A little while back I made a thread about the problems I was having with my M44 that I just got about a month ago. I was having difficulty closing the bolt on a round, as well as extracting casings after firing. After following the great advice of numerous members... it functions normally! A burr in the chamber was causing difficult extraction when the pressure of firing expanded the case into the burr, so I lightly filed it down and polished the chamber. Next I spent some time polishing the extractor, and while not perfect, it significantly helped closing the bolt on a round.
I fired 10 rounds today, and they all cycled without a hitch. People aren't kidding when they say the M44 is a cannon! I was amazed that it still creates a visible fireball on a bright sunny day. Not to mention it is also quite a little noise maker for sure! The blast is just part of the experience of firing one.
I also decided to do some cosmetic work to it. The stock was in good condition, but the finish was chipping in a lot of places. I decided to strip the finish off and refinish it with Minwax stain and polyurethane.
Here is how it came out. Picture could be better if I had taken it with an actual camera and not my iphone.
As you can see it is a laminated stock, which has a nice look to it. I used Minwax red oak stain, and although it's not really red like advertised, it came out pretty well I think.
I also had an idea for the metal endcaps on the top handguard. It came with the normal blued endcaps, but they were very worn. I like the look of the brass endcaps, so I found some paint that is not only brass colored, but has actual little brass particles in the paint. I figured that's close enough.
Oh and by the way, it is a 1944 Izhevsk.
I fired 10 rounds today, and they all cycled without a hitch. People aren't kidding when they say the M44 is a cannon! I was amazed that it still creates a visible fireball on a bright sunny day. Not to mention it is also quite a little noise maker for sure! The blast is just part of the experience of firing one.
I also decided to do some cosmetic work to it. The stock was in good condition, but the finish was chipping in a lot of places. I decided to strip the finish off and refinish it with Minwax stain and polyurethane.
Here is how it came out. Picture could be better if I had taken it with an actual camera and not my iphone.
As you can see it is a laminated stock, which has a nice look to it. I used Minwax red oak stain, and although it's not really red like advertised, it came out pretty well I think.
I also had an idea for the metal endcaps on the top handguard. It came with the normal blued endcaps, but they were very worn. I like the look of the brass endcaps, so I found some paint that is not only brass colored, but has actual little brass particles in the paint. I figured that's close enough.
Oh and by the way, it is a 1944 Izhevsk.
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