Hello all, RON L here - SERE SURPLUS
This Instalment of D.I.Y. will cover methods and thechiques for Cleaning Grease, Oil and Cosmoline and grease out of Military Surplus weapons!!
Cool, Now ya just got back from the gun show or a Private buy and you have a "Brand New" Old Surplus Rifle, it was a smoking deal as the guy tossed in a sling, a bayonete and even some ammo!!! Cool, lets GO SHOOTING?
?? WRONG!!! Ya need to do a few things that will make your first shooting experience with the "Old War Horse", a pleasurable experieance and not a wasted outing filled with cussing and lost shooting time!
ITEMS YOU WILL NEED OR WANT TO HAVE:
1. Clear or dark Lawn and leaf Trash bags if not, what ever bags ya use, have a lot of them.
2. Rubber Latex or some Kitchen Dishwashing Gloves/Thin Cotton work gloves they are cheap 1-3$ for a few pairs and ya can wash then and re-use them after!!
3. Buckets of Hot Boiling water we need those only after the Solar method, so don't boil it now, I use galoning of it!
4. Pile of Rags store bought or last years fasions that no longer fit or work are fine, LOL
5. Various Paint and Wire Brushes, use the ones that ya would toss as this is gonna get messy and nasty
6. Mineral Spirits Terpintine, White gas and yes Unleaded gasoline - FLAMABLE WARNING, lets remember to use our heads? Thats part of the reason for outsude work here? VENTELATION< even if ya don't use the chemicals the cosmoline will stink bad enough to wanna not do this inside!!!!
7. Pile of Old newspapres ask your neighbor if ya have none or check the Post office Trash cans they will be more than Happy to let ya pile them out out of thoier trash if ya ask first? Sale circulars work great and are 1-4 sheets and I like how they lay out anyhow!
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1. First, Lets remember why these rifles remain a good Buy, $ wise? They are old, they are suprlus, they were removed from active service years ago and were stored, some were stored well, others not, MOST were PREPARED for STORAGE with HEAVY GREASE or EVEN COSMOLINE, you knopw the Yukky Brown Goop all over the action, the stock that stunk like crap and mad a real mess of your hands when you examined your "PRIZE"?
2. As these are Surplused weapns they might or might not be in shootable condition, so, as well as cleaning and maintenance lets do some Inspection and safety checks first, OK?
3. Lets all Remember that this a DIRTY, PROSPECT, HUsbands DO NOT DO THIS ON THE KITCHEN TABLE OR LIVING AREA, TRUST me, you will live better following that "ADVICE"? LOL
4. What do we need to do all this??? At times I've felt a Blow Torch and Nuclear reacton will be the best tools for the Job, but the truth is a health Dose of common sence, a lot of Newspappers and Trash bags, Rags and various brushes will help a lot! I like to use Clear Trash bags to see the progress as I continue but the thurth is any Plastic thick trash bag will do! Rags can be store bought or Rags ya get from the Auto parts store or last dseasons T-shirt that just had too many rips and tears to wear again?
5. Hows it done?
a. First, do this all outside, or in a Garage or non-Living area , if at all possible! Home harmany is at risk here and all involved need to remembere that?
b. Lets get it out of the Box or Bag or crate or what ever it came in, lay out a ton of newpapers or suitable drop cloths and cover the table, bench log or what ever you have chozen to do your 'WORK" on!
6. Like in Child Birth, use lot of Hot boiling water and Preferblly pots, Pans or stuff ya don't plan on eating out of ever again! Again Male warning, Use of CURRENT USE POTS and PANS wil get ya tossed out of the bedroom and a severe SCOLDING??? (TRUST ME- DON'T ASK)
7. I like to wear latex or Blue Rubber gloves or Dish washing Gloves to handle the greased up uncleaned weapon! I know some prefer thin cotton gloves ya see for 4 for a few $? No mtter what, cover your hands as it's gonna get messy!
8. I like to use Hot Water to try and remove a lot of Grease and Cosmoline from small parts (hence the Hot Boiling Water), But how about a way to let the Sun do a lot of that for ya and you don't even have to be involved till it's done it's work??? (Thought you'd be interested?)
