biganimal
Well-Known Fanatic
Cosmoline is a preservative used by militaries around the world which is a type of heavy grease with some variation in consistency and stickiness. At room temperature it is fairly solid so there?s no reason to remove all, or any, of it from a firearm that isn?t going to be shot at all or handled much. However, when a previously issued firearm was packed in cosmoline there can still be rust present and in this case a thorough cleaning and inspection is in order. Also, at warmer temperatures developed when shooting a rifle, cosmoline will flow as a thick liquid and can be very messy. Even when you think you have cleaned all the cosmoline from a rifle you will almost invariably find more on the bench after the first shooting session. To minimize this, the action should be removed from the stock and stripped to a certain level for a proper cleaning. This would include a complete takedown of the bolt except the extractor, removal, but not disassembly, of the magazine follower assembly, and removal of the interrupter ejector. It?s seldom necessary to remove any hardware from the stock. Boiling water will dissolve cosmoline to a point that it can be removed, but then it is necessary to make sure every part is completely dry and oiled. Parts washing fluid available at auto supply stores or mineral spirits will dissolve cosmoline without the danger of rust but oil should still be applied afterwards. Degreasers in spray cans can be expensive for an entire rifle, but handy for nooks and crannies. They should be used outdoors due to strong odors and will kill grass and other plants so use with care. Stocks should be treated separately from the metal parts of a rifle. One product that repeatedly comes up in discussion, but should never be used, is oven cleaner. This simply isn?t good for the wood and is best left in the kitchen. Another method is wrapping the stock in paper towels and placing it inside a hot car in the summer, or something similar. The idea is to open up the pores and ?sweat? the cosmoline out, but what comes out can also go in so this may not be advisable. Never use any type of degreaser on stocks as they will often dissolve the finish along with the cosmoline. While messy and tedious, the best method is to simply wipe down the stock with paper towels until it is clean enough to handle. At the absolute most, lightly dampen the first couple of paper towels with mineral spirits to soften the cosmoline and then finish the job with dry paper towels. Clean the bore making sure it is not plugged with cosmoline as this can lead to dangerous pressures if fired in this condition.
