? on Russian M38 Carbine 7.62x54

P

Pj0759@aol.com

New member
Hi,I have just recently gotten interested in some C&R rifles. I purchased an Russian M38,it is in pristine condition. I know nothing about this rifle other than the little info I have read. How is this loaded,I assumed it held maybe 5 rounds loaded from the bottom. Does each round have to be loaded in chamber by the bolt? ie single shot style..Also how do you get the cleaning rod loose from the stock. These may be rookie questions to some of you,but hey, that what I am with this particular weapon. Thanks,PJ
 
The cleaning rod unscrews from a nut that's imbedded in the stock. But, the cleaning rod is not quite long enough, you'll have to push it a little further with a stick or a bullet. I ignore it and use a standard .30 cal cleaning kit.

To load it, just push the cartridges in from the top. You can use a stripper clip if you can find one for the Mosin-Nagant.

The first time you push the bolt forward, it may not engage a round. Just close the bolt, then re-crank it open and closed. The magazine has some sort of "hold-back" behavior to keep the rimmed cartridges from interlocking to pull two rounds out of the magazine at a time.

Padding will help - that sucker kicks like a mule and produces an impressive muzzle flash.

Have fun :-)

Tim

[This message has been edited by sleeping dog (edited September 08, 2000).]
 
From Small Arms of the World, by Edward Ezell[/i]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>The rifle M1938 is loaded in the same manner as the United States Springfield or any Mauser rifle. Open the bolt, place a clip of cartridges in the clip guides and press the rounds down into the magazine. Close the bolt; the clip wil then fall out of the clip guides onto the ground. The weapon is now ready to fire.[/quote]

It should also be possibile to load individual rounds into the rifle's magazine, but some care must be given in doing so with rimmed cartridges like 7.62x54R. It has been reported that they can bind up if misaligned (though I must say that I've never seen this to be true with .303 in an Enfield).

A quick web search yielded a site with a photo of Mosin-Nagant stripper clips that they sell here (not an endorsement of this business, I have no experience with them).

The cleaning rod should be screwed into the cleaning rod retainer attached to the underside of the barrel (inside the stock), as shown in a section view in the aforementioned tome.
 
Here is a site that will give you some good information about what you have.

http://www.mosin-nagant.net/

I have two. The regular long (m39) and the carbine.

After you learn how to hold them you can shoot more than five rounds a session! The learning process can be painful, though! :D

The majority of the ammo that you can buy is corrosive (the military surplus), so a good cleaning is called for after every shoot.

Enjoy!

------------------
John/az
"When freedom is at stake, your silence is not golden, it's yellow..." RKBA!

See The Legacy of Gun Control film at: www.cphv.com

Do it for the children...

[This message has been edited by John/az2 (edited September 09, 2000).]
 
Thanks,guys..You da men!!!!!!!My 15 year old figured out the cleaning rod for me..duh!!did not think to try unscrewing it.I look forward to shooting it..Thanks again...PJ
 
RepublicTbolt,

You're lucky! I've had lots of .303's cross-rim on me! It's a pain! Despite the larger rim, I've never had a problem with any of the M-N's, or Tokarev's doing the same. I don't know why, maybe it's just luck of the draw.
 
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