Two questions from a relative newbie...

[tide72]

1.) What is the maximum time you would soak barrel and other parts in mineral spirits for cleaning cosmoline?
2.) Is there a problem in using a heart gun on the wood stock for bleeding out the cosmoline?

[WeldonHunter]

1.) What is the maximum time you would soak barrel and other parts in mineral spirits for cleaning cosmoline?
2.) Is there a problem in using a heart gun on the wood stock for bleeding out the cosmoline?

What's on these rifles is grease not cosmoline. It mostly just wipes off. I've never soaked one. I just wipe the heavy stuff off with a rag and use Hoppe's #9 to finish up and then a good gun oil, I use Break Free CLP. Same goes with the stock. No heat. It's not necessary and may damage the shellac. Wipe off the heavy stuff and maybe use some lemon oil (Old English furniture polish) to wipe it down when you're finished . After that I just take a rag with me when I shoot to wipe off anything that sweats out as I shoot. There's no need to remove every bit of the stuff. It's been on there for decades and has protected the rifle all that time.

[professor9]

Simple Green and hot soapy water cleans up the metal parts just fine, and good gun oil to protect the metal. As for the stock, just wiping with a soft dry cloth usually does the job. I did have one stock that I wrapped in newspaper and a trash bag and heat soaked it in my car during the summer. The grease leeched out and was absorbed by the newspaper.
Prof

[Judi and her Mosins]

NO !, never use a heat gun on the stock, you will damage it. Please do not use it. Use a rag and just keep wiping it down. The other members will advise you on other ways. I am sure everyone will say no to using a heat gun. Welcome to the RMNF. Judi and her Mosin's

[Junk Yard Dog]

Miniral spirits will not harm the metal, I am not sure what a heart gun is but a Heat gun can lift the shellac off the wood and ruin the finish. Just wipe the wood down with a soft rag and possibly some lemon oil furniture polish , then leave it be.

[desdem12]

I use rags on the wood and hot water and hoppes on the metal.

[bunkysdad]

I use a heat gun at work from time to time and I am amazed at how hot they can get. Way hotter than a hair drier. I tried a hair drier before and was not comfortable using it. I would not chance it again. As for soaking, once you wipe off the majority of grease, it'll come clean easily enough. Soaking the small parts and screws while you get to them sounds ok. Soaking the barrel and receiver sounds like a waste of too much mineral spirits. I have been most pleased with boiling water on the barrel and receiver out of all the things I have tried. The Weldonhunter method works perfectly.

[gurn]

1.) What is the maximum time you would soak barrel and other parts in mineral spirits for cleaning cosmoline?
2.) Is there a problem in using a heart gun on the wood stock for bleeding out the cosmoline?

What's on these rifles is grease not cosmoline. It mostly just wipes off. I've never soaked one. I just wipe the heavy stuff off with a rag and use Hoppe's #9 to finish up and then a good gun oil, I use Break Free CLP. Same goes with the stock. No heat. It's not necessary and may damage the shellac. Wipe off the heavy stuff and maybe use some lemon oil (Old English furniture polish) to wipe it down when you're finished . After that I just take a rag with me when I shoot to wipe off anything that sweats out as I shoot. There's no need to remove every bit of the stuff. It's been on there for decades and has protected the rifle all that time.

Exactly and I would add that the only areas I completely clean is chamber and barrel so there wont be any gunk obstructions when first shooting and disassemble the bolt and clean all the parts well then oil so there wont be any misfires from gunk being in the firing pin channel. Other than that you are good to go.

[wingspar]

There seems to be as many methods of cleaning the grease off these old guns as there are people replying to these threads. Mineral spirits works great on the metal. I used a hair dryer, not a heat gun, on the wood. It’s a long slow tedious process, but it worked. Did not damage the shellac at all, but I never held the hair dryer in one spot. Kept moving it around in relatively small areas. Every few minutes wipe with a rag.

[vis_ionmas_ter]

1.) What is the maximum time you would soak barrel and other parts in mineral spirits for cleaning cosmoline?
2.) Is there a problem in using a heart gun on the wood stock for bleeding out the cosmoline?

1) About 5-10 minutes, then scrub with a toothbrush and oil
2) Yes....DONT! If youre trying to remove it in the fall/winter...use a hair dryer. But I suggest waiting for spring or ideally summer; then you can set it out in the sun and let the sun "sweat" out the grease

[qz2026]

I used to use mineral spirits but I haven't purchased a new Century in a while. For the metal wipe off the bulk of it, run very hot water over it and spray on some simple green or Purple Power, let sit and watch the grease ooze off, rinse, dry and quench with a light coat of some CLP. Just wipe the stock down inside and out until you can't get any more off on your towel or rag - may take a while and then give it a lemon oil treatment. I don't apply lemon oil to the inside though. Any remaining grease in the pores will sweat off next summer at the range or if you put it outside for mother nature to do her work. Don't every use a hair dryer on the stock. You will damage the finish.

[Cosmoline guy]

I used mineral spirits to clean all of the metal parts along with some brake cleaner. For the wood I wiped it
down several times and then carefully used a hair dryer to sweat a little more out of it. A heat gun is
far too hot and would definitely damage the shellac. I'm glad to see how many people are wise enough
to ask questions before doing anything on their own that may damage the gun. I found a lot of info
on here, 7.62x54r.com and YouTube before I got my Mosin and started tearing it apart.

[WeldonHunter]

I used mineral spirits to clean all of the metal parts along with some brake cleaner. For the wood I wiped it
down several times and then carefully used a hair dryer to sweat a little more out of it. A heat gun is
far too hot and would definitely damage the shellac. I'm glad to see how many people are wise enough
to ask questions before doing anything on their own that may damage the gun. I found a lot of info
on here, 7.62x54r.com and YouTube before I got my Mosin and started tearing it apart.

Brake cleaner as well as other harsh solvents like it are not a good idea with old rifles especially refurbed Russian rifles. Sometimes they painted the parts as a quick fix instead of bluing them and brake cleaner will definitely remove it leaving you with parts that might be slightly blued or even in the white.

[Gunowner99]

Everyone has their own method it seems.