r/canadaguns • u/hockeyfanatic777 • May 22 '26
Fix my gun Mosin M38 bolt sloppy when cocked
It’s my first time taking this rifle out, and when I chambered a round I noticed how loose this was. I was hoping for some guidance as I’m unfamiliar with them.
It’s nice and tight when uncocked.
This seems unsafe to me so I unloaded the rifle and shot my Garand instead before it started raining.
I’d appreciate any help!
A gunsmith is out of the question, as the closest one is 800km south of me.
EDIT: well, thanks for the sassy help I guess lol. Just wanted to confirm it was safe as I’m still learning. My Enfield, and K98 wasn’t sloppy at all so wasn’t sure if this was wrong or unsafe.
Edit 2 thanks for all the actual help and info! It’s very appreciated
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u/AnvilsHammer May 22 '26
They are dubbed Garbage rods for a reason. They weren't built for tolerances. They were built so some illiterate farmer could reliably cycle it while not also fucking up the mechanism by slamming it.
That rifle is better built, more stable, and can take rougher punishment than your ex can.
Rifle is fine.
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u/hafetysazard May 23 '26
Built with clearances in mind, not tolerances. Personally, if I were freezing in Stalingrad, I’d rather have a rifle I could kick open the bolt with the heel of my boot if need be, and kick it closed. In that respect it is a fantastic piece of kit.
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u/Late_Winner6859 May 23 '26
Clearances and durability.
These have remained on active duty for over a century, seen 2 world wars and countless smaller conflicts, they have literally outlived many of their former owners (probably even most at this point), And they just keep working.
While rough and unrefined, it’s a truly incredible design
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u/paidjannie May 22 '26
It's russian bro, it'll run like shit longer than most guns will run at all.
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u/CAFirearmSociety May 22 '26
I want you to flick me like one of your Mosin bolts.
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u/hockeyfanatic777 May 22 '26
Can do! DM to discuss flickability 😎
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u/LananasCourageux May 22 '26 edited May 23 '26
Rifle is fine. It feels "looser" than when it is uncocked because turning the bolt cocks the striker and thus you're fighting a spring. It doesn't matter if it opens easy when cocked. If the firing pin can reach the primer, it is sufficiently in battery and safe to fire.
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u/WeatherEyeComponents Weather Eye Components May 22 '26
Seems insane to me so many people are suggesting that you should not follow your gut here just because a lot of Mosins have been made. If you have a round chambered, you're correct that the bolt seems very loose. You should drop in a 7.62x54r no-go headspace gauge and try and close the bolt. If it closes, you should not consider the rifle safe to fire.
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u/hockeyfanatic777 May 22 '26
Thanks! I definitely felt a bit dumb/crazy with all the comments saying it’s fine. It just felt off to me. I have another M38 I haven’t shot yet, so I will see the difference between the two.
I do need to get some headspace gauges, as it’s better safe than sorry especially with old rifles that I have no info on from previous owners.
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u/spaceymonkey2 May 23 '26
It may close on a nogo gauge, doesn't mean it's not safe. Now if it closes on a field gauge, then I'd take it to a gunsmith to adjust the headspace.
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u/hafetysazard May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
I’m sure you have a few fired cases. You can measure them to see. If the shoulder is blown way past an unfired, in-spec case, your gun might have some excessive headspace. Mind you, all fired brass is going to be noticeably longer than a factory fresh round, but if it is really bad, you should be able to tell.
Keep in mind when they put these things together parts would get swapped all the time. Hell, if there was a crate of these people were picking from, it isn’t improbably somebody grabbed and bolt and said, “this bolt looks nicer,” and just swapped it.
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u/Cheese_Gaming May 22 '26
What year is your Mosin, Circle or hex reciver?
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u/hockeyfanatic777 May 22 '26
It’s a M38 carbine, round receiver. I think it’s an early/mid 50s iirc. It’s packed away now
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u/Cheese_Gaming May 22 '26
Cool! I love seeing Mosins on here. I got one from 1925
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u/hockeyfanatic777 May 22 '26
I have 3 others, two Mosin 91/30s, one hex and one round, one is a 1934ish and other is 1941 I believe. Give or take. I also have another M38, can’t remember if round/hex or what year. They are all packed away
I lost my entire summer last year due to wildfire evacuations so I haven’t been able to take them out yet, until now.
I love the Mosins (and all WW2 rifles). Been collecting, now I want to learn all about them and shoot them!
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u/Cheese_Gaming May 22 '26
That cool, I love russian guns too. I was gonna get a SVT-40 rifle but shocker they put it on the prohibited list like a year or two ago. I got a sks and russian captured Kar98 I don't shoot much but they are fun when I do
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u/hockeyfanatic777 May 22 '26
I’ve got a Yugo captured kar98, it’s one of my favourites to shoot.