OK,- Lets cover the "SOLAR METHOD", First of al,this is a firearms, something that you paid $ for, have signed your name on, or gotten a bill of sale, so lets not leave it in the back yard witnthe kids, OK? I like to Try and Remove the action from the Wood if possible, but ya know whey, why bother? it's all gonna get sloppy and messy anyhow, so lets just do it all at once OK? I lie to use a Clear Platic Bag, preferply a Lawn ands leaf bag, but thats your option to what ya have and what ya use at home for trash needs now? I like to use a Long bag where 1 bag can cover the majority of the action and wood, but if you need to wrap it in 2-100000 Go for it? Now what?
Stict it out in an area that is IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT and IN OBSERVATION, a Safe Area one can't just walk in off the street and walk off with it, shall we?
Now, Be patient I know it's tought, you wanna get on with it and get shooting but Give it some time, I find a Hot summer mid-morning a great time to start? NO PEEKING? As this is acting as a "SOLAR OVEN" any frequent opening and Observation of the Grease pile will slow your end result! I've seen a Hot day take 1-3 Hours and you will know when it's doing it's work! How??? Use your Nose!! Cosmoline is a heavy Preservative grease and made to store weapons over decades, it will take a while to get it all off and out of your weapon, but before we cuss it like the plague, remember thats why the gun is still with us and now in your Greasy hands? LOL
Once you smell the Petrolium smell and Open the bag (Please wait a few hours on a Bright and sunny day), see the Leaving Fluids and residual grease, oil and dirt running out of the action! WAMMO, your on your way to a de-greased gun that you won't be ashamed to put againt your face?
Can ya do this with other methods, SURE, you can, but man, try this first, OK? You will thank me later if ya do? The same result can get done with Long Troughs and boiling hot water with the Gun in the water submerged and boiled for hours, it's Slow, Messy, a Pain in the Rump and cost ya $ for all the gear to do it TRUST ME, TRY SOLAR METHOD first, you will be amazed at how much work your saved?
If the Gun is sweating grease and opil and al is runing off in the bag, you can start to look to see how well things are going? Go back to the table, Logs or tarp or what ever your goijg to lay it all out on (NOT THE KITCHEN TABLES FOLKS) Lets get out a small mountain of rags and see whats we can see? Whats next, ESY,. Remove the Gun from the bags and Let it drain all out as much as possible into the bags! Then use copious amounts of Rags and se how much of the Grease, poil and Gunk will simply wipe off? *********************(CAUTION NOTE)******************** If you've even been burned with Hot Grease or oil, take care not to do that here? From the Sun ya ask, YUP< it gets to Boiling hot if all is working right so maybe time to slip a Pair of thoise thin cotton gloves over the Rubber gloves ya have on now, OK? Keep rubbing at it and if ya can, remove the stock from the action parts, if the Sun has done it's work it will be a oily liquid mes that wipes off easily but will cool quickly so don't dawdle, OK? If the stuff is coming off and you can start to see metal and wood under the thick layers of Grease and oil, your getting somewhere, if not, and it's still hard, Tacky and not coming off with out use of a Cold Chizel and or chain saw STOP, Lets go back in and Bag and see if the Suns still Shihing hot and heavy? If so, back inthe bag for a few hours, if an Over cast day, stop here and revert to hot water cleaning emthod or wait another sunny da6y we all seem to see a lot of of late?
If it is working and the gunk and oil and grease are coming off, Boil a Large pot of Boiling water and Let it cool to hand touchable temperature! Use Hot water and I like to add a Lot of Dishwashihng Liquid to the Mess and soap it all up and scrup it all off as best it will come off, NO SOS OR STEEL WOOL Pads, that can be tempring but we are trying to clean,NOT RUIN the finsih or wood, TRUST ME FOLKS, use a Lot of Hot Water and as Hot as you can touch and it will get ya the same result! If small parts can be removed like the Bolt out of a Bolt action guy or a Trigger mechanim like on an SKS Pull that sucker out and If Possible Dunk in Buckets of hot near bolihng water, Please know how to dis-assemble and re-assemble all that before ya start and ask if you have questions I can send ya diagrams and instructions on most firearms!
