When is a barrell "shot" on a surplus

[tyesai]

I recently aquired to Mosins. The M44 has pitting in the barrell. If I had to guess there is probably 30-60 little craters for every turn of rifling. There is space in between them, maybe 10-15 percent of the barrell totall is corroded, it is hard to describe and I am not sure I could get a pic of it with my digital camera. I hope this makes sense to someone.

The 91/30 I got barrell looks like an old rusted exhaust pipe but the rifling stands out real well.

If I buy a "good condition barrell" to replace them what should I expect. Is the 44 in "good" shape. The only other surp I have is a Yugo 59/66 and there is no noticeable corrosion in the barrell.

I haven't got to shoot them to much because I will be honest. The recoil for me is a little stout. I am going to get a slip on recoil pad and try to get at least 20-30 through each. I did notice that the 91/30 at 50 yards was all over the map the 44 better just left, nothing a sight adjustment won't fix. Finally none of the numbers match on either so a barrell swap shouldn't really affect the "value"

Thanks in advance.

[Rigormootis]

Scrub the living hell out of them with a stainless steel brush and GM-TEC, Eds Red, or other strong carbon & copper cutter (I like 1:2 Kroil / GM-TEC). Then shoot 100 or so rounds through it, then clan again like above (after this initial heavy cleaning, stop using the SS brush though). Then, let sit overnight with some Wipe-out. You might be pleasently surprized. In general, these all have dark bores and some pitting...but I have seen such rifles shoot well as long as the rifling in thm was strong. My guess is that you just have a lot of cleaning to do.

[tyesai]

Thank you, I will give it a try seeing as I only shot the rifles once each. The 91/30 does look like a rusted exhaust pipe turned inside out but the rifling is still very prevelant and stands out. I will try to get pics tommorow and see if they turn out. I am not holding my breath though, but hey you never know. Any other opinions much appreciated.

[tyesai]

Originally posted by Rigormootis
Scrub the living hell out of them with a stainless steel brush and GM-TEC, Eds Red, or other strong carbon & copper cutter (I like 1:2 Kroil / GM-TEC). Then shoot 100 or so rounds through it

Originally posted by tyesai
Oh, yeah, 100 rounds, I am going to need some help from my friends. I would much rather shoot 8 rounds of trap with my 870 than put a 100 rounds through these buggers. Maybe the slip on recoil pad will help.

I'll shoot till I flinch then no more. Give it to a friend or an unsuspecting guy at the range and tell them they aren't a real man till they go through 50 free rounds. Hell I'll load the gun for ya if you want to burn through 50 of 54r. I guess I am a little bit of a sissy, never shot anything like this before, my largest caliber before this was 7.62x39.

How could one refuse? It would be like turning down a free beer. So what if it is The BEAST and a little warm, you better drink it and be happy about it.

[tyesai]

[QUOTE][i]

[Rigormootis]

40-50 shots should work fine too. The bore will look better and better after the first several outings as the use helps clean out the gunk. Do remember that ALL surplus 7.62x54r ammo is corrosive (which is why your bore looks like it does now - be sure that YOU clean it better than its original owners), so you will want to neutralize the corrosive salts asap with some ammonia-based cleaner (Windex with ammonia works well for many). Spray the bore and bolt face, scrib a bit, and then wipe down with several patches of CLP/other anti-corrosion lube. If you use a true CLP (e.g., that actually acts as a Cleaner as well as a Lubricant and Protectant), you will be on your way to loosening up this carbon and such by the time you get your rifles home....yes, I do the windex/initial patching at the range as soon as the barrel gets cool enough to hold bare-handed.

[sharpshooter]

as soon as the barrel gets cool enough to hold bare-handed. Wow! I'd never let ANY of my firearms get that hot. :shocked: When the barrel starts getting uncomfortable to hold, I let it cool off.

[Rigormootis]

LOL...no, I am not rapid-firing my MNs (or really any of my other rifles for that matter).

