The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The North Corral > Curios and Relics

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old December 11, 2009, 01:59 PM   #1
Vortexyz
Member
 
Join Date: January 26, 2007
Location: Blacksburg, VA
Posts: 89
Help Please...New Mosin 91/30 bolt close issue

Hey all,
I recently picked up a Mosin Nagant M91/30 at a gunshow. I was extremely please as I have wanted one of these for ages and this one appears to be in very good shape.

Everything seemed to function fine as well, but I just got some A-Zoom snap caps for it because I wanted them for dry fire (I have no live ammo for it yet) and the bolt is very difficult to close with a round in the chamber.

Without a round everything is smooth sailing, but after it gets in the chamber and I try to close it down it gets to 45 degrees before I really have to put my weight behind it. It closes eventually but not without a great effort.

I looked around the net and everyone said to make sure there is no cosmoline in the chamber/locking lug recess which I have done.

I also noticed that the extractor is really grabbing the rim tight, so much that it is ripping off the anodized finish of the snap caps.

I really am hoping its not a headspace issue because the cheapness and durability is part of the appeal with Mosins.

So C&R masters please grace me with your wisdom! Will this loosen up after a session or two of firing, or have I bought a lemon that needs work by a gunsmith?
Vortexyz is offline  
Old December 11, 2009, 02:07 PM   #2
Tidewater_Kid
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 3, 2005
Location: Alabama
Posts: 925
Are you feeding the snap caps from the magazine? Sounds like the extractor is having trouble with the rim. Check the following link and look at the bolt take down pictures too.

http://www.surplusrifle.com/russianm...9130/index.asp

TK
Tidewater_Kid is offline  
Old December 11, 2009, 02:10 PM   #3
Vortexyz
Member
 
Join Date: January 26, 2007
Location: Blacksburg, VA
Posts: 89
TK

Yes I am loading them into the magazine first then chambering them. I know that most guns have an issue with the extractor getting over the rim when a round is hand chambered but that shouldnt be the issue here.
Vortexyz is offline  
Old December 11, 2009, 03:47 PM   #4
pesta2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 1, 2006
Location: Fairmont, WV
Posts: 1,682
I would try giving the chamber a good cleaning first. Here is my reply on another tread about a stuck bolt.You would not believe how much gunk is in that chamber, shot over the years with lacquered cases and dirty ammunition. It might look clean but it still might have a thin layer of cosmoline.

I also cleaned the bore with foaming bore cleaner. Spray it, let it sit and run out then swab and brush the bore. Did this around 8 times. The towel it was sitting on was blue after I was done from all the old copper fowling.

Quote:
My M44 did this. I had to beat opened the bolt with a block of wood set on the bolt and hitting it with a hammer. I could not believe how stuck it was. It made me appreciate the Mosin even more, that extractor dug into the case and pulled it out.

I tried to alleviate the problem, what I did was I took a 20 gauge brush. Put it on the end of a section of cleaning rod. Stuck that in a drill. Wrapped a patch round it soaked in Hoppes and ran it in the chamber moving back and forth. Then I Let is soak for a few minutes then put a clean patch in. Did that about 6 time to get all the crude out. Then I took a patch and put some J-B Bore Cleaning Compound on and polished the chamber with it. Then went back to Hoppes until the patches came out clean. Then a little oil. I have not shot it yet to see if it was still sticking but the chamber looks a lot better.
__________________
http://www.stevekonya.com

Last edited by pesta2; December 11, 2009 at 03:53 PM.
pesta2 is offline  
Old December 12, 2009, 02:48 PM   #5
Tidewater_Kid
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 3, 2005
Location: Alabama
Posts: 925
Make sure the chamber is clean as referenced above. Always good advice with these rifles. If the rifle has tight head space, the rims on the snap caps may be slightly too big. Purchase a box of Wolf Gold 7.62x54R and see if you have a problem. Make sure not to force the bolt closed on a live round!

