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/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.

5

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.

3

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.

2

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.