If the Hot water and Solar Method is working keep at it, this need not be all done in 1 day or 1 week, take your time the More grease and oil ya memove from the action the better you will like it, we will cover how to re-apply oil and grease to action parts for normal operation as this unit goes on!
SUCESS the parts are Visable to the Human eye and a lot of oily crap is floating in the how water or in the Trash bags that ya used as a "SOLAR OVER"?
OK, If you really want it clean and really want it de-gunged the longer parts I have boiled in Long strips of rain gutter that I crimped together at the ends and Boiled over Coleman stoves and or done the same with the smaller items like Boilts, Trugger assemblys, gas Pistons and other parts,m boil will the grease and oil is liquid and will whipe off easily, Again More and More Rags and Clean newspapers! Use the Old Bags that you used for the Solar Over to toss the Oily rags, old newspapers and be aware that these are flamable and need to be disposed of carefully!
OK, what if they are not as clear or clean of grease and the Boiling methoind isn't doing he job? Time to Break out the chemicals and yea, once again, do all that in the open and a well ventelated area! I like to use Dishwashing Liquid and hot water but Oven Cleaner works as well and I've seen some folks use Carborator cleaner, as well as Brake cleaner but be sure the plastics that you have are far away as Brake cleaner and Carborator cleaner will melt them! I like to use old Oven Pans and trays to spray the parts and leave in the Hot sun! Most times the Grease and oil run off and then can be removed! Wipe them off as that works!
Once the Grease and Oil is removed, lay all the parts of the weapon and out and do a quick and easy visual inspection! I like to remove all the grease and oil, then as the parts are visable look for wear and tear in the bolt Bodies, scrub the Bore clear and inspect the lands and groves! Some mild pitting and or dark staining is common and often doesn't effect the great accuracyt potential of these old weapons! Make sure to cyle the weapon, bolt or Semi or what ever sort of actioin it has, try and engage thge safty and then remove it, how does the trigger feel, does the safty operate? Look for length and if interested usse an old fishing scale and measure the trigger pull with a string and spring scale used to weigh fish, most comon bolt designs usually have a trigger pull upo to and past 12 pounds, once it's clean and all that, if your up to stoning the trigger parts then you have an oppertunity to lessen that weight! First Priority should be safty! makes sure it feels right, Cocks and fires each time, safty works 100%, if not, stop and take it to a gunsmith or other gun knowledgabe person, not yourself as your too close to the "problem"
I recomend the First times ya shoot one of these beast, that you sand bag or Rifle rest the weapon and remote fire it with string or cable, as an old action is a question mark till Proven? I wear a scar on my neck from am old Mauser action that wasn't quite safe to shoot and I found out the hard way! LOL
Next make sure the ammo ya have is corect for that weapon and if unable to read the caliber markings on the barrel have a smith Creo cast the chamber or evaluate the caliber before you try and shoot it? OK, if it says 308, is that 308 Winchester, or 308 Nato, 308 Spanish? Yea, thier are differences! be sure to know what your shooting and that what ya have fits the weapons your trying to prove out?
I will again, try and add Pics of what items I use, how I lay it all out and what it looks like and I will be using a Modern Egyptian AK design!
Future Posts will Cover how to Fully clean and remove Salt Primer or Corrisive Powder residue from the action, bore and parts of a Mil-Surplus rifle, Corrosive ammo is common in 8MM, 3006, some 308 Winchester/&.72X39 and 7.62X54R, even some old pistol ammo like 38 S &W, 9MM Luger and even some 45ACP can be corrosive! Knowing how to clean all that out and make your weapon last is a necessary skill we all need to know, moden Solvents Like Hopes #9 and sweets are fine cleaners and for modern ammo works fine, but old Corrisive powder and Primes, NO WAY!
RON
I'm free to anwser any and all questions ya might have, I will help with the How to and when to do items? I don't pretend to have all the anwsers, but i do know a little and am glad to help as I can?
