My rifle came without a cleaning rod. Ive bought a replacement, but it won screw in, what is wrong?
A. There is a possibility that the retaining nut is missing, but more likely it is full of dirt. Check the Mosin Nagant Rifle Exploded Views and Disassembly page for instructions on removal for cleaning. Sometimes they are difficult to remove from the stock. Another option is to tape a drill bit smaller than the diameter of the cleaning rod threads to the end of a .22 caliber rod. This can then be turned by hand to drill out the dirt. The Mosin rod can then be used as a tap to remove the remaining dirt in the threads. A lever in the form of a punch through the hole in the cleaning rod head might be needed. Patience and minimal force is best while doing this to avoid damaging the threads of the nut or the rod.