I’ve got quite a collection, too many to list, but the bans definitely pissed me off.. I wanted a genuine ww2 M1 Carbine… guess that ain’t happening.
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u/Cheese_Gaming May 22 '26
Yeah, a lot of guns they put on there were old, my buddy was looking into getting a M1 and was also upset when that got put on the list. Maybe some time in the future the government might lift the ban on some of the more historical guns
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u/GamesFranco2819 May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
Round, you can see it in the video
Lol got downvoted for answering accurately, the fuck
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u/Murray3-Dvideos May 23 '26
If you want more serious answers for things like this, your probably better off asking it on CGN instead of receiving ENDLESS amounts of baseless gun dribble echoed by recently aquired PAL noobs on Reddit.
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u/sometimesifeellikean May 23 '26
it's too much work to create a throwaway account called "gun_dribble_enters_the_chat". But imagine that he just showed up.
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u/hafetysazard May 22 '26
“Why is my rifle that they made 100,000 per day not perfect?”
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u/hockeyfanatic777 May 22 '26
Nothing to do with perfection, just trying to be safe. Sorry for not being born knowing everything and trying to err on the side of caution when unsure lol
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u/Fat_Man09 May 22 '26
Sounds like you got some research to do! It's good to understand how your firearm's mechanisms function so you can recognize when something is actually unsafe or not working as it should. I'm sure there is tons of information out there for a Mosin.
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u/hockeyfanatic777 May 22 '26
For sure, I still have tons to learn. I’m naturally a pretty cautious person and I second guess myself all the time, so the confirmation of others experiences help. Still need to read up more on it and watch some videos though
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u/hafetysazard May 23 '26
Don’t sweat it. If you ask something on here and get a good ribbing, you know you’re fine.
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u/hafetysazard May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
There is a reason why Mosin’s have the moniker of, “garbage rod.”
They served their purpose pretty famously, but they’re far from pretty.
If you want a half-decent one, look for a pristine Finnish M39.
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u/22GageEnthusiast May 22 '26
When I had my Mosin before I sold it I'm pretty sure the play in the bolt was like this too and it shot fine
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u/No-culture5942 May 23 '26
Mine did the same thing, it was a polish m44. First few times I shot it I was scared the bolt would end up as part of my face.
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u/theservman on May 23 '26
Dare you call great Soviet rifle sloppy, tovarish? Straight to gulag for your insolence!
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May 23 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Crispysnipez May 23 '26
We talking sloppy mosin bolts now?
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u/hafetysazard May 23 '26
Are there ones that aren’t sloppy?
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u/Crispysnipez May 23 '26
If there are i would love to see them
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u/hafetysazard May 23 '26
I’m sure you would comrade, but you shouldn’t desire such luxuries. I’m going to have to report this to the central committee.
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u/Fundude45 May 24 '26
I was into mosins before covid when they were really affordable. Awesome to own a piece of history that was super durable. Every mosin had slightly different tolerances. The slight handle play when bolt face locked is normal. If you want a more premium mosin look for Finnish mosin or pre war mosin mosin. Think of it as a combat bolt action vs target made rifle.
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u/hockeyfanatic777 May 24 '26
I have no issue with how it looks or functions, as long as it was safe. That was my only concern with it. Otherwise I’m happy with how it looks, and if it’s safe, then I’m happy with how it functions.
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u/Fed_Informant May 25 '26
As people in the comments have made more or less clear, the sloppy bolt is expected of a mosin.
You did state that it was also sloppy whilst the gun was loaded, but understandably, in the video you filmed it without a cartridge in the chamber.
But the amount of slop portrayed in the video is about as much slop as I get when my civil guard Finnish Mosin is unloaded and the bolt is closed and cocked. And I've put a ton of ammunition of all varieties through it.
The bolt isn't just falling out of battery at the slightest touch. Which would be a concern.
Anyway, I'd check the spring and the headspacing if you're REALLY concerned. But I'd say it's perfectly safe to shoot.
DO NOT compare it to any other WW2 bolt actions or even any other bolt actions at all. They are fundamentally different in design and handle differently. They are not a standard to go by as a consequence.
With the exception of a Finnish mosins, Mosin Nagants will always feel whacky and weird when compared to its contemporaries.
I'll also mention that you should clean the rifle; there are a lot of people on here that shoot the gun right out of the box without cleaning it first. It doesn't look like you're one of them, but I figured I'd mention it.
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u/Subject_Bet_6693 May 22 '26
Its fine, these rifles were made by the Russians not the Swiss but still safe to shoot