The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

Just wondering if anyone ever used the gun oil supplied in the tin can that comes with many Mosins?

My can had been pretty much filled with cosmoline. No oil or cleaner.

I haver seen one that had anything in them.

I have a box full of them, nothing but some cosmoline in any of them.

I think I read someplace that the Russians used engine oil cut with gasoline to thin it out some.

According to some forum threads I've read, the oil used was similar to a light grade engine oil. The cleaning solution is apparently still a matter of debate. I have read speculative posts stating soldiers using urine as a cleaner--seems reasonable, but I'm not sure as to the veracity of those statements (I figured i read it on the Internet, so it HAS to be true ).

Urine contains salts, not a good cleaner, what they used it for was to melt the ice off of machine guns and other weapons during a desperate situation in the dead of winter. US forces did it also, I have had first hand accounts of this.

Good point about the salts in urine. I have seen some of those accounts, as well.

The urine as a cleaner was a speculative statement by someone who I suppose incorrectly assumed that the ammonia content was a reactive cleaning agent for the corrosive priming material and not understanding that the material needed to be dissolved by water.

The stink would also linger, after awhile you might become used to it, but probably never grow to love it.

The first M1891's came along at the very tail end of the Black Powder era, it was SOP during that time to use plain boiling water to clean up the fouling, and then to oil up the bores with what was probably a whale based oil. The US army manuals I have from the States War period describe cleaning with plain hot water, change, and the military were not words used together in a sentence much back then. The solvents we know would not have been around in the late 19th century or early 20th. If there were any they would have been expensive, water is what the first Mosins were probably cleaned with, just like the Berdan rifles they replaced.

Civil War troops used Black powder and there is some information saying in despiration they used it (Urine) to free and clean weapons. In the south it was used in despiration to make Salt peter which was used in the manufacture of black powder in small amounts. Much as it obviously does contain salts they do not act like the corrosive ones in gun powder do and actually to a certain amount nuetralize the corrossive salts of the powder but they have other effects that don't help in other areas. If one was really in a pickle I guess it could be used but I sure as heck would not want to handle the weapons much! Just think the next thing that would happen is you are accused of shooting like s--t and maybe smelling that way too! Sorry I couldn't help it as it has been that kind of day. Bill

Junk Yard Dog wrote:Urine contains salts, not a good cleaner, what they used it for was to melt the ice off of machine guns and other weapons during a desperate situation in the dead of winter. US forces did it also, I have had first hand accounts of this.

In the Air Force we would joke: "Every one go piss on the runway - a sea plane is coming in."

One of my bottles is about half full of something that feels like about 80/90 weight gear case oil.

Here is a picture of the oil I poured into a plastic vial:

..

Wow, interesting.

Certainly debunks my theory that the soldiers only used those little cans for vodka.

FuglysaurusRex wrote:Wow, interesting.

Certainly debunks my theory that the soldiers only used those little cans for vodka.

No self respecting Russian would be using such a small flask for his vodka.

That looks like something I would expect to find in the crankcase of a 1930's car that's been sitting 65 years. Nasty, but that would explain why they had to cut it with gas, just think how well it would flow at -20, and the Russian winter can get colder than that.

Junk Yard Dog wrote:I have a box full of them, nothing but some cosmoline in any of them.

Same here...

As we have some guys here who know their chemistry better than I do, too long gone...
What is the percentage of dissolved salts compared to 100% of urine, 2%...5%....10%....or what? The rest is water.....
If you were in El Alamein in Africa , cooking in the sand, having to clean your rifle, would you use the few drops of drinking water or would you recicle your bodily fluids?? And clean up nicely after that....without and with oil?
That is one war theater where this Legend (not to me, we had a family member in Africa and later watching the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan) comes from, there certainly were more.
Nuff said for today...bye