I love the smell of cosmoline in the morning

MadDaddy

MadDaddy

Joined
Apr 8, 2005
Messages
1,440
ahh, that new old gun smell :) just picked up a Russian SKS c.1954 yesterday and got her all cleaned up and ready to shoot. I'm not much for the abused wood look, so I put a black composite stock on it and an AK style muzzle brake. Hopefully I will be able to put some rounds down raonge after work today, and maybe get some pics to post as well. This is my first time shooting 7.62 so I am excited :D the guy at the store gave me a few boxes of Sapsan ammo for free. I never heard of this stuff but it looks just like Wolf/Russian surplus, so my guess is that it is re-boxed surplus.
 
Good to hear from another SKS owner! I picked up a Yugo 59/66 a few months ago.

I don't mean to lecture, but if this is your first SKS, be sure to fully disassemble your firing pin block and clean all the cosmo out with solvent. Make sure the firing pin is not stuck in the channel--there's nothing like a string of slamfires to wake you up at the range :eek:

Also, check out this site for some friendly folks:
http://www.sksboards.com/forum/


Give us a range report when you can!
 
Thanks for the links guys :) I will be shooting it in about...3 hours..woohoo :D

Summerland, I took the whole damn thing apart lastnight and got everything squeeky clean and free moving and licely lubricated, I was up till almost midnight. I read about slam-fires and made sure that the firing pin is free moving when the bolt is shaken back and forth. I also read about a nice looking "spring returned" firing pin relacement and will probably look into it.
 
;)
MadDaddy said:
Thanks for the links guys :) I will be shooting it in about...3 hours..woohoo :D

Summerland, I took the whole damn thing apart lastnight and got everything squeeky clean and free moving and licely lubricated, I was up till almost midnight. I read about slam-fires and made sure that the firing pin is free moving when the bolt is shaken back and forth. I also read about a nice looking "spring returned" firing pin relacement and will probably look into it.
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You have a very good weapon.I have an Albanian which is islightly different but same basics. I find that it is slightly lighter than the M-1 Garand and has about 1/2 the kick. First firing at about 50 yards I had several groups in and at the 4 o'clock of the bullseye. I need to adjust the sight & take it out again. My favorite is my Ruger .223 ranch carbine but wanted a rifle that has more stopping power. Some men scope theirs but I figure if I need a scope,it don't need killing.
All Eastern-bloc models are really becoming plentiful in central Florida. Flea markets usually have several & now you can by an average fair-wear & tear SKS at gun shops for around $ 139.00.
Enjoy yours & practice gun safety. We do get careless at tmes.

Uncle [ love to smell gunpowder ] Alan
 
Well, I didn't get out to the range (in-laws property) the other day :( but hopefully I may get about an hour free time to go tonight, this weekend is going to be busy, so if not tonight then it won't be until next week some time. So cross your fingers for me ;)

Uncle Alan, you have a M1 Garand, I'm jelous. I was thinking about maybe getting the scout scope mount with a red-dot scope for it after a while, but I want to get proficient with it useing the iron sights first. I looked up some info and found out mine was made at the Tula Russia armory, the receiver cover has the arrow/star stamp dated 1954.
 
;) Nope , no M-1 but remember the kick & weight.

Big dummy was asked to join the NRA right after my Korean war enlistment was up. At the time I was glad to be away from guns. U.S. milsurp weapons were offered to members super, SUPER cheap. Carbines were six or seven dollars & M-1's were ten bucks ! Fortunately or unfortunately I had started collecting coins in the early 40's & went back to it. Now I have [ in Wachovia banks safety deposit box ] about $10,000 at dealer level. Man,if I'd have bought guns dollar for dollar I'm sure I'd have most of a semi-load worth about 2 or 3 hundred K.

The M-1 if I had one is a bit heavy for an old man . I saw one in a gun shop recently that looked it had rested in a urinal for months & then was used to drive stakes. Only wanted $800 & someone will buy it.

Today I joined that SKS survival forum that some kind soul told you about.

Uncle Alan
 
Love my SKS, I got it "new" surplus with a milled receiver back when I lived in GA for about $90 (12+ years ago).

BTW the best product I've found for getting rid of all that cosmoline is Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber.
 
uncle Alan said:
U.S. milsurp weapons were offered to members super, SUPER cheap. Carbines were six or seven dollars & M-1's were ten bucks !
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:eek: Carbines 6-7 bucks and Garand's for 10..OMG (passes out with a thud)
 
I well remember the days (prior to the 1968 federal firearms act) when one could buy all manner of nice surplus weapons for next to nothing. Of course, that came to a grinding halt after Oswald bought his Carcano mail-order....

Used to be several firms who advertised in major gun magazines where you could buy matching-serial-number Lugers in excellent condition for as little as 35.00.
Of course, you could buy Swedish 20mm cannon too... Ammo (ball only!) was about a buck a round.
 
DB1 said:
Love my SKS, I got it "new" surplus with a milled receiver back when I lived in GA for about $90 (12+ years ago).

BTW the best product I've found for getting rid of all that cosmoline is Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber.
Click to expand...


We were issued WWII leftover weapons at the onset of the Korean war. At basic camp in January '51 & they were heavily cosmolined. We were told to clean them with no further instructions . What a bitch ! I finally used the laundry tub, GI lye soap & gallons of the hottest water I could coax out of those rusty pipes. Folks,they gave us them Saturday afternoon & come Monday morning only a very few passed inspection. much later we discovered motor pool gasoline & a metal tub made it about an hours work. It was a courtmartial offense but we really didn't care. It works great but as they say on T/V ,don't try this at home.
A friendly garage's parts washer should do better because of the running flush liquid.

Gosh, I can still remember that stinking stuff !

;) Uncle Alan :)
 
Go to www.surplusrifle.com for an excellent article about removing cosmoline and such. There are also dowloadable videos and .pdfs on disassembly and cleaning of many surplus rifles. I can't recommend the site too much.

--Mike L.
 
Geez all this talk about SKS's... :( I miss mine...
From the post times on here I imagine your probably having a ball shooting that little gem right about now.
Was gonna say watch out on some of that surplus pinko-bloc ammo ! The bulk of what I have fired was good but every few hundred rounds there was a dud or what my Dad calls "poppers" (only enough powder ignites to shove the bullet halfway up there barrel).
Hopefully your ammo runs smooth.
Curious , how much are 30 rounder's going for where you folks live ? and are they even still available ? I used to buy em for 5-10 bucks a pop , before the ban , about 25 a pop , now of course you cant buy em here in the Republik anymore.
sigh...
 
rebeltf said:
Curious , how much are 30 rounder's going for where you folks live ? and are they even still available ? I used to buy em for 5-10 bucks a pop , before the ban , about 25 a pop , now of course you cant buy em here in the Republik anymore.
sigh...
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15 is the limit in NJ
 
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