The Nightstar Zoo

Got my CZ-52 and 1895 Nagant.

Now I have to get the ammunition for both, plus strip them both down, get all the cosmoline crap off, reoil, and so forth.

Gotta love the manuals, however. They give you a gun with cosmoline all over it, then tell you in the manual that you don't need to fully strip the gun.

RIIIIGHT...

If the gun fires okay, I'll probably invest in a set of custom wood grips. (for the CZ)

CZ - 1953. Nagant - 1940.

BW

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I'll get a life when it is proven and substantiated to be better than what I am currently experiencing.

Around here a few years back, there was a fad for converting those old Moisin-Nagant rifles to .45-70, with mixed results. I'd be a little concerned firing some modern .45-70 loads through it - I've run the Garrett loads through my Guide Gun, and I routinely load for it up to low-end .458 Mag specs. I wouldn't want to try that with a converted M-N.

Things like that should be left as is.

Not a Mosin-Nagant rifle, but an 1895 Nagant pistol - the gas-sealing revolver.

You can apparently shoot .32 long rifle in it, especially with a slightly different cylinder (because of the scarcity/expense of 7.62 nagant ammo)

BW

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I'll get a life when it is proven and substantiated to be better than what I am currently experiencing.

I seem to remember that the original case was longer, and that the bullet was seated completely inside the case mouth. When the cylinder was levered forward, the brass case actually formed part of the seal. Does your examination of the gun bear that out? I don't think I've ever handled one myself.

I also seem to remember that it was possible to form brass out of .32-20 brass, but that the case wasn't quite long enough. It would work, but you wouldn't get the gas seal.

Why do they cover guns in cosmoline anyway?
</stupid non-gun-owner question>

Vorn

It prevents rust, and it doesn't evaporate or run off when a gun is in long-term storage.

Ah. Thank you.

Vorn

Yes, it does have a 'levering' action of the cylinder.

I haven't bought ammo yet (that's next), but the cylinder does move forward when the hammer is brought back to full firing position.

I wondered about it, as I thought the cylinder was supposed to mate with the barrel itself, but it doesn't - it's just the end of the case (which is why the end of the brass sometime splits. I'm going to have to watch for that, and mark which cylinder does it. Even the surplus ammo is $15 per box of 40, and $30-35 per box of 40 of new fiocchi )

It's actually not a bad design - Pretty plain I'll have to dismantle the gun to clean all the little bits out with a kerosene bath.

Vorn - Cosmoline is almost a jelly, so it doesn't flow/evaporate off of the gun. In an armoury situation, where the gun might sit for 30 years in a wooden case before being issued, you need to make sure the case doesn't absorb the protectant.

(Yes, 30 or more years. The CZ-52 was the main weapon for that part of the old soviet bloc for 30 years - but was only manufactured from 1952-1955. The Nagant revolver was made for longer, but some of the guns still _in use_ are older than the railroad/customs agents carrying them )

BW

_________________
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I'll get a life when it is proven and substantiated to be better than what I am currently experiencing.

Cool - cleaned up the 1953 CZ-52 (which some purists insist is a 'Vz-52' ), and found a few really nice things about it.

Mainly, it looks like the one I grabbed out of the box is in fantastic shape. Barrel is spotless, parkerization is only worn at the corners - from the holster/storage, and the action works smoothly. Even the decock, which is usually/often bad on the guns - works with no problems whatsoever.

If it fires as well as it looks, it'll be a fantastic gun. (well, it's pretty ugly, but you know what I mean)

The Nagant will STILL need more dismantling later. They greased up everything thoroughly, so I'll have to use a full table with photos to spread all the bits out, scrub every one down with solvent, then alcohol (to pull off the solvent), then either use a grease (for the hammer/trigger mechanisms) or just a light oil, and put everything back together again.
(The outside now looks more like a gun, even with the bluing being light in places. Not gone anywhere, however)

At this point, it'll work fine for trying out with a few rounds of ammo - so that's my next purchase. 2 boxes of military surplus ammunition for the 1895 Nagant (made in 1940 at the Tula factory)

If the CZ fires well, I may invest in the spam can of ammunition.

BW

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I'll get a life when it is proven and substantiated to be better than what I am currently experiencing.

And it gives Army Privates something to do