Good Luck

TK
Tidewater_Kid is offline  
Old February 12, 2010, 06:43 PM   #6
Clark500
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 12, 2010
Posts: 168
I see this is an older thread, but I am hoping someone can help with my dilemma. I recently purchased a 91/30 and I am having bolt closing problems. The magazine seems to load correctly and all rounds strip from the magazine appropriately. However, the extractor does not engage the rounds as they are chambering. This results in the bolt refusing to close. If I reopen the bolt at this time, the cartridge does not extract (it will easily drop out if the muzzle is raised). This is where my situation differs from the previous posts... If I manually snap a round into the extractor/bolt face, the action cycles normally (the bolt closes easily and ejection is positive). This would seem to rule out inadequate headspace and/or a dirty chamber. I would greatly appreciate any thoughts or ideas.
Clark500 is offline  
Old February 13, 2010, 01:57 PM   #7
bejay
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 22, 2008
Posts: 195
sounds like the extractor has a problem like you suspect the only thing I would know to try is maybe taking it apart and cleaning well, it may need the extractor replaced, you can find instructions on bolt dissasembly on the web if you do a search under mosin bolt dissasembly there is atleast a couple sites maybe more that will show you how to dissassemble the bolt and reassemble it correctly and parts shouldnt be to hard to find either.
bejay is offline  
Old February 13, 2010, 04:50 PM   #8
the rifleer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 5, 2008
Location: Sunny California
Posts: 1,281
yep, clean the chamber really really well.

google sticky bolt syndrome. its caused by the use of lacquered ammo and causes the bolt to be hard to open and close.
the rifleer is offline  
Old February 13, 2010, 05:27 PM   #9
SigP6Carry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 27, 2009
Posts: 1,086
this really helped me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXC_PQkLkNA

also, run some boiling water through your barrel towards the action. It'll help melt any left over cosmo out of it.
__________________
-liberal gun nut = exception to the rule-
-1.24274238 miles, because Russians don't need scopes-
-Gun control was the Klan's favorite law, how can you advocate a set of laws designed to allow the denigration of a people?-
SigP6Carry is offline  
Old February 13, 2010, 06:10 PM   #10
TomADC
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 14, 2009
Location: San Diego County
Posts: 795
I used a 45 cal brass brush inserted from the chamber end run it with a hand drill and really gave it a cleaning after that my bolt worked just fine.
__________________
US Navy Retired,NRA Life Member,SASS member, Time magazine's Person of the Year 2006!
TomADC is offline  
Old February 13, 2010, 11:15 PM   #11
Clark500
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 12, 2010
Posts: 168
Thanks for all the responses. The fact that I can get a round to chamber very smoothly if I first manually place the round under the extractor and seat it in the bolt face tells me the extractor is simply not sliding over and catching the cartridge rim. The distance required for the extractor to catch the rim is just enough to keep the bolt from closing. It will close occasionally, but not very often. On the rare occasion that it does, I can feel it snap over the rim just before the bolt closes. This does not feel right to me. I still suspect the extractor, but I will try the chamber cleaning. If my theory has any holes, please let me know.
Clark500 is offline  
Old February 14, 2010, 02:51 PM   #12
SigP6Carry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 27, 2009
Posts: 1,086
yeah, with mine, you still have to drive it home once the extractor starts to push over the rim. It's not unbearable, but it takes a bit of downward force to lock the bolt in. I think that's just the way they are. They're not going to cycle smooth like a Mauser or K-31. They're Mosins, they're some of the roughest guns ever mades.
__________________
-liberal gun nut = exception to the rule-
-1.24274238 miles, because Russians don't need scopes-
-Gun control was the Klan's favorite law, how can you advocate a set of laws designed to allow the denigration of a people?-
SigP6Carry is offline  
Old February 14, 2010, 03:10 PM   #13
Clark500
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 12, 2010
Posts: 168
Thomme, you state that "it takes a bit of downward force to lock the bolt in". Since I am new to this weapon, that is the kind of feedback that I am really interested in. For clarification, I would have difficulty closing the bolt with the weapon at my hip. I seriously doubt I could do it at all with it shouldered. Are we even in the same ballpark? If not, I will continue to search for answers.
Clark500 is offline  
Old February 14, 2010, 03:16 PM   #14
SigP6Carry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 27, 2009
Posts: 1,086
Oh, I can operate my weapon just fine at the shoulder. When I first got mine, though, I could barely work the bolt in any position. A bit of sanding, oiling and an extremely thorough cleaning later, it works a lot better. You gotta remember 2 things when dealing with Mosins: they were built in extremely high quantities in very little time and are very crude and most of them have spent the last 50-60 years in storage covered with cosmoline, which has worked it way into everything single bit and piece of the weapon.

