Mosin nagant questions

[DPris]

Not what I said.

It wasn't routinely done to most Mosins during refurb & it wasn't a matter of a "rough bore". It was done to those barrels specifically with worn rifling at the muzzle end, to salvage an otherwise usable barrel, by addressing those specifically with worn rifling at the muzzle.

The practice removed uneven rifling that would cause accuracy issues for the first inch or two, and trued up the last section of the bore.
It was not standard practice on otherwise "good" barrels.
Not even on rough barrels.

I have a sample with what most would call a rough bore, it has full rifling to the muzzle.
It's also outshot every other Mosin I own.

Overall rough bore condition had nothing to do with it.
The vast majority of Mosins were not, either originally or later during refurb, counterbored.

I've gone through several Mosins over the years & never encountered one.
I didn't say or imply anything to suggest that a counterbored barrel had, or still has, a rough bore.
Denis

 

[lordvader]

Your barrel looks bigger because it is counterbored. That is why the end of the barrel looks like it shoots a 35 caliber bullet. All Moisins fire the 7.62X54R cartridge, unless rebarreled to another caliber, if it could even be rebarreled, as I don't know if any barrel manufacturer even makes barrels for a moisin. As far as, your bolt coming out on its own without pulling the trigger, you may want to have that checked by competent gunsmith who is familiar with moisins. I own two M44's in pristine condition, no nicks, gouges, blueing 100%, like they just came of the assembly line, and both of mine the trigger has to be pulled for bolt removal.

 

[Gunplummer]

Of course it can be rebarreled. I actually wasted my time doing two of them once. No matter what barrel you have on it, it will always be the same klunky action.

 

[tobnpr]

I don't know if any barrel manufacturer even makes barrels for a moisin

McGowan makes "prefits" as they're called, not at all like a Savage and still require a smith to install. I have two of them in the shop now for McGowan barrels. Shilen, Green Mountain, Lothar Walther all make .311 blanks easily chambered for 54R- though I prefer .308 if handloads are to be used.

Of course it can be rebarreled. I actually wasted my time doing two of them once. No matter what barrel you have on it, it will always be the same klunky action.

So you say...
Customer of mine with a Finn M28/76 barreled action in a stock I made for him-still the same "klunky" Russian action- shooting 1,450 yards.

'Nuff said

https://youtu.be/XM12yZ7GKlw

 

[Gunplummer]

Must be a joy to carry around all day.

 

[tobnpr]

Not sure what you're referring to.
"Weight-wise", no different than any other walnut stock at about 6 lbs. Not designed for offhand shooting, it has a flat forend for a bipod or bag.

I'm the first to admit that the MN action is no BAT or Stiller- or a factory 700 or Savage 110 for that matter. But I submit the biggest factors affecting accuracy are the stock/fit, barrel and tailored handloads.

The Finnish Defense Forces to this day still use an iteration of the Mosin-Nagant as a Designated Marksman/ Sniper rifle- the TKIV 85. Apparently, the "klunky" action is accurate enough for them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7.62_Tkiv_85

 

[Gunplummer]

Nothing wrong with the accuracy you can get from them. The truth is they are ugly and cumbersome and stay that way no matter what you do to them. I have probably been around a lot longer than most of the people on this forum that love those old Russians. Cheap is the key word here. Cheap ammo. Cheap rifle. There were plenty of Russian rifles around before the ammunition imports started. Nobody wanted them, not even to rebarrel to another caliber. Anybody that tells you different does not know what they are talking about. They simply do not lend themselves to easy hunting rifle conversions. If not for the cheap ammo imports, and that movie "Enemy at the gates", they would have disappeared into history.
On the plus side, I always thought the wobbly, self centering, bolt head had a lot to do with the good accuracy you can get out of them. All these guys that pray to the "Lapping the lugs" philosophy would have a hard time explaining that. That is the only thing that they have going for them. If they are your favorite rifle, have at it. I have always been partial to Arisakas. Some people think the same thing about them.

 

[Model12Win]

The fact is, Mosin Nagant rifles are used all over the world in combat to this day. They are typically used as ersatz sniper or DMR rifles.

Sure, there are better options, but the 3-line rifle is still getting it done. They are accurate, powerful, and I can't think of a more rugged or reliable design. Something on the order of 37 MILLION of these guns have been made. They aren't leaving the modern battlefield anytime soon.

 

[Gunplummer]

What does military use have to do with anything? We are talking sporter guns. As bolt actions go, it is a poor design because of the round it was built around. I never really saw a surge in rebarreling the .303 British either. Another poorly designed rifle because of the round it was built around. The difference there is the .303 is a little more builder friendly for hunting purposes. It is amazing how popular the Krag was to hunt with. I hunted with one and they are less than fun to drag around in the woods. All these rifles have one thing in common. They all shot rimmed cartridges and at one time they were cheap.

 

[tobnpr]

On the plus side, I always thought the wobbly, self centering, bolt head had a lot to do with the good accuracy you can get out of them

One word reply: Savage.

My "favorite" rifle? Not so. I specialize in working on them because many 'smiths turn down their noses at them. I certainly understand why- there are a lot of "consistency" issues with them that makes working on them time consuming.

However, they get painted with a broad brush by many as something that just can't shoot, and facts like the TKIV, the Russians winning the Biathlon with it, and the rifle having the most confirmed kills by a sniper in combat to this day (Simo Hayha)- dispute that.

They are, to a much lesser extent, the "Mauser" of the current time, for some of those that want to do something different.

 

[Gunplummer]

Not hard to dispute that at all. You get into a target rich area and most of the shots are under 200 yards( Probably a lot less) with the majority of the longer shots having a white back drop. Damn good thing for the Russians the US Marines were not there shooting back with open sighted rifles.