Redlg155
Member
Well folks, I finally got a Russian M44 this weekend at the gunshow here in PC. Paid $75 for it in a private sale, so I think I did pretty good. Metal was in great condition with a few dings in the wood. No problem as I intended on cleaning up the wood.
Here is my new baby..
Took her to the range today and had a blast shooting up some clay targets and at the 300 meter gong. Surprisingly I hit it more than a few times with my wife as my spotter!
Anyway..here are some of my first impressions.
She's a very solid feeling rifle with a slightly heavy muzzle feel. Extending the bayonnet somehow balances the feel of the rifle even though the length is increased. Sights came up unline naturally for me and the stock length was very pleasant, unlike the Russian AK series that are too short. The top of the buttstock has a slight swell to make a nice cheekrest while the profile change slightly to tilt your head over the sights. The metal buttplate leaves something to be desired, especially considering the hefty recoil of the rifle when firing in a seated position.
The designers knew what they were doing when they made an extra long forward stock section with an upper wood peice. This baby heats up very fast after a couple of rounds. The "gripping" groove in the stock makes for a comfortable hold.
As for recoil..ummm, you better shoot this baby standing up! Shooting seated groups is not a very pleasant experience. Standing makes things much more manageable and actually a fun rifle to shoot.
Feeding and extraction was positive with the weapon cocking un the upstroke of the bolt handle. The bolt cammed the rounds into place with a slight bit of effort and a couple of rounds gave me a bit of trouble. I blame the ammo rather than the weapon in thse cases. The trigger was nothing to boast about, yet it was a very serviceable military trigger. I've seen much worse examples. The firing pin slams home with some pretty good force. Light strikes are the least of my worries with this rifle.
Accuracy was 4"-6" at 100 yards. Did I shoot more than one 3 shot group?..HECK NO! That thing hurt firing seated! All I wanted to know was that my shots were centered and then I went about shooting up the rest of my 60 rounds.
So..final impressions. I like it!!!! I can see how folks get addicted to these things. My next project will definitely be a finn.
Good SHooting
RED
Here is my new baby..
Took her to the range today and had a blast shooting up some clay targets and at the 300 meter gong. Surprisingly I hit it more than a few times with my wife as my spotter!
Anyway..here are some of my first impressions.
She's a very solid feeling rifle with a slightly heavy muzzle feel. Extending the bayonnet somehow balances the feel of the rifle even though the length is increased. Sights came up unline naturally for me and the stock length was very pleasant, unlike the Russian AK series that are too short. The top of the buttstock has a slight swell to make a nice cheekrest while the profile change slightly to tilt your head over the sights. The metal buttplate leaves something to be desired, especially considering the hefty recoil of the rifle when firing in a seated position.
The designers knew what they were doing when they made an extra long forward stock section with an upper wood peice. This baby heats up very fast after a couple of rounds. The "gripping" groove in the stock makes for a comfortable hold.
As for recoil..ummm, you better shoot this baby standing up! Shooting seated groups is not a very pleasant experience. Standing makes things much more manageable and actually a fun rifle to shoot.
Feeding and extraction was positive with the weapon cocking un the upstroke of the bolt handle. The bolt cammed the rounds into place with a slight bit of effort and a couple of rounds gave me a bit of trouble. I blame the ammo rather than the weapon in thse cases. The trigger was nothing to boast about, yet it was a very serviceable military trigger. I've seen much worse examples. The firing pin slams home with some pretty good force. Light strikes are the least of my worries with this rifle.
Accuracy was 4"-6" at 100 yards. Did I shoot more than one 3 shot group?..HECK NO! That thing hurt firing seated!
All I wanted to know was that my shots were centered and then I went about shooting up the rest of my 60 rounds. So..final impressions. I like it!!!! I can see how folks get addicted to these things. My next project will definitely be a finn.
Good SHooting
RED