They take some work to make easily functional.
__________________
-liberal gun nut = exception to the rule-
-1.24274238 miles, because Russians don't need scopes-
-Gun control was the Klan's favorite law, how can you advocate a set of laws designed to allow the denigration of a people?-
SigP6Carry is offline  
Old February 14, 2010, 03:34 PM   #15
Clark500
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 12, 2010
Posts: 168
I understand the cosmoline problem, and knowing my luck I will have extraction problems the first time I fire it. However, I need to cross this bridge before I attempt to fire it. The the fact that it easily cycles with a round locked to the bolt face tells me I have a mechanical problem. I may be (and usually am) wrong, but for the life of me I can't see how cosmoline buildup wouldn't stop the bolt closing in both scenarios.
Clark500 is offline  
Old February 14, 2010, 03:44 PM   #16
SigP6Carry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 27, 2009
Posts: 1,086
Ok, here's the deal. The extractor doesn't go over the rim of the rifle until the bolt gets about halfway down. At that point, the bolt is forced forward it's last few MM and the extractor is forced over the rim. In no way can the bolt lock forward without the extractor locking onto the round.

I'm not sure why that would cause your bolt to become so difficult when closing it. But, I know with my own Mosin, when I first got it I had ALOT of trouble closing the bolt on a round, like you. And I cleaned it up, now it's perfectly fine.
__________________
-liberal gun nut = exception to the rule-
-1.24274238 miles, because Russians don't need scopes-
-Gun control was the Klan's favorite law, how can you advocate a set of laws designed to allow the denigration of a people?-
SigP6Carry is offline  
Old February 15, 2010, 08:52 AM   #17
jsmaye
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 18, 2008
Location: Amarillo, Tx
Posts: 616
I had a K98k with the exact same symptoms (so it's not a Mosin-only issue). I disassembled, cleaned, and re-assembled the bolt and it's fine now.
__________________
No matter how big and tough you are, when a two-year-old hands you a toy phone you'll answer it.
jsmaye is offline  
Old February 15, 2010, 06:02 PM   #18
Clark500
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 12, 2010
Posts: 168
Well, I tried it the cleaning suggestion today. Imagine my surprise when the bolt still refused to close. I said a few choice words, smashed my cordless drill against the wall and sat in the corner to cry it off. Then I ate a bag of cookies to console myself. So, today's grand total: 4 hours of my time, a cordless drill, half of my sanity and 4 bucks for a bag of cookies. All that and still no joy. Wait, I can already imagine the next post... "You obviously didn't clean it the RIGHT way. Did you chant COS-MO-LINE, COS-MO-LINE while you were cleaning?" Seriously, if anybody has any suggestions that don't include cleaning, I would love to hear them. Otherwise, I think I'm gonna just order a new extractor.
Clark500 is offline  
Old February 15, 2010, 07:28 PM   #19
SigP6Carry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 27, 2009
Posts: 1,086
Well, that leaves me thinking head space issue, actually. Though I still can't imagine why it would close easily with a round on the bolt face if that's the issue... odd. In anycase. The rate you're going at, when you work through this issue your Mosin will probably be one of the best working Mosins in the country.

I just took a close look at mine and what yours good be doing wrong. And I got no real suggestion. Best I can figure is headspacing... maybe. The extractor going bad doesn't seem like a super common issue with mosins. It's about a $15 piece from "Buy Milsurp" if you want to buy a new extractor.
__________________
-liberal gun nut = exception to the rule-
-1.24274238 miles, because Russians don't need scopes-
-Gun control was the Klan's favorite law, how can you advocate a set of laws designed to allow the denigration of a people?-
SigP6Carry is offline  
Old February 15, 2010, 08:04 PM   #20
Clark500
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 12, 2010
Posts: 168
Tennesse Gun Parts has them for $15 + $2 shipping. I will check the price at BuyMilSurp to compare.
Clark500 is offline  
Old February 15, 2010, 10:11 PM   #21
SigP6Carry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 27, 2009
Posts: 1,086
15 + S&H, 18 if you buy a new bolt head. have you tried chambering a live round, though? Not just a snap cap? Cause, it could just be an issue with the snap caps. I've taken my Mosin COMPLETELY apart tonight trying to figure out what would cause your issue. Did find some nasty-nasty under the buttplate, realized it's counter-bored, got my bolt to work a bit smoother and optimized my firing pin depth. So, I thank you for getting me to work on that.

