Maintaining Military Bolt Action Rifles

Many bolt action rifles have crossed my bench over the years. The first rifle I repaired was a Mosin-Nagant rifle. I was dismayed when I fired the rifle and the cartridge would not eject. To my fourteen year old mind, the rifle was worthless. The problem was that the extractor was broken. At the time, parts were a bit difficult to find in my area but I was able to purchase an entire bolt assembly and get the rifle up and running. Since then I have encountered quite a few military rifles.

Despite the millions manufactured I have not seen a constant flood. Most are well made of good material and work as designed with minimal maintenance. Others would benefit from more care than the users are willing to give, a situation common with many firearms. Many military bolt action rifles that have been in service for over Shooter’s Choice solvent has performed well. one hundred years. Even World War Two rifles are nearing eighty years of service.

Many enjoy firing Yugo and Ishapore rifles with more than fifty years of service. It is in our interest that these rifles are maintained and kept shooting properly. There are things we should and should not do. As an example, I have noted that shooters will modify the trigger action attempting to get a better trigger press along with other modifications, yet they clean the rifle improperly. This may lead to degrading the rifle’s accuracy over time.

We all want the rifle to keep shooting and last even longer than it already has. This means parts replacement occasionally and particularly means cleaning the fouling left by firing regularly. Accuracy and smooth operation is the goal of recreational shooting. And these rifles were built to last. I am aware of more than a few shooters that hunt with their Lee- Enfield, Mauser, and Springfield rifles. I know at least one Lee-Enfield No. 5 carbine is in use with a shooter as his emergency and truck rifle.

These rifles will not let you down if you do your part. The first thing we need do is to learn the manual of arms. Learn to properly load, fire, and cycle the rifle. Next up is learning how to disassemble the rifle. There are small parts that demand care. For example, the screw holding the front sight shroud on the Lee-Enfield seldom works loose and may have taken a set, demanding a soaking before being able to disassemble the rifle. Another concern

Above center: Note small screws in the front sight shroud. They may be stuck and are easy to damage. Be extra careful working something like this! is removing bolts from the action. The Mauser/Springfield type is easily removed and the field strip sequence to replace an extractor or firing pin spring is easy enough. The Lee-Enfield fits the raceway a little differently. Headspace is a concern and all rifles should be checked for proper headspace.

Headspace is simply the difference between the front of the bolt and the back of the barrel. This is the space where the cartridge case rim fits when the rifle is loaded. One reason military cartridge primers were crimped in place versus the usual civilian pressure fit is to prevent tying up a gun with excess headspace as this would allow the primer to back out. Brass stretches quite a bit with the Lee- Enfield rifle being a prime example. Below center: When you clean, do so closely.

Note powder in this rifle’s extractor groove. Be certain it is tight before firing. It wasn’t intended to be used with reloaded cartridges. As the piece fires the forward neck expands and fits into the chamber tightly. The solid case head moves to the rear slightly, sealing the primer and backing against the bolt head. With Mauser rifles check to be certain the rifle you are using is the caliber and chambering you think it is.

Quite a few military bolt action rifles have been converted to .308 Winchester and a host of other cartridges. Some are not properly re-marked. The result is often a rifle of questionable safety and almost universally poor accuracy. The French MAS rifle, as an example, is ruined by this conversion in my opinion. I have fired several MAS rifles converted to .308 Winchester. One fired an eight inch group at 50 yards, another was even worse!

On another occasion a particularly dangerous find was a Mauser 98 with a stock marked 7.62. At first glance it appeared to be one of the many Israeli Mauser rifles converted to 7.62 NATO. Everything looked right but when checking the headspace the rifle was still an original 8mm Mauser. I do not know how the Israeli stock ended up on an original rifle. This illustrates that a little knowledge can be dangerous. I have enough knowledge to be certain that the Mauser chambering was known beyond any question before use.

The rifle was also restocked. Learning to remove the bolt properly and to disassemble and clean the assembly is important. Debris, powder ash, and old lubricant must be removed from time to time. Disassembly is important and must be undertaken with care and respect for the mechanism. We know that a tight rifle with all of the furniture secure is more accurate, yet I have seen shooters and retailers field strip the rifle and then pry handguards and stocks away from the action.

Even though wood swells and changes form over time,

never pry a stock loose. Instead, remove the wood by tapping on the side of the stock, perhaps with a wooden mallet, and then the handguard, forend, and stock to get it to move. To avoid trouble and to keep things clean and operating, learn the location of the sear and how the trigger action works. I would avoid any type of modification to the trigger action. The dual bumps on the trigger that give the rifle its Most function problems spring from the bolt. Bottom: The sear usually directly contacts the bolt.

This contact may be polished for a smoother let off. But be careful! for military rifles. There is no need to modify an original action; it isn’t very wise, particularly if the rifle is used for hunting or any type of use other than target practice. For more information on disassembly, my book Commando Gunsmithing (Amzn.to/2Xumqv W) provides more tips in detail. Some rifles require tools for detail strip. Be careful as screws that have been two stage operation might be polished but only lightly.

The engagement of the Lee- Enfield sear to the bolt may be polished. Today we have the excellent Huber trigger from Huber Concepts (HuberConcepts.com, American Gunsmith Reader Services 1.

in place for many years simply do not like to come lose and overnight soaking in a penetrating oil may be needed. In my lifetime I have seen a big change in cleaning. While the procedure is similar modern cleaning is tuned toward the use of chemicals while it was once pure elbow grease. The problem is that copper jacket material is left in the barrel upon firing and hot powder gases burn the copper into the bore. Powder fouling also builds up.

If you use corrosive Bottom: Brownells offers special tools for bolt action rifles. primed ammunition—and the supply seems endless—then you need to add cleaning with window cleaner or even pure ammonia to the mix. The rifle’s bore and the bolt as well should be cleaned thoroughly after use with corrosive primed ammunition. Corrosive priming compounds area strong attractant for moisture. Normal build up in the bore may destroy accuracy potential over time and also may instigate corrosion.

I use a superior bore cleaner originally developed for bench rest compet it ion: Shooter’s Choice MC #7 (Shooters-Choice.com, This compound creates a chemical reaction that attacks build up and changes it to a sludge that is more easily removed from the barrel. A quick check of bore solvent effectiveness is to place a small amount on a common penny. Give it a few moments to begin to attack the copper and the best solvents become obvious. Always clean from the chamber end, never from the muzzle end.

I use a solid, one-piece rod for most work, although I also have a sectioned rod cleaning kit primarily for different barrel lengths. A rigid and strong rod is good. I use a jag-type cleaning tip with a square inch of cotton patch for 7mm-8mm rifles. This covers the common calibers. The bore brush should be bronze. It is obvious that if you use a copper brush the chemicals intended to remove copper from the bore will eventually eat into a copper bore brush.

While we protect the barrel crown when cleaning we also must protect the chamber throat. Be careful when cleaning from the chamber. A damaged throat may have a detrimental effect on accuracy just as a damaged barrel crown may. Remember, while cleaning is a chore few of us enjoy it must be performed and done correctly. It is a good idea to clean the rifle as soon as you return from the range. Carbon deposits are relatively soft when fresh.

After they have taken a set you will find that they are more difficult to remove. Military bolt action rifles area joy to fire, use, and collect. With minimal maintenance done correctly, they will give you many years of shooting pleasure. AG