Polish M44 surface rust Update post #36 put back together

[Bobby Ricigliano]

On top of the great suggestions above, I suggest a tarring and feathering of whoever neglected that lovely Polish M44, which is a jewel among Mosins. When I received my Polish M44 in the mail, it was outwardly exquisite and all matching, but the bore was badly neglected.

Thankfully, the Poles 'Future Idiot-Proofed" their barrels and I was able to elbow grease it back to a near perfect state with just a hint of frost that could not be removed.

[huntingsocal]

Rust and pitting are not original finishes, so there is no need to preserve them.

That right there sir is an excellent point

Thankfully, the Poles 'Future Idiot-Proofed" their barrels and I was able to elbow grease it back to a near perfect state with just a hint of frost that could not be removed.

I'm hoping I can do the same with this bolt

[huntingsocal]

I think this is as far as I'll go on the bolt for now . There are some other areas on the rifle that I'll tackle next which I'll probably need some advice on as they are on blued surfaces.

I was surprised how much pitting there was in some areas from what looked like "surface rust." What I mean is, some of the areas that looked like the rust was worse, actually wasn't that bad and some of the areas that I didn't think were that bad actually had the deepest pitting.

Here was my bag of tricks thanks to the many suggestions here and on gunboards.



I went in stages with the pad first, then brush then wool. I tried to follow the "grain" of the machining marks to keep the finish as original looking as possible and tried not to get too heavy handed.

All in all I think it is turning out pretty good. It looks better than rust anyway. A big thank you to everyone who chimed in with advice and suggestions.

[Milsurp Collector]

Looks much better.

You might want to work a little more on that one pit on the safety knob near the 17 stamp.

[emcon5]

Well done sir.

[huntingsocal]

Thanks guys

I agree Milsurp, that is the deepest one. I was thinking that one might benefit from some sort of chemical like evapo rust or something like that. Feels like I'd have to grind a lot of metal away to make a dent on that one.

Your thoughts?

[Milsurp Collector]

Thanks guys

I agree Milsurp, that is the deepest one. I was thinking that one might benefit from some sort of chemical like evapo rust or something like that. Feels like I'd have to grind a lot of metal away to make a dent on that one.

Your thoughts?

I think that's a good plan if it's that deep. Evapo-Rust claims it prevents rust as well as removing it.

In fact, immersing un-rusted steel in Evapo-Rust rust remover provides excellent long-term rust protection.

[huntingsocal]

I think the bolt is a better match now, finish-wise to the rest of the rifle

[huntingsocal]

Now on to the final treatment

Receiver


Trigger and trigger guard


Magazine floorplate


Buttplate

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Good grief, was it a former boat gun in the Everglades?

[huntingsocal]

No but apparently not stored in a safe judging by the amount of dust and lint and he's relatively close to the beach

Crappy thing is, I've purchased several rifles from the same guy and this is the only one in "unissued" condition and also the only one that had any rust on it

[Garv]

It hurts to look at that rust!

Thanks for the update.

Let us know how the next cleanup goes.

[SVT-40]

For the blued bits use a nickle (5 cent piece) with a drop of oil to rub the rusty area. The nickle if softer than the bluing, but not hard enough to leave any transfer to the steel...

The bolt looks great!!

[huntingsocal]

For the blued bits use a nickle (5 cent piece) with a drop of oil to rub the rusty area. The nickle if softer than the bluing, but not hard enough to leave any transfer to the steel...

The bolt looks great!!

Thank you!

That worked out nicely

Before


During


After


In SVT-40 I Trust

Now on to the trigger and receiver

[OniKoroshi]

I trust SVT also but just remember USA is getting cheaper and our coinage isn't made like back in the day. I would try to make sure and use older coins.

I usually go to my local Home Depot and ask for some scrap copper tubing. Something small enough that I can get for free. Hehe