The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

Having just put a 1942 Izhevsk back together I can see that some of the damage to the finish on the forestock was done by moving the very tight barrel band clamps. The clamps abraded and shaved some of the finish partially defeating my efforts to preserve the finish. Most of the other (non MN) rifles I have that use the springs to hold the bands tight have solid bands with more clearance to move them. The Mosin Nagant has a split band made out of spring steel that grips very tightly.

Now I have two other 91/30s to do and am curious how to get these bands off non destructively. Is there a common tool or special procedure that works?

OIL!! I oil up the surface of the stock before. If they are still tight you can slightly spread them at the bottom by placing somthing in the center and skewing slightly, Becareful not to break. My pole M44 is so tight it barley came off or went back on but it didn't tear up the stock when i oiled it. Just work back n forth easy like and it should go.

I am resigned to live with a slight flaking of the shellac around the barrel bands. I think it's inevitable.

I've just learned to perform full take downs of my Mosin stock sparingly, but have wondered if there's any type of "safe" lubricant to allow the bands to move without rubbing the finish too hard.

desdem12 wrote:OIL!! I oil up the surface of the stock before. If they are still tight you can slightly spread them at the bottom by placing somthing in the center and skewing slightly, Becareful not to break. My pole M44 is so tight it barley came off or went back on but it didn't tear up the stock when i oiled it. Just work back n forth easy like and it should go.

What sort of oil do you use? I thought oil penetrates the wood and darkens it.

Spread a little gun oil on it infront of the band. It is NOT gonna hurt the stock at all. Even if it darkens it some it's benefits are far greater. I have not had any refurbs darken from lemon or gun oil yet.

desdem12 wrote:Spread a little gun oil on it infront of the band. It is NOT gonna hurt the stock at all. Even if it darkens it some it's benefits are far greater. I have not had any refurbs darken from lemon or gun oil yet.

I have been told that gun oil is NOT good for the wood. This is the reason I use so much of the lemon oil on the stock. I had the stock pretty well oiled up but found the sharp edges on the band shaved the finish despite my best efforts. Now I'm wondering if there isn't some kind of clamping tool that might spread the band wide enough to install it something like a piston ring installer does.

BTW, if I'm mis informed about the harm gun oil does to wood, please straighten me out. Life would be simpler if one oil fits all needs.

Can't say nothing about the oil but I used some wax paper to wrap around the wood while I removed the bands. It's not fool proof but it worked for me. I took it and wrapped it around the wood (imagine "stretching" the paper from the front and back...it'll look like you're stretching candy that has a twist) and under the loosened bands. There was just enough gap under the bands to slide the paper under. Then it was just a matter of time and patience of sliding them off. The wax paper didn't do any damage and any residue wiped right off without damage. Plus if I saw the paper was tearing, I knew to slow down.

After a Google search, one website has a guy using K-Y personal lubricant for safely removing barrel bands. It's water-based instead of petroleum, so I don't see any problems trying it.

Problem is, do I use the "his" or "her" kind... Sorry, had to go there.

One of our guys has that video up someplace. regular oil or light grease should do the job. I use the needle nose tip of my leatherman tool, shove it down into the joint the open it a bit and it slides right off. Remove the cleaning rod first so you have room.

Ahh - - The all purpose leatherman, found that works like champ for me too.

Mine is wearing out and I need to upgrade. They don't seem to make the Wave anymore, and the equivalent ones are more expensive than a MO marked M91/30 refurb!

Pretty sure Leatherman has a 25 year warranty.

Leatherman Warranty

Oil? I use Ballistol which is 99% Mineral oil according to the MSDS sheets. I wipe it away after the bands come off. I take a screw driver with a wide and quickly tapering to fatter blade and pop it down into the break (using the groove for the removed cleaning rod as a space) in the spring clamp and off it comes, easy and no damage. If you aren't too cheap (about $15 worth) buy a decent Gunsmith screwdriver set and in anyone I have ever bought over the years there is just such a blade. Buying this set will more than likely teach you to use the right size blade for each and every screw on a rifle and you will stop buggering screw heads that way too. The old proper tool for the job comes to mind here right quick!

I once met an old guy at a show who bragged to me he had no tools but used a dime to take everything apart. He was carrying some kind of old rifle and I asked if it was for sale and if I could look at it. He said sure and sure enough every screw on the thing looked like it had been cared for with a pliers with the heads all being buggered beyond belief. For just a moment I thought about telling him he ought to buy a decent screwdrivewr set but then I looked at his age and thought no sense even trying at this late stage as I figured he was at the hopeless stage of life to try and change. Bill

Junk Yard Dog wrote:One of our guys has that video up someplace. regular oil or light grease should do the job. I use the needle nose tip of my leatherman tool, shove it down into the joint the open it a bit and it slides right off. Remove the cleaning rod first so you have room.

this is exactly what I do too . I noticed on my Laminated Stock Tula that the rear barrel band was rubbing the cleaning rod so I removed the rod first and it definitely helps and also like junkyard said I can confirm it works great just use a small flat head or pin punch and spread the joint open just a little but while trying to slide it up and off. It doesn't usually have to be spread much to get them moving, Just be careful putting the tool into joint and prying if you go to deep you end up prying off the cleaning rod channel.

I plan to try the warranty once I have a replacement in hand as I use this tool daily eight or nine times a day and can't be without it. It's been used so hard and so long that they will likely say it's been abused.

Thanks for the tips, I'll see if I can wedge the clamp open enough to get the band off without abrading the finish. I imagine a smooth tool would be better on the clamp than one with the machines "teeth."