I never did find a way to replicate the issue you're having. Aside from the fact that my bolt gets tough at the same spot as yours, but mine's still workable. If I would you, I'd give it a try with some actual 7.62x54r casings or live rounds to make sure it's not just the snap-cap.

Also, if you want some info on little improvements to these things. I've got more than a few youtube videos, online guides and tutorials about Mosin improvements. I'm sure, just like me, you want to really bring out your Mosin's potential.

I'd definitely get the headspace checked on that one, if I were you, as well.

A few more questions (cause I'm'a bit of a mosin-phile) for you.
What year is yours? Which receiver and which factory?
How's the bore look in yours?
Matching numbers on all your parts?

Once you figure out how it shoots, make sure to let us know! That's my favorite part. I can do a 1.5" group with mine with a good bench, little wind and a lot of patience. The hardest part is really figuring out the trigger break.

Good luck, and welcome to the wonderful world of the most interesting $100 you'll ever spend.
__________________
-liberal gun nut = exception to the rule-
-1.24274238 miles, because Russians don't need scopes-
-Gun control was the Klan's favorite law, how can you advocate a set of laws designed to allow the denigration of a people?-
SigP6Carry is offline  
Old February 15, 2010, 11:05 PM   #22
Clark500
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 12, 2010
Posts: 168
Everything I've tried has been with live rounds. I've used 2 types in case some had sloppy tolerances on rim thickness - copper washed steel and brass. But as I've said, they all fit perfectly if I manually place them under the extractor, so I don't think that is an issue. All I can come up with is the extractor is bent inward just a bit causing it to just drive into the cartridge base instead of sliding over the rim. Like I said before, it will slide over a round occasionally but not often. I can't eyeball it and tell if it is bent, but that would answer my problem.

You said you had a counterbore. Mine was sold as "no counterbore". How did you check?

Mine is a 1944 Ishezsk round receiver (not laminated). It has all matching stamped #s. The bore looks really good after a thorough cleaning, and the wood is in great shape (obviously been refinished but just a couple of tiny dings).

What do you have?
Clark500 is offline  
Old February 16, 2010, 03:01 AM   #23
SigP6Carry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 27, 2009
Posts: 1,086
42 Izzy, almost identical to yours. Just a counter bored crown. If you google it, you'll see exactly what it means. I'm willing to bet that a lot of Mosins that weren't counterbored have their crowns worn to hell. A few lucky ones get away with a pretty decent looking crown.
__________________
-liberal gun nut = exception to the rule-
-1.24274238 miles, because Russians don't need scopes-
-Gun control was the Klan's favorite law, how can you advocate a set of laws designed to allow the denigration of a people?-
SigP6Carry is offline  
Old February 16, 2010, 08:33 AM   #24
jsmaye
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 18, 2008
Location: Amarillo, Tx
Posts: 616
Quote:
I'm willing to bet that a lot of Mosins that weren't counterbored have their crowns worn to hell.
Weren't those the ones they counterbored?
__________________
No matter how big and tough you are, when a two-year-old hands you a toy phone you'll answer it.
jsmaye is offline  
Old February 16, 2010, 02:10 PM   #25
Clark500
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 12, 2010
Posts: 168
I ordered a new extractor from Buymilsurp today along with a set of Mauser lock screws (you can't just buy ONE thing). I hope that fixes it. I also took a closer look at my muzzle today and mine is definitely not counterbored. I guess only time will tell if that is good or bad. Just a few more feet of snow to melt and I should be able to get to the range and test it. Winter is especially long when you get the itch to bang off a few rounds.
Clark500 is offline  
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:16 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.07070 seconds with 7 queries