Cosmo cleaning!

[A 7.62 Exodus]

Alright, I searched, and couldn't find anything, even though i KNOW there are threads on this. Cleaning off my new mosin (pics to follow) Do you guys clean out the trigger mechanism? It looks REALLY difficult to get to. If so, how do you do so? How to do guys clean out the box magazine?

Lastly, I've heard boiling water down the bore does wonders, is this true?

Thanks a ton guys!!

 

[Mosinguy]

I use boiling water or mineral spirits to clean the metal. If something is too far down to get with your finger use a Q-Tip.

 

[flhultra]

carburetor cleaner on everything , have done many sks this way and it works great.

 

[j4jenk]

First thing you want to do is separate all the wood from the metal. Snapring pliers work well to open the barrel bands. Then you want to heat the wood to sweet out the cosmo. Black trash bag in a locked car works well. I soak all the metal in the purple power degreaser, which is only $5 at Walmart, using a plugged piece of 4inch PVC pipe. The barreled action drops right in.

 

[StreetStrip01]

I just drive to Greenwood....

 

[fro65]

If you have access to a parts washer/solvent tank like at an auto repair shop, you are on easy street. My second method is using a shallow Rubbermaid tote (about 1 foot by 3 feet) filled with mineral spirits. Just let it soak a couple of days and most cosmo will come off with little effort. When done, just snap the lid on the tote and save for the next one. My current batch has cleaned about ten rifles and it still works fine even though it now has the color of coffee. If I plan to refinish the stock, I let it soak too. Then, I let it dry off a couple of days and use the garbage bag method mentioned above to 'cook' out any remaining cosmo.

 

[KoopaKGB]

Do you guys clean out the trigger mechanism? It looks REALLY difficult to get to. If so, how do you do so? How to do guys clean out the box magazine?

Lastly, I've heard boiling water down the bore does wonders, is this true?

Yes to boiling water, and then to answer your other questions, a toothbrush (preferably with a smaller head) and hot soapy water is all you need. The water should be as hot as you can stand, (or use gloves to protect your hands) You can use dish soap which I prefer because its relatively gentle, or your favorite degreaser. I've also used old leftover gasoline from my lawn mower outdoors and a toothbrush as a cheap solvant. Whatever you do, ensure immediately after you're finished cleaning and dry off the parts, you need to apply your favorite gun oil/lubricant to protect the metal from rust. If you can't clean it out with either a toothbrush, q-tip, or hot running water then the next step up would be to blast it out with air compressor, but generally lesser means would get the gunk cleaned out.

 

[aka-kesler]

Hair dryer!!! And some paper put down... Aways used this trick works great

 

[Ruffnek]

I use WD40 to take cosmoline right off,the spray straw helps with the mechanism and magazine.

 

[Cerberus]

Purple power degreaser works wonders. It also works very well on wood stocks but will strip all the original finish off, so keep that in mind if you don't want to remove the original finish. I use this when refinishing GI stocks, and wish to retain all stock stamps.

 

[BigWagon]

I've always had good results with boiling water and a tooth brush. Just make sure to oil everything well afterwards.

 

[boozoo]

All of those pieces come apart pretty easy. I had my T53 cleaned in about an hour last night.

Wiped the heavy stuff off off first, then q-tips, pipe cleaners, and rags/paper towels are your friends. I happened to have a can of Rem Oil on hand that works just fine.

The hard part is if your stock is soaked with it.... you need to cook that stuff out of the wood or it will keep weeping long after you thought you had it clean. I made a little cooker a while back, but others have tossed them in a trashbag and left them out in the sun. Could probably also use a heat gun as long as you don't get it so hot as to burn it.

1,000 ways to do it...