Just bought a Mosin-Nagant 91/30!

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Excellent!

Spray windex or some other ammoniated cleaner down the bore, and clean it out thoroughly in the standard manner even if you only shoot a few shots.

Corrosive ammo is just fine if you clean your gun. But it's completely unforgiving if you don't.

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Autosurgeon (or anyone who can answer) - two more questions and I think I should be good for now...

1) Do I need to get a longer cleaning rod if mine only goes halfway down the barrel, or should I just clean it from both ends?

2) If I don't take it to a gunsmith to have the headspace checked before I shoot for the first time, is the rifle safe if it doesn't explode on the first shot? Or could it still have a headspace issue and shoot fine for a bit, then explode on the 10th round I shoot?

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EM87 wrote:

Autosurgeon (or anyone who can answer) - two more questions and I think I should be good for now...

1) Do I need to get a longer cleaning rod if mine only goes halfway down the barrel, or should I just clean it from both ends?

2) If I don't take it to a gunsmith to have the headspace checked before I shoot for the first time, is the rifle safe if it doesn't explode on the first shot? Or could it still have a headspace issue and shoot fine for a bit, then explode on the 10th round I shoot?

Click to expand...

1.) Yes, you'll need a longer rod.

Ideally, you should NOT make up-down passes. You should put the rod through the barrel...then put the patch on the rod. So you're only pulling crud/carbon/fouling UP, OUT the muzzle. You'll find your cleaning goes a LOT faster, because you don't just push stuff around in the middle.

2.) You should be fine.

I've never heard of a headspace issue with a mosin. Although I'd still fire the first round from the hip, just to be sure. Check the case, look for excessive bulging near the rear.

-Richard-

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Thanks for the help!

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Get a cleaning Kit with a brass rod.