Mosin-Nagant user thread

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I picked mine up from Clark Brothers out in Warrenton.. It was 89 bucks, and already had the ATI mods... Originally I stuck an old Bushnel 80 buck scope I had in the closet, but when a friend told me Wally worlds had a really nice 6-18x50mm scope for 120 bucks, I supplanted the original Bushnel. I think the rifle was accurate since the 1st day at the range. The new glass just helped the nut behind the stock(me) do a little better, especially when I read an article that advised to only use half of the available magnification. Once I did that (and got a good table mount) I started tearing up the orange dot on the "Shoot-N-See" at 100 yards.

KKKKFL
 
Range results

I posted these results on another board, but there may be some interest here with regards to the performance of MN's with and without the bayonet so heres what I found this weekend:

Bought two packs of ammo... corrosive Hungarian heavy ball, and a pack of Brown bear 7.65x54r...

Fired the Brown bear first... and after a couple clicks to adjust for this ammo, I had a nice shot placement just below the bull with shots within an inch and a half of each other(17 holes), and just below the bull. Once this pattern was established, I attached the bayonet, and carefully squeeze off the remaining 3 shots. The first one was about 6 inches above the bull and 6 inches to the right. Second shot pretty much the same place. Just to make sure zero hadn't shifted, I dropped the elevation knob down 4 clicks and sure enough the last shot was below the previous 2 and still to the right of the bull. I was pretty much convinced that the bayonet does indeed influence the harmonics of the barrel.

I then wanted to know if the pattern would be tighter, but only had the Hungarian ball ammo left, so it's not a fair completely fair comparison.
Different ammo not to mention the barrel now being at least warmed up, and the crud from the previous shots. Still with the 20 remaining shots, I zero's in with the bayonet attached, and after the 4th shot was tearing the center out of the target. If I concentrate and don't jerk the trigger, my 91/30 delivers slightly over 1 MOA at least with Hungarian corrosive heavy ball. Bottom line is that the bayonet definitely impacts the resonance and POI.

All shots taken at Clark Bro.s Warrenton temp about 50 and no wind to report.

KKKKFL
 
just got mine a couple weeks ago, 300 rounds through it so far, now its my favorite rifle that i own. <a href="http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y300/FeNiX117/?action=view&current=mossinnagant.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y300/FeNiX117/mossinnagant.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
 
For anyone that has a 1943 (preferably 91/30) what is your two letter prefix?
I'm curious as to what the lowest letter combo for that year resides in the US.
Mine is the cyrillic character "Cha" "Cha" which looks like an open top "4" but I have now way of knowing what letters they started using in 1943 at Izhevsk, or even if you could have matching numbers, but from different arsenals?

KKKKFL
 
I know there's a group of folks that will say "Oh god! Don't mess with your historic rifle!", but I'm looking to refinish my Izhevsk Mosin when I return (if it happens, gotta keep realistic) from Iraq this time around. With the stock furniture, is there any harm to the wood if I just sand off the original finish and re-stain, or will I be better off finding new wood for the rifle?
 
Boris, I am in the process of refinishing my 91/30; 60+ years of kicking around was not kind to the original finish. Instead of sanding off the old finish, strip it off with denatured alcohol, that loosens up the shellack and it wipes right off, then do your ironing, sanding and finishing.

This has been my first attempt at anything similar, but I am really pleased with how it is turning out. I found plenty of advise on stock refinishing, much of it specific to mosins, through google.

good luck man
 
Can I join the club?

Picked up a Izhevsk 91/30 this past weekend at the show. Came de-cosmolined and with all the toys. Bore looks bright and I can see the rifling clearly. I also picked up a spam can of Bulgarian surplus.

Few questions - came with sling, pouches, oil can, tools. Does anyone know where these were made? They don't seem particularly banged up and used, so I assume the importer has them made or bought them from somewhere. Although it appears the bolt took has a Izhevsk marking on it. Sling and pouches have markings that are hard to read. China?

Also, my stock has all sorts of assorted dings, dents, marks - which I love! Gives it character I say. Except one which is bothering me for no reason. On the forearm it has a bad scrape on it, like from when someone removed the barrel bands. Is there anyway to refinish that one spot without redoing the rest of the stock? I have linseed oil, will that mask that scrape?
 
Furniture

God bless you...
and as for the re-finish, the collectors among us will gasp, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.. In my case, I wanted a nice looking wood, firearm that I can pass on to my kids, and mine had already been altered by Bubba with the addition of the ATI rail, and bolt, so I wasn't in the same league with the serious collectors. I did use all manner of thinners and lacquer remover, then I really went over the stock looking for any stamps, but couldn't find any. Removing the wood forestock I looked underneath and saw the reddish original color. I took this to my wood guy at the local hardware store, and he recommended thorough sanding, and a stain. On sanding, lots of the wood that came off was oily, and I do mean gummy. It kept filling the "No-fill" sand paper, but I kept at it with ever finer sandpaper until I had wood dust coming off and it was extremely smooth to the touch. Then the Staining process began, and initially, I had a Pink rifle, but after a few treatments with a darker walnut gel stain I snuck up on the present color.(See below). Finally, I applied Mothers Gold Carnuba Wax and buffed the stock out. I haven't been to the range yet that folks don't come over and admire it... And the thing really shoots well... far better than the nut behind the trigger...me.

attachment.php


So the only question remaining is what is the year, and cyrillic character combination on your barrel?

