Mosin Nagant... I got questions

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Blanco

Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2012
Messages
152
Location
Cowtown Tx.
Just picked up a sporterized MN.
Never really had an interest in these guns before, But got a sweet deal on one with the modified bolt and a mount and scope with the monte carlo stock.
Now the questions. Barrel seems a bit long on this one? Is it possible to shorten without killing the accuracy? does it need the length to stabalize the bullet?
Who makes a nice soft point lead core ammo for this?
 
The barrel Isn't to long... All Mosin Nagants, besides the M44 Carbine have freakishly long barrels.

Is it possible to shorten without killing the accuracy?
-Yes it is, The shortest I would go is about 20 inches.

Does it need the length to stabalize the bullet?
-No, from rumor/experience I hear the barrel doesn't have the harmonix for a barrel of that legnth to even stabalize a bullet correctly. Also I hear the round loses speed even before it exits the 29 inch barrel.

-Who makes a nice soft point lead core ammo for this?
There are many brands, I just go with Prvi Partizan.
 
Since this is a new to me rifle where are the best places for information on these?
I honestly just don't know much about them.
 
The long barrel makes them much more pleasant to shoot as the blast is much farther from your ears.
 
I bubbatized mine, cut down to 23"s its no less accurate then at 28 or what ever it was. I handload with h-4350 and i have noticed a distinct loss in velocity cutting the barrel back, but the handling is worth the change imo.
Blast is increased, and honestly it seems alot worse then it should for the size round it fires, odd that. Im running 4 grains more powder out of my 06 with a 1" longer tube, and it seems alot more pleasant to fire.

If you want to get the most out of your nagant, i highly suggest you slug the bore and handload for it. If its in good shape it will almost certainly be worth the time and effort.
 
I would assume because these are so old there are not many aftermarket goodies for them? What is a good source for parts?
 
Scope mounts of a number of designs, stocks from ati and boyds as well as sellers on ebay, triggers from timney and huber, bolt handles from a number of sources, sights.

There are some other things i think, but off hand i cant remember.
 
You could cut off the barrel yourself with a hacksaw and get a bit for recrowning the barrel or take it to your local gun shop. If you do it yourself; I would advise you to do a little bit of youtube research/learning.
 
I know this may make a few of you cry....
Just remember I got it in this condition. I did not bubbatize this myself.

MosinNagant002.jpg

MosinNagant003.jpg

MosinNagant004.jpg

Any of you who have followed my previous projects knows that this is NOT how this will remain. I will not, however, be restoring it to it's original condition either.
Not sure if you noticed ... The replacement bolt handle is... a bolt
 
Just a quick addition
I bead blasted all that nasty Krylon off the gun. The date stamp on the barrel is 1943.
It has the crest of the sickle and hammer.
If this one could tell stories....
 
Well... good or bad
The barrel has been cut from the end of the chamber, it is 20"
Really not so much for cosmetics, the last couple of inches of the old barrel had no rifiling left. It was nearly worn smooth.
 
I also did a good scrubbing of the inside of the barrel. I used my homemade Ed's red formula with ammonia. This is the first gun I have cleaned with the Ed's that green and blue crud came out of the barrel for several passes. Really nasty.
 
I was really active on the russian-mosin-nagant forum for quite some time, right up until my Izzy 91/30 was stolen. They're really great guns, and though there's a large contingent of folks who think sporterizers should all be hung drawn and quartered (be careful asking such questions over there, you may end up getting lynched or finding your gun crammed someplace you don't especially want it, and with NO lube) quite a few people do do it.

As far as I can tell, the point of diminishing return on barrel length is around 22-24 inches depending on the load you use. Lean toward faster powders for the shorter barrel and you should be happy. Lots of places make aftermarket bits, however I kept mine stock just for the pure nostalgia of it. Been meaning to get hold of a barreled action (or one with a fugly stock) and do a sporter on it though.

Shortening the barrel isn't exactly difficult; cut it very slightly longer than you want it with a hacksaw (try and get it as square as you can) and then use a Brownell's barrel crowning tool to finish it off. A good crown really is important for accuracy, so take your time with it. This tool http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=628/Product/79-deg-MUZZLE-CROWNING-CUTTER will do you well (along with the right size pilot and a handle to match).
 
My favorite and best shooting MN is a 91/59 I bought some years back for $60-$70. The bore looks new, and cleaning it with all manner of copper-scrubbing, metal-removing solvents never showed a speck of blue-green. But it shoots the heavy ball and the newer light ball to the same point of aim (I haven't exactly figured that out, but guess they tailored the light load to point of aim), and at 100 yds, it puts them into about 2-3" at 100 yds, no more. I like the 59 because of the 20" bbl & that it doesn't have the bayonet/bayonet mount hanging off the side of the bbl. It and a VZ-24 I sporterized (wood only - it was a former railroad tie on the Orient Express) & glass-bedded, are my best military shooters. I have a 2520 load & Rem 180 gr 323s that will shoot into an honest an witnessed 1" at 100 yds off sandbags. Sorry, that was an aside - but it highlights that a military rifle may well have the ability to shoot like a state of the art sniper. Shoot yours first & see how it does, then decide what all you want to do. Have fun with it!
Cheers,
George J.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top