My father picked up his first Mosin the other day. Included with the gun he got a bayonet, tool kit, sling, a few bullet pouches, and this silver looking canteen thing.

What is this?



My guess is its a container meant to hold cleaning oil or something?

Thanks

Mine seem to be containers for spare cosmoline.

One side held an alkaline solvent for neutralizing corrosive primer residue; the other side held oil.

Ahh ok. I knew it had to hold some liquid that was important for cleaning or maintenance.

Thanks

Bingo.  All of mine are still bagged up full of grease in my shed

Ain't that the truth.  I had one that was completely full.  Like right up to the top full.  I left it that way.  Too much work to clean it out..........especially since they're useless for anything besides a display piece.

Oil / Cleaner bottle is best source of finest Soviet vintage cosmoline for keep preservation of glorious rifle of Great Patriotic War! Is not for throw away!

Once you've melted all the cosmoline out and carefully stored it in your Soviet Cosmoline tin, the bottle can be properly filled and put with all the other accoutrements and spam cans of stripper-clipped ammo in your crate of Mosin-Nagants. The left side with the "W" looking letter is for the alkaline bore cleaner (Ballistol would do nicely), and the "H" side is for gun oil. Remember it as "W for water-based".