Cold day at the range

[miner49r]

I took my son and his friends to the range today and boy was it cold (-22 Celsius with windchill of -29). Of course the boys dressed too lightly for the wind so my truck became the warm-up shack.
1930 MO 91/30 worked great. Everything was awesome, no issues with anything and looks to be pretty accurate.
1931 91/30 was pretty good. I have an issue with rounds not feeding correctly out of the magazine. They feed down into the magazine when working the bolt to chamber a round. Not sure - any suggestions?
1951 SKS was fun although we had 2 slam fires. The firing pin is free floating so I'll need to make sure everything is spotlessly cleaned and try again.
2016 12 gauge was a blast - killed lots of snow since the shotgun range was closed.
Rounds total for today:
60 7.62X54R
150 7.62X39
40 12 gauge target loads
The kids were falling asleep on the way back from the range so I imagine they had a good time!

[Mark AP]

Very nice! Let me know what you find out about the SKS.

[Alsky]

Those smiles say it all. Great picture.

You are a hearty breed for sure. I am afraid that I would get lost & freeze to death on that flat land!

[Sonny]

Looks like you had a great day.

But -22C is a bit cool for me.

[SA1911a1]

We haven't had a frost yet. About five weeks late.

I can say this though; to a Florida boy, that looks like a miserable frozen hell.....

[miner49r]

Yup, damn cold - gotta dress for the weather and hope your extremities don't freeze.
We cleaned the guns and figured out the issue with the 1931 91/30. The floorplate spring is weak and doesn't support the feed ramp properly. A quick look at my MO gun gave me the fix. Bend the spring to create more pressure and it should work fine (hopefully). Before and after pics attached.
The SKS strip down didn't reveal the cause of the slam fires. The firing pin is clean, moves freely and no issues with the carrier. I'm thinking it's a combination of cold weather, maybe excess lube and whatever gremlin is yet to be found. I know there's a fix for the general condition, just need to order the spring...

[Sonny]

I spray the hell out of SKS bolts with G96.

Never had a slam fire but maybe I'm just lucky.

[Mark AP]

I've shot a ton of different SKS rifles and I've never experienced that. I've heard a lot about them doing that. My 1950 SKS rifles both have a spring for the firing pin. The later ones do not. Good luck.

[jimpierce7]

right on!!

[entropy]

I went out Pheasant hunting this morning, but it was a little warmer here, about 20-25 F. I Got two, about to cook pheasant in Bearnaise sauce with Spaetzle.

Looks like the boys had a good time despite being cold.

When I shoot in sub zero temps, I remove all oil, and run them dry for hunting (only a few shots) , or with powdered graphite. A member on another forum suggested anti-freeze; I might try that sometime.

[Rightwinger9]

Mosins and snow go together and remind me of scenes from WWII Russia.

[ScotsShooter]

Cold day at the Range

Hey Miner49r – Greetings from Scotland. In my Mosin 91/30 Sniper rifle, I have a similar problem with rounds nose-diving as you describe with your 1931 91/30, mag spring seems weak and rounds nose-dive into the mag instead of up into the chamber - was your adjustment of bending the spring to create more pressure successful or did the problem persist?
ScotsShooter

[steelbuttplate]

Cold day at the Range

Hey Miner49r – Greetings from Scotland. In my Mosin 91/30 Sniper rifle, I have a similar problem with rounds nose-diving as you describe with your 1931 91/30, mag spring seems weak and rounds nose-dive into the mag instead of up into the chamber - was your adjustment of bending the spring to create more pressure successful or did the problem persist?
ScotsShooter

If you have two Mosins, it's easy to switch the springs and see if that is the problem. If the screw in the bottom leaf is loose, it won't work right.

[ScotsShooter]

Hi steelbuttplate – Thanks for your reply. I have only one MN, but several pals shoot them, so I'll go and try a swop-in of their mag spring. The screw in the bottomplate is A-OK. Cheers.

[qz2026]

I suspect that the extreme temperatures had something to do with the slam fires. It wouldn't take much "goo" to cause this. The firing pin can appear clean but what of the inside of the bolt that the pin travels in? It will be interesting to see if you have the same problem as things begin to warm up in the frigid north. There is always the option to purchase one of the Murray spring loaded firing pins if this problem persists. Some people, also say, that corrosive ammo can be an issue.

[steelbuttplate]

I suspect that the extreme temperatures had something to do with the slam fires. It wouldn't take much "goo" to cause this. The firing pin can appear clean but what of the inside of the bolt that the pin travels in? It will be interesting to see if you have the same problem as things begin to warm up in the frigid north. There is always the option to purchase one of the Murray spring loaded firing pins if this problem persists. Some people, also say, that corrosive ammo can be an issue.

When I get a greasy SKS, I take the bolt out and boil it in water about 10 minutes. You can see the drops of goo coming out of it.

[qz2026]

I suspect that the extreme temperatures had something to do with the slam fires. It wouldn't take much "goo" to cause this. The firing pin can appear clean but what of the inside of the bolt that the pin travels in? It will be interesting to see if you have the same problem as things begin to warm up in the frigid north. There is always the option to purchase one of the Murray spring loaded firing pins if this problem persists. Some people, also say, that corrosive ammo can be an issue.

When I get a greasy SKS, I take the bolt out and boil it in water about 10 minutes. You can see the drops of goo coming out of it.

True and a good idea for any metal that has grease on it. Yet, even doing this and using a grease cutter, I have found that trace grease remains. I have noticed this after I have scrubbed the metal and wipe it dry. My rag picks up additional grease that you cannot see. Of course this is on barrels not on highly polished steel. All I'm saying is that with such cold temperatures along with the tight tolerances between the firing pin and the bolt body, something may give especially as the bolt heats up. Additionally, we really don't know how the OP actually cleaned the bolt. The true test will be shooting the gun in warmer weather. If he continues to get slam fires, I'd first ensure the bolt, inside out, is immaculate and if need be replace the firing pin or spring load it that would ensure the pin isn't proud of the bolt face when the bolt closes.