1943 Tula Pu accuracy issues

[Junk Yard Dog]

So what your saying is that when most people are saying cosmoline, it is actually a true grease? Hmm that would be really interesting. Any ideas why the turrets would be full of it?

Could be there as a lubricant, or simply as a preservative, good thing it is grease or you would have one hell of a time getting it out of there.

[skyhawk72]

It was a flat washer that I was needing, I havent shot it yet but will be at the range on Sunday to see what happens.

[neorebel]

The Russians only used grease. Cheap and easy to find. Typically Russian.

I on the other hand I took M1917's out of COSMOLINE in the 80's for our honor gaurd at my American Legion Post.......that stuff is tough not anything like I have taken off these Russian rifles believe me you would know the difference after one rifle.....I did 8 rifles...never again..

One of the WWII vets said they used to soak them in gasoline to get the cosmoline off.....scary! I used carb cleaner and easy off to finish them and lots of rags!!!

[Junk Yard Dog]

Diesel fuel gets it done, you still in charge of the honor guard rifles? Make sure to scrub the bores after the blanks are fired, that rifle might end up in private hands one day and the collector will be grateful

[polymerase2]

I read they boiled water in 55 gallon drums to get the cosmo off Garands in WWII. The stocks were not boiled of course.

[Junk Yard Dog]

The boiling water heats the metal and that allows the cosmoline to run off, it does not otherwise dissolve in water, Most GI's I know recall using gas to get the stuff off, working outside of course. The gas back then in 1940 would have had a 60 something octane rating, not quite the bang our stuff has today, but still you didn't want to be near flame

[neorebel]

Diesel fuel gets it done, you still in charge of the honor guard rifles? Make sure to scrub the bores after the blanks are fired, that rifle might end up in private hands one day and the collector will be grateful

Yep that's why I was taking out of cosmo....they didn't clean the weapons and the barrel were corroded beyound belief.....too bad....I have a nice 1918 Winchester M1917 all matching of course...that was the nice thing about M1917's there were more used in WW1 than 1903's but they almost always were all matching when I picked mine up in the 90's. Gotta love it.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Typical of the VFW 1917's, I might hypothetically know something about one in particular that required days of scrubbing and had minor snow inside the bore, but it had been out of use since the 1950's. The rifle belongs to....someone