Cosmoline
Member
I've long disputed the conventional wisdom that you should keep some tension on the barrel of Mosin-Nagants with the bands. And in my prior experiences I've never noticed an improvement in keeping the tight as opposed to free floating the barrel. Indeed it's been my experience that freeing the barrel from stock impingement helps accuracy. BUT, today I may have encountered the exception to this rule. I was shooting an old, beat up Tikka M-91 for the first time today:
With the barrel bands loose, I shot one OK group with 180 grain Winchester/S&B softpoints at fifty yards. Two sets of touching holes, about an inch and a half apart. I then removed the handguard and made sure the barrel was completely free. And everything went to heck. Bullets all over the place. Point of impact seven to ten inches high at fifty. I ran through my good test ammo, and all of it was coming up garbage.
Then I decided to try something and just put the handguard back on, tightening the bands up. At that point all I had left was the cruddiest bottom of the barrel 'banian ball. But look how it shot!
Keep in mind that this stuff usually flies all over the place, even with good shooters. And by that point the barrel was extremely hot and the heat waves made it extremely hard to get a bead on that tiny front sight waaaaaay out there at the end of that barrel. I ran out of ammo before further testing could be completed, but I'll be sure to explore this issue more. Exactly what's going on with the barrel I have no clue. Weird Finnish voodoo fo some sort.
With the barrel bands loose, I shot one OK group with 180 grain Winchester/S&B softpoints at fifty yards. Two sets of touching holes, about an inch and a half apart. I then removed the handguard and made sure the barrel was completely free. And everything went to heck. Bullets all over the place. Point of impact seven to ten inches high at fifty. I ran through my good test ammo, and all of it was coming up garbage.
Then I decided to try something and just put the handguard back on, tightening the bands up. At that point all I had left was the cruddiest bottom of the barrel 'banian ball. But look how it shot!
Keep in mind that this stuff usually flies all over the place, even with good shooters. And by that point the barrel was extremely hot and the heat waves made it extremely hard to get a bead on that tiny front sight waaaaaay out there at the end of that barrel. I ran out of ammo before further testing could be completed, but I'll be sure to explore this issue more. Exactly what's going on with the barrel I have no clue. Weird Finnish voodoo fo some sort.