Mosin-Nagant carbine in .30 carbine?

[Blimp Captain]

I have inherited a large amount of .30 Carbine ammo and I don't have a M1 Carbine nor can afford one. I was thinking about converting a Mosin-Nagant M44 or T53 (7.62x54R) to shoot the .30 Carbine using a MCA adapter. I believe the bullets are the same dimensions.

http://www.mcace.com/adapters.htm

A similiar conversions was done here....but different gun and calibers
http://www.surplusrifle.com/reviews/tigerloudhousecat/index.asp

I guess my question is will the extractor of an MN engage into to the rim of the smaller diameter case of the .30 carbine?

If it won't reach can the extractor be modified to extract the round? I am asking because I do not have a MN to look at to see if its feasible.

 

[Sunray]

"...believe the bullets are the same dimensions..." Nope. The 7.62 x 54R uses a .311" bullet. (So does milsurp 7.62 x 39. So using it in a .308 or .30-06 won't work either.) The carbine a .308" bullet.
"... will the extractor..." Nope. The 7.62 x 54R is a rimmed cartridge(.560" rim diameter), the carbine(.360" rim diameter) isn't. You'd have to move the extractor 2/10"(.200"). That'd likely cut very close to the firing pin hole(don't have one to look at either)
The whole carbine round is .425" shorter than the 7.62 x 54R case. The loaded .30 carbine round is 1.357" shorter than the 7.62 x 54R. The mag wouldn't feed .30 Carbine.
All this adds up to making a single shot rifle that won't extract.

 

[rcmodel]

It is not to supposed to extract the .30 carbine case.

It is supposed to extract the sub-caliber adapter so you can punch out the empty carbine case and reload the adapter.

Yes, it will work, even though the .308 bullet will be smaller then the bore.
You will get plinking accuracy at least.

On the otherhand, your inherited .30 Carbine ammo is worth a whole lot more to any M-1 Carbine owner.

I would just try to sell it instead of wasting it in a jury-rigged Mossy.
Then use the money to buy the correct ammo for the Mossy.


rcmodel

 

[gunnerh]

If your .30 cal carbine ammo is in boxes or cans take to a gun show. Go to any ammo dealer and trade it for any ammo you need. Good GI carbine ammo has been in short supply for a while now.
The bullet for the MN is .311, the carbine is .308. A little sloppy but it will go bang and something will fly out the barrel.

Hell is in the details

 

[JWarren]

I'm thinking that-- depending on the amount of ammo-- he could take it to a gunshow and end up trading it for an entirely new gun-- with a bit of ammo. Or ammo for a gun you DO have.

That would make more sense to me than what was proposed.


-- John

 

[Cosmoline]

You really need an M-1 to go with that ammo!

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

Inheriting that ammunition deserves research on your part if it is military surplus. Might fetch you a bit more cabbage.

 

[Blimp Captain]

Its about 1,000 rounds of Lake City ammo from the mid 40's is what I was told. They aren't in the boxes though (boxes were thrown away), they are in an ammo can now.

I thought 7.62x39 was .310 but I thought 7.62x54R was .308. I guess I was wrong. I don't have any reloading books to reference.

I realize it won't feed from the original magazine but I would like to loc-tite the adapter in the chamber and have the .30 carbine extract if possible. Is it possible to grind the side of the bolt at a precise angle so the extracter meets the smaller diameter of the smaller bullet?

Good points about selling the ammo to fund something else... I'll think about it. It just seems kind of wrong.

 

[El Rojo]

Why would it be wrong to sell that ammo to someone who is going to enjoy it more than you? Why would it be wrong to sell ammo that you plan on destroying by shooting it anyway? Why not sell the ammo to people who might want it to collect and so it will live on forever instead of being shot out of some Commie gun it was never inteded to shoot out of?

There are all sorts of ways to look at this situation.

 

[Red Tornado]

How about sticking the ammo can in the back of the closet, forgetting about it and start saving for an M1 Carbine? It may take a while to save up, but the ammo won't go bad, and you'll enjoy shooting it a lot more out of the correct gun.

Maybe I'm weird, but I've got ammo I got in a deal I couldn't pass up, and I don't have a rifle to shoot it yet. I eventually expect to have the rifle, but I'm in no hurry. In 5 - 10 years if I don't have the rifle, I can always sell the ammo for more than I could today. Patience is a virtue.
RT

 

[dscottw88]

How much would you sell it for. I might be interested. The longer i have my carbine, the more I love it! I dont know if your aware of kahr's Auto-Ordnance brand name, but they make new M1 carbines using the original mil spec blue prints and sell anywhere between $490 - $590

 

[Acheron]

The problem with Mosin-Nagants is that depending on the year of manufacture and the country that built it the bore diameter could be anywhere from .310 to as high as .314 or .315.

So if you want really good accuracy out of a MN, you need to slug the bore and find out that particular rifle's bore and handload the proper bullets. Make sure the barrel is good too (duh).

But back to the original post, either save up and buy an M1 or sell/trade the ammo at a gun show.