagant Rifles are good shooters. I have a 1931 Tula Rifle and it shoots real nice.

 

[darkminstrel]

Welcome to the sport, jefe! Firstly I want to say that as a new shooter you may want to take a step back from the sandpaper and laquer for a second. Yes, that is your rifle. Yes it was probably sub-$150...but the '46-'47 Mosins are rare birds in the Mosin-Nagant family. I'm not saying you have a collectible rifle, but you may want to hold off on any refinishing for...a year or two. Clean the **** out of it, shoot it and have fun, that's what I do with mine. Altering it in any way that can't be un-done may haunt you later on(ask me how I know).

Stripper clips; Not needed. They take as much time as loading a handfull of loose rounds do with practice.
Shooting pads; The MN has a good amount of recoil, indeed. A proper shooting stance and a good butt-stock pad will help immensely.
Muzzle brakes; The pin on ones will not sit properly and will get blown right off, possibly causing pieces to hit YOU when it does. Screw on brakes are better but may mar the surface of the muzzle. The best require the barrel to be threaded but that's costly.
Ammo; For lower recoil the 157gr Bulgarian light-ball, copperwashed case is an accurate round that'll run you about $175 shipped for 880 rounds.
Cleaning; Boiling hot water poured from the chamber side down the barrel followed by Hoppe's #9 or Sweet's 7.62 on a proper sized(30cal or 35cal)BRASS, not steel or nylon brush, then followed by some patches to dry it out and a couple drops of oil(I use break free, some use others) on a patch down the barrel is what I use. It's less a chore than some think/suggest.
Optics; You can invest in a scope mount that won't require cutting holes in the gun. Darrel's and S&K make solid mounts that hold up to heavy use and, as stated, make it so you can return the rifle to original configuration.

 

[MarkAd]

I love my M-44 so here is my take.
Skip the books. A waste of money. There is much better information on the web at Mosin.net or 762x54R.org
I spent a lot of time there. Get the headspace tool.
Learn to tear apart your bolt. Fairly easy to do and fun.
Clean the daylights out of the chamber. Acetone and a 410 bore brush work well.
Learn how the sights work as the battle zero is, i think 200 meters.
For cleaning a mixture of water and vingar is much simpler the boiling water. Less painful too.
Recoil - a ten year old can handle it. But I will be adding a recoil pad to mine.

Mosin.net is your friend for this gun.

 

[jefe]

Welcome to the sport, jefe! Firstly I want to say that as a new shooter you may want to take a step back from the sandpaper and laquer for a second. Yes, that is your rifle. Yes it was probably sub-$150...but the '46-'47 Mosins are rare birds in the Mosin-Nagant family. I'm not saying you have a collectible rifle, but you may want to hold off on any refinishing for...a year or two. Clean the **** out of it, shoot it and have fun, that's what I do with mine. Altering it in any way that can't be un-done may haunt you later on(ask me how I know).

Stripper clips; Not needed. They take as much time as loading a handfull of loose rounds do with practice.
Shooting pads; The MN has a good amount of recoil, indeed. A proper shooting stance and a good butt-stock pad will help immensely.
Muzzle brakes; The pin on ones will not sit properly and will get blown right off, possibly causing pieces to hit YOU when it does. Screw on brakes are better but may mar the surface of the muzzle. The best require the barrel to be threaded but that's costly.
Ammo; For lower recoil the 157gr Bulgarian light-ball, copperwashed case is an accurate round that'll run you about $175 shipped for 880 rounds.
Cleaning; Boiling hot water poured from the chamber side down the barrel followed by Hoppe's #9 or Sweet's 7.62 on a proper sized(30cal or 35cal)BRASS, not steel or nylon brush, then followed by some patches to dry it out and a couple drops of oil(I use break free, some use others) on a patch down the barrel is what I use. It's less a chore than some think/suggest.
Optics; You can invest in a scope mount that won't require cutting holes in the gun. Darrel's and S&K make solid mounts that hold up to heavy use and, as stated, make it so you can return the rifle to original configuration.

Thank you for your welcome! Your pointers are fantastic. I ordered a brush (cleaning kit didn't come with one), but I think it is steel. Can I use the steel brush, in the meantime, that is, until I order and receive a brass brush?

 

[jefe]

I love my M-44 so here is my take.
Skip the books. A waste of money. There is much better information on the web at Mosin.net or 762x54R.org
I spent a lot of time there. Get the headspace tool.
Learn to tear apart your bolt. Fairly easy to do and fun.
Clean the daylights out of the chamber. Acetone and a 410 bore brush work well.
Learn how the sights work as the battle zero is, i think 200 meters.
For cleaning a mixture of water and vingar is much simpler the boiling water. Less painful too.
Recoil - a ten year old can handle it. But I will be adding a recoil pad to mine.

Mosin.net is your friend for this gun.

