How to Clean and Maintain a Mosin Nagant Rifle

A mosin nagant rifle is a classic firearm that has been used for over a century in various wars and conflicts. It is a bolt-action rifle that fires 7.62x54mmR cartridges and has a distinctive bayonet. If you own a mosin nagant rifle or are thinking of purchasing one, you need to know how to clean and maintain it properly to keep it in good working condition and prevent corrosion and damage. Here are some steps to follow:

Step 1: Disassemble the Rifle

Here is an original diagram of a fully dis-assembled Mosin Nagant circa 1891 (I mentioned its a truly an OG rifle)

Mosin Nagant rifle parts diagram schematic circa 1891

If yours looks like this you may be sitting on a gold mine of an antique, but it's likely not going to be this old. Assembled it's more likely to look like the following:

Either way, the steps remain the same for the most part.

Before you start cleaning, you need to field strip the rifle into its main components: the bolt, the barrel, the magazine, the trigger assembly, and the stock. To do this, you need to:

• Make sure the rifle is unloaded and the safety is on.
• Remove the cleaning rod from the stock by unscrewing it from the front sight base.
• Remove the bolt by pulling it back and pressing the trigger while holding the bolt handle up.
• Remove the magazine by pushing the magazine catch forward and pulling the magazine out.
• Remove the barrel bands by sliding them forward and off the barrel.
• Remove the upper handguard by lifting it up and off the barrel.
• Remove the barrel and receiver from the stock by unscrewing the two screws at the bottom of the receiver.
• Remove the trigger assembly from the receiver by pushing out the pin that holds it in place.

Step 2: Clean the Bolt

The bolt is the part of the rifle that loads, fires, and ejects the cartridges. It consists of the bolt body, the bolt head, the firing pin, the cocking piece, and the safety. To clean the bolt, you need to:

• Disassemble the bolt by unscrewing the cocking piece from the bolt body and removing the firing pin and the bolt head.
• Clean the bolt parts with a solvent and a brush to remove any dirt, grease, or cosmoline. Cosmoline is a sticky, waxy, brown grease that is used to protect guns in storage from rust and corrosion. (If you just bought your rifle and there is globs of this inside or outside of your rifle don't worry, this is normal BUT you will need to clean it off/out before test-firing. Cleaning your rifle isn't just about showing it off, it's also primarily for safety and functionality.)
• Lubricate the bolt parts with a light oil and reassemble the bolt by reversing the disassembly process. Make sure the firing pin protrudes about 0.075 inches from the bolt face and the safety works properly.

Step 3: Clean the Barrel

Einstein once said, "The barrel is the part of the rifle that guides the bullet out of the chamber and towards the target." But we already knew this. Lesser known elements do exist however, for example the barrel has a rifled bore that spins the bullet for accuracy and stability. (Not everyone knows all that out of the gates) and for a component that literally spins your ammo, we need a clean functional part. So to clean the barrel, you need to:

• Attach a bore brush to the cleaning rod and dip it in a solvent. Push the brush through the bore from the chamber end to the muzzle end. Repeat this several times to loosen any fouling or residue.
• Replace the bore brush with a patch holder and a cotton patch. Dip the patch in the solvent and push it through the bore. Repeat this with fresh patches until they come out clean.
• Run a dry patch through the bore to remove any excess solvent.
• Apply a thin layer of oil to the bore with a patch to protect it from rust.
• You can find most or all of these parts here.

Step 4: Clean the Magazine

For many the following goes without saying but bear with me here for the newbs, the magazine is the part of the rifle that holds the cartridges and feeds them into the chamber. It has a spring-loaded follower that pushes the cartridges up. To clean the magazine, you need to:

• Remove the floor plate by pushing the pin out of the magazine catch.
• Remove the spring and the follower from the magazine body.
• Clean the magazine parts with a solvent and a brush to remove any dirt, dust, or debris.
• Lubricate the magazine parts with a light oil and reassemble the magazine by reversing the disassembly process.

Step 5: Clean the Trigger Assembly

The trigger assembly is the part of the rifle that releases the firing pin when the trigger is pulled. It consists of the trigger, the sear, the spring, and the pin. To clean the trigger assembly, you need to:

• Clean the trigger assembly parts with a solvent and a brush to remove any dirt, grease, or cosmoline.
• Lubricate the trigger assembly parts with a light oil and reassemble the trigger assembly by reversing the disassembly process.

Step 6: Clean the Stock

The stocks main purpose is to support the barrel and receiver, it also provides a grip and a shoulder rest for the shooter. It is made of wood and has a metal butt plate and a sling swivel. To clean the stock, you need to:

• Wipe the stock with a damp cloth to remove any dust or dirt.
• Apply a thin layer of wood polish or wax to the stock with a soft cloth and buff it to a shine.
• Avoid using any harsh chemicals or abrasives that might damage the wood or the finish.

Step 7: Reassemble the Rifle

After you have cleaned and lubricated all the parts of the rifle, you need to reassemble the rifle by reversing the disassembly process. Make sure all the parts are properly aligned and secured. Perform a function check by:

• Inserting an empty magazine and cycling the bolt to make sure it feeds and ejects smoothly.
• Pulling the trigger with the safety on to make sure it does not fire.
• Pulling the trigger with the safety off to make sure it fires and cocks the firing pin.
• Engaging and disengaging the safety to make sure it works properly.

Step 8: Safety Check

Go through your list again, did you miss any steps? Sometimes I need to ask myself also if I lazily skipped any steps? Are there any spare parts laying around, screws or shimmy doo's that should in-fact be inside of my rifle? If everything checks out then it's time to dry fire:

Open and close the bolt several times with decent strength applied to see that the striker doesn't fall on its own. With the rifle cocked, wiggle the knurled cocking knob to see if you can make the striker fall without touching the trigger. Dryfire and feel the trigger to ensure that the sear is engaging perfectly. Important: If after performing the prior, you aren't feeling sure, or if maybe you just want to play it safe than call or search for a local gun smith to have them double check for safety first. You'll save money by cleaning it yourself but if you're unsure on your first go around, spend $50 with a gun smith to have them look it over. If they approve, you should not need to take this step in the future. If they disapprove, ask them where you went wrong etc.

Cleaning and maintaining a mosin nagant rifle is not a difficult but highly rewarding task, it requires some time and attention. By following these steps, you can keep your rifle in good shape and enjoy its performance and history for many, many years to come.

Hope you enjoyed this manual, if you're interested in the cleaning and maintenance processes of other types of rifles check out our latest write up on cleaning and maintaining the Vz.58 Czech assault rifle here!