KKKKFL
 
I will have to check the cyrillic characters when I get home but I'm pretty sure the date 1943, stamped very much to the right of center.
 
Also, one more question. Mine came with a bayonet, but that sucker is hard to get on the barrel. Really mine is only on there halfway, I can't even get it close to "locking" on there.

I understand they're this way because the army mandated they pretty much never remove them, but I'd at least like to have the ability to take mine on or off at will, for transportation, or to see how it effects the groups.

Is there a tool or method for the bayonet installation/removal? I was about to use a brass hammer to knock it on, but I'm afraid I won't be able to get it off again. And of course I'm working near the muzzle, and I don't need to damage anything.
 
I'm betting that if you look inside the barrel of the bayonet you're gonna find corrosion. Mine was hard to slip down past the front sight initially and I couldn't get it to rotate more than 20 degrees. Using my dremel tool, I polished the inside of the bayonet until it slipped on the rifle barrel easily. I then took the cutting disk and polished each side or the slot and ground out a bit so that the whole assembly slips on and snaps into place easily. It should rotate until the spring piece pops back towards the rear of the rifle, thereby locking the bayonet in place. I can post some pictures if you think it would help.
KKKKFL
 
I know what you're talking about. Inside the "blue" is rubbed clean off, it is in the white. It slides down the barrel okay with a little jiggling, but it's that turn to lock it on the front sight that it doesn't want to do. I can only get it within 1/8th of an inch from snapping the locking button back. So I think the diameter of the inside is okay, I was thinking maybe file the inside of that notch.

On the outside the base is really hacked up, maybe the previous owner had the same problem. Was also thinking maybe next time I'm at a show I'd pick up a spare or two and see if that one is looser.

And can the bolt tool really be used for leverage? I was actually thinking about that last night and I tried it out, it didn't quite seem to fit although I could hook it on the muzzle and maybe get leverage that way. Didn't want to push too hard for fear of breaking things, body parts, etc.

Thanks for all the advice in this thread.
 
Don't force it... I used the dremel cutting wheel to make it fit nice. It needs to rotate enough so that the spring snaps forward locking the bayonet in place. If you examine it closely, you will see where it is getting hung up. Take a file and smooth this area is. A few swipes with a jewelers file and it will rotate that last 32nd of an inch.
KKKKFL
 
Bayonet picts

Pictures are always the key
attachment.php


And this

attachment.php


Top picture shows the retainer popped back along the side of the front sight. If you look closely at the bottom picture you can see the rear ring, and you can see where I had to use the file so that the entire assembly would rotate enough for the spring to pop back. Initially, I had thought it was the front that was hanging it up, and you can see where I slipped with the cutting wheel and now have a little slice. As it turned out it was the rear that was hanging up the rotation. Just be sure that the corrosion inside is all removed, I did this with a barrel sanding drum on the dremel, but it was still pinching on the base of the sight until I used the jewelers file to remove a little more. It now snaps and locks securly in place.

KKKKFL

KKKKFL
 

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Okay, you made me do it, here's my 1938 Tula Manf. PU:

attachment.php


I love the old warhorse but unfortunately it scares the hell out of my girlfriend, she shot it once then would not touch it, not even to carry it to the car.:D
 
Even if the rifle's numbers are matching, chances are the bayonet isn't. My is all matching and sqaured up, but I can only get the bayonet down halfway.

Here's a question, if I get a M44 and make it a scout, what type of accuracy can I honestly expect? Will scoping it improve accuracy that much or should I leave the sight open and blame my eyes?
 
Yeah, mine is all numbers matching, even the buttplate - but not the bayonet.

Franco, when you say front and rear, do you mean the front and rear of the notch? It looks like you trimmed the retainer too, it looks shorter on the one on mine:

DSCN0245.gif

That's as far as mine will go, still got a few millimeters before it locks.
 
With my very limited rifle background (.22 single-shot and the broken, new Kahr M-1 Carbine....), how about spare parts and gunsmith skills for a Mosin-Nagant 44 or the longer models?

Could spare parts be easily found and how often do you find a gunsmith who can make any reasonably foreseen repairs? I'm no mechanic, and am considering one for my ONLY LONG-range weapon, but not for hunting-just basic marksmanship.

Are these guns, whether firing pins, extractors, magazine springs etc quite dependable for the long-term if often lubricated and kept clean? Would you avoid any certain country's production?
Maybe the 7.62 x 54R ammo will not dry up as fast as 'Classic Arms' states on their website, due to sending ammo to train Iraqis?

Thank you very much for any information . :)


Wade XD-40:

I saw four Mosins way up in a northern MS town about a week ago. Two were the longer series, and two the shorter carbines. It is the Army/Navy pawn shop. You need proof of either MS or AL residence to buy one.
 
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