For some reason, I never came across Mosin.net as a google search result. I suppose I may have overlooked it, or did not enter the proper search phrase. I appreciate that recommendation. I found a video on youtube that recommends Lapin's book, but I will check out Mosin.net first!

Water and vinegar, I will try this once my cleaning items arrive. What about the vinegar smell? Does it stay with the rifle for a while after cleaning?

Thank you, so much.

 

[jefe]

I would like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to my newbie questions. I will compile a list of all pointers and, through trial and error, I will arrive at conclusions (for instance, the boiling water-water&vinegar cleaning) that work for me. One thing that I never thought of (a "duh!" moment) is a rifle cleaning solution (the Hoppe's #9), which I will purchase today. I'm excited to begin my excursion into this sport.

 

[darkminstrel]

Thank you for your welcome! Your pointers are fantastic. I ordered a brush (cleaning kit didn't come with one), but I think it is steel. Can I use the steel brush, in the meantime, that is, until I order and receive a brass brush?

I'd suggest waiting if all you have is a steel bristle brush. These are very old rifles and the steel brushes can wear out the bore sooner than you might like. I want to add that my boiling water method requires one of those really long accordion necked funnels to get the water down the barrel and only down the barrel. Keeps your stock dry too. Don't short sell your rifle either, don't let anyone say it's old Russkie crap! There's a guy who's up in Alaska who uses an M44 to hunt for food not sport. Does a very good job of it too.

 

[HollisOR]

Mosins are very Russian/Soviet. They are not the prettiest on the rack but they work very well. Then the Fins are masters at Mosins make over.

 

[darkminstrel]

It would be unfortunate if you decide to abandon shooting because you happened to pick one of the most unpleasant rifles to shoot as your first firearm.

If the recoil doesn't scare him off that line will...

The M44 is no worse than a 12ga or 30-06. It's the metal butt-plate that really does you in. As a simple recoil compensating device a well folded towel is enough.

Edit; I commonly shoot 1-400 rounds each time I go out with my Mosin Nagants. Without a pad.

 

[MarkAd]

BSG, i have had 10 y/o boys shoot and love my mosin. You going let a boy outman you.

 

[FMJ 911]

BSG, i have had 10 y/o boys shoot and love my mosin. You going let a boy outman you.

Yes, but the recoil of a full-power cartridge is no child's toy, it still has a lot of kick. Not saying it's bad, but uncomfortable to a point where you may consider getting something to lessen it a small amount.

 

[trainsktg]

The websites are MosinNagant.net and 7.62x54r.net.

Hold off on refinishing your rifle until you learn more about it. Many beginning milsurp owners do this and later regret it.

An M44 has about the same recoil as a Steyr M95 and doesn't even approach a 12g. shooting magnum slugs. Achieving a proper shooting stance including pulling the rifle into your shoulder eliminates much of the felt recoil. Its no 'He-Man' claim when I say I usually shoot in a Tshirt and never use a recoil pad or shooting jacket when firing .30 caliber rifles.

Extending the bayonet may help with accuracy and keeping point or aim close to point of impact.

Keith

 

[EMP9596]

Enjoy it, keep it clean and look at your options with it.. They are a lot of fun. I picked up another 1946 Izzy M44 today and thought is was going to maybe be a parts rifle.
Nope! it has about 90% blue, bore is mirror bright and all numbers match. It is just missing the front barrel band retainer and a chunk out of the heel of a very nice stock. I think I have the correct cleaning rod for it, or Liberty Tree does? If anybody has or needs parts speak up I always have something to trade. It is the craps to order a $2.00 Mosin part and pay $12.00 shipping.
I have and keep a few small parts on hand.

 

[jefe]

Hey everybody, I still appreciate the pointers. They are all being considered carefully. Sorry I hadn't responded since my last post--I don't want anybody to think that I'm ignoring their sound advice. (A family emergency, and my workload for grad school are taking a toll.) It looks as though I'm going out shooting this weekend--I shot the rifle for the first time a few weeks ago, but I haven't gone since. Since my last post, I've acquired a cleaning kit, a gun ownership ebook, and three Hoppe's products: (1) Solvent, (2) Grease, and (3) Lubricating Oil. I also picked up a pack of cleaning patches--though, I have a question about this: in terms of the size of the patches, does it really matter if I use a patch that pertains to my caliber of rifle? I'm just curious, as there tends to be a price difference (though minor) between my options for patches. This makes me think of something else: do the patches need to be as sterile and sanitary as the packaged patches convey? My wife has an apparel business, on the side, and she always has fabric she throws away (leftovers from cutting). I've also just acquired a "tuna/spam can" of Russian ammo. Very exciting!

Seriously, the advice I've received has been very helpful, and completely friendly! Thank you all for taking the time to help me out.

 

[trainsktg]

You can clean your rifle's barrel with a long shoelace and used motor oil and it would be fine. Any old, clean absorbent fabric would work.

I usually get a bag of big cotton patches in bulk, then cut them into about 2"x2" squares for a .30 caliber rifle, more or less.

Keith