First mosin 91/30

[Lavitias]

Honestly the limbsaver isn't a bad idea even if you get accustomed to the recoil you may find that you like the extra little length of pull that a limbsaver adds on. Especially with Mosins the recoil doesn't bother me that bad but the length of pull does. So I put one on just to give me that extra little bit.

[Lotema]

If you will hold that rifle tight into your shoulder, it won't bruise you. When I first started this Mosin stuff, I had bruises aplenty and bought all of the pads I could find. I finally got tired of messing with them and just started shooting. It doesn't take long to figure out the proper hold. Become one with the rifle and kinda ride the recoil. You just need practice.

I'll second what millman has said here. I got one of the easily detachable recoil pads after shooting my first Mosin as well but after a while just took it off and stopped using it. You do figure out pretty quickly the proper hold on those rifles. Now I can shoot half the afternoon with just a t-shirt on and don't even really notice it anymore. I still have the recoil pad but I only put it on them when my youngest son wants to shoot it, which isn't very often!

[polymerase2]

A short piece of foam pipe insulation makes a great recoil pad at the range. I am tall so it also improves the length of pull for me. I can really pull tight and the recoil is almost soft. (almost). Hope for 3 to 4" groups at 100 yards. If you continue with the mosins a sight tool is nice. So is a no-go gauge. +1 on a good set of screwdrivers. They are not too expensive. The one piece Dewey is nice as well, it's not cheap but you only need one for most of your rifles. On a really filthy greasy bore I have put the front end of the barrel upside down in a can of kerosene and used the rod with a brass brush to gently scrub the bore from the bolt end. That really helps with the first cleaning if there is a lot of grease. I think some of these rifles were dipped in a boiling 55gal drum of axle grease before they were put away.
I started with a '43 Izhevsk and never looked back.

You might also start reading about the SKS.

[Lavitias]

A short piece of foam pipe insulation makes a great recoil pad at the range. I am tall so it also improves the length of pull for me. I can really pull tight and the recoil is almost soft. (almost). Hope for 3 to 4" groups at 100 yards. If you continue with the mosins a sight tool is nice. So is a no-go gauge. +1 on a good set of screwdrivers. They are not too expensive. The one piece Dewey is nice as well, it's not cheap but you only need one for most of your rifles. On a really filthy greasy bore I have put the front end of the barrel upside down in a can of kerosene and used the rod with a brass brush to gently scrub the bore from the bolt end. That really helps with the first cleaning if there is a lot of grease. I think some of these rifles were dipped in a boiling 55gal drum of axle grease before they were put away.
I started with a '43 Izhevsk and never looked back.

You might also start reading about the SKS.

Your not to far off on the grease thing only it was cosmoline not axle grease haha.

[Longcolt44]

A short piece of foam pipe insulation makes a great recoil pad at the range. I am tall so it also improves the length of pull for me. I can really pull tight and the recoil is almost soft. (almost). Hope for 3 to 4" groups at 100 yards. If you continue with the mosins a sight tool is nice. So is a no-go gauge. +1 on a good set of screwdrivers. They are not too expensive. The one piece Dewey is nice as well, it's not cheap but you only need one for most of your rifles. On a really filthy greasy bore I have put the front end of the barrel upside down in a can of kerosene and used the rod with a brass brush to gently scrub the bore from the bolt end. That really helps with the first cleaning if there is a lot of grease. I think some of these rifles were dipped in a boiling 55gal drum of axle grease before they were put away.
I started with a '43 Izhevsk and never looked back.

You might also start reading about the SKS.

Your not to far off on the grease thing only it was cosmoline not axle grease haha.

Actually he is right, it is grease. The only country using cosmoline is the good ole' USA.

[Maine 20th]

Take it to a gunsmith per forum. Do not shoot surplus until it is deemed safe. god Bless America. Pro Libertate Patria

[zeebill]

If you will hold that rifle tight into your shoulder, it won't bruise you. When I first started this Mosin stuff, I had bruises aplenty and bought all of the pads I could find. I finally got tired of messing with them and just started shooting. It doesn't take long to figure out the proper hold. Become one with the rifle and kinda ride the recoil. You just need practice.

+1
Oh and the only hot water to enter my gun shop is in a tea cup. Black powder went away and so did the water routine. I use windex, Balistoll, and Kroil Oil. Once in awhile I use Sweets for real crummy bores with ages of build up in the bore. They don't make underwater Mosins as far as I know so I keep the rust causers away from them. It's worked for over 40 years but to each his own. Bill