However, in my experience, even if you shoot 20 rounds (4 loadings) in 2-3 minutes time, your barrel can still get pretty "uncomfortable" to hold on to...esp if you're also sitting in bright sunlight. The goes especially for my 91/30 as its barrel is pretty thin. All I do though is shoot 10-20 rounds, then put it in the rack, grab another, and another....until I get run out of whatever ## of rifles I've brought in said caliber... By the time I get back to the first one, it is cooled and ready to be "up" again. I just wanted to note that you might not want to spray Windex in a hot barrel (one you can't hold) as most of it will evaporate before it does any good.

:beer:

[tyesai]

Originally posted by Rigormootis
Scrub the living hell out of them with a stainless steel brush and GM-TEC, Eds Red, or other strong carbon & copper cutter (I like 1:2 Kroil / GM-TEC). Then shoot 100 or so rounds through it, then clan again like above (after this initial heavy cleaning, stop using the SS brush though). Then, let sit overnight with some Wipe-out. You might be pleasently surprized. In general, these all have dark bores and some pitting...but I have seen such rifles shoot well as long as the rifling in thm was strong. My guess is that you just have a lot of cleaning to do.

Just want to give credit were it is due. Lots of scrubbing and has made it look alot better. I now know what I see as pitting is just crap. Now I just need to get out and shoot some more and repeat. I shot some foaming cleaner down the barrell and then scrubed it out with hopps 9. I had a black goo all over the place, it was truly disgusting. Thanks for the help.

[Rigormootis]

:beer:

[45acp4me]

Originally posted by tyesai
Just want to give credit were it is due. Lots of scrubbing and has made it look alot better. I now know what I see as pitting is just crap. Now I just need to get out and shoot some more and repeat. I shot some foaming cleaner down the barrell and then scrubed it out with hopps 9. I had a black goo all over the place, it was truly disgusting. Thanks for the help.

Cool news! be sure to use a couple different brass brushes because they do wear out.

[tyesai]

Originally posted by 45acp4me
Cool news! be sure to use a couple different brass brushes because they do wear out.

I've noticed that, I have a couple of different cleaning brushes and they aren't nearly as tight as when I started cleaning. I spent about an hour and half scrubbing before I said enough. I did have my 2 year old daughter playing in the sprinkler at the same time and she was getting restless and that had something to do with it.

Would a stainless steel brush work better or am asking for trouble?

[45acp4me]

Originally posted by tyesai
I've noticed that, I have a couple of different cleaning brushes and they aren't nearly as tight as when I started cleaning. I spent about an hour and half scrubbing before I said enough. I did have my 2 year old daughter playing in the sprinkler at the same time and she was getting restless and that had something to do with it.

Would a stainless steel brush work better or am asking for trouble?

I've seen the debate on both sides, it will certainly outlast a brass or copper brush, but it isn't as easy on the barrel. Can it actually damage the barrel? That debate lives on. As for me, I don't think a few passes will hurt anything, but I only use them for bad crud and I usually stick to brass.

[tyesai]

Bad crud is what I have. I guess I will grab one up, go shoot and go to town and see what it does. The brass brushes have worn down alot with just cleaning my 2 Mosins and my SKS.

[MarinePride]

I have some Mosin Nagants and some old Mauser type curio and relic type guns. All of them are reasonably accurate at 100 yards, except for a Yugoslavian M48 8mm Mauser that I have. This rifle has a bore that is very badly pitted and corroded. When I run a patch through it I can feel the patch catching on the pitting.:frown: The accuracy is very bad and this is after mucho scrubbing and shooting. I've given this rifle every chance, but it's not even worth my time anymore at the range. It is possible to neglect a rifle to the point of it not being worth a damn and I wish I didn't buy it via mailorder with my 03 FFL.

[aaronrkelly]

Unless these are "special" rifles I sure as heck wouldnt both rebarreling them.

I have seen Mosins M44s for as little as $85 still in the aresenal wrapping....they were flawless.