Mosin Nagant can be fired with bolt not fully closed.

[Hang Fire]

I lay no claim to being a MN expert, but was cleaning my MN tonight and noticed it could be fired with the bolt unclosed, like REALLY not fully closed, not a good thing. I seriously doubt this is the norm, so what could be the cause?

[NickSS]

The MN has a double cocking feature. It partially cocks on opening and cocks the rest of the way when you close the bolt handle this finishes compressing the mainspring. If you close the bolt and move the cocking handle over slightly and pull the trigger the bolt will swing closed as the cocking piece rides the cam surface down to the rest condition. This is normal for MNs. The firing pin probably will not set the round off if you do this but it may however, before it reaches full closed the firing pin can not hit the primer.

[ilcop22]

Ye old MNs are butch weapons. With big tolerances and the bolt function like Nick mentioned, that is normal. I had an old cartridge burst inside the chamber while firing once and ye old MN took it without a nanometer of flex.

[Hang Fire]

If that is the way they work, I am going to run a few primed empty cases to check out the theory. Too used to my Mausers I guess, for on them the bolt must be fully closed to allow striker fall.

[Hang Fire]

Well, can only speak for this MN, but with the bolt slightly lifted and using primed empty case, can pop a cap, lift further, still pops a cap, with bolt just barely engaged on the cam to close, it pops a cap.

So for this one, I am not impressed with the safety theories, for would never have the bolt head lugs fully engaged, maybe less than half so for worst case scenario. This may be OK for some, but for this child I am less than impressed and in the future will always watch that bolt handle position with a jaundiced eye.