Picked up a Mosin 91/30, please advise...

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jpatterson

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I picked up this rifle today
http://www.kcguntrader.com/viewad.asp?id=50003157949100241
(I like it :evil:)

Anyway, I was shooting it earlier and I was getting pretty crappy shots with the irons, even after trying to zero for awhile. At 50 yards I shot a 3 inch group standing offhand which was the best for today, but I was hoping I'd be able to do a lot better. The front sight post was really skewed, and I ended up moving it around with a brass pine hammer and it did help, but is there any way to get good accuracy with just irons?

Also, I am looking to keep this rifle to it's tradition. Is there a good place to order that old scope and mount that used to be mounted on these? How much am I looking at to get them? Thanks!
 
try firing it with the bayonet out. I have always been told thats how they were designed to fire. Also if u search google u can find the scope and mount pretty easy. You may enjoy surplus rifle .net
 
Could be any number of things. If you aren't hitting where you are aiming, your sights need to be properly regulated. If you are hitting where you aim, but the groups aren't very good, first I'd suspect the nut behind the bolt. Then I'd focus on the bedding of the recoil lug/front action screw. I'd make sure all screws are properly tightened.

Affixing the bayonet will not help. It does help with the Model 44's with the folding bayonet. Not with the 91-30.
 
3 inches at 50 yards offhand is a good group believe it or not. Mosins aren't accurate rifles, so don't expect much when buying one. I'd says yours is probably average.
 
Mosins aren't accurate rifles

Ahem.

Mosins aren't GENERALLY 1-2MOA rifles, due to a combination of crude sights, peasant labor manufacturing, shoddy care of most of them during their service, and poor choices for ammunition today.

However.

You can occasionally find a gem. Groups at 100 yards. Keep in mind though, that GENERALLY you will not get this kind of consistent accuracy. For this one rifle, I had five or six that wouldn't match it.

 1436420700_67a374ec9f_b.png
 
3 inches at 50 yards offhand is pretty decent shooting. The Mosin iron sights aren't the easiest to use, especially compared to a peep sight like on an M-1 or Lee Enfield. I would fire it from a bench to get a baseline of what the rifle is really capable of before you change anything.

Try shimming under the recoil lug and tang with thin metal strips (soda cans work, and you can stack them to vary thickness). That's one of many things the Finns did when they tuned the Mosins they captured from the Russians. The idea is to shim the receiver enough to free float the barrel, except for right at the tip of the forend. That should have some upward pressure on the barrel. If needed you could put a piece of oiled felt or cork at the end of the forend to give it some upward pressure.

You can also shim under the sear spring with some thin metal strips to reduce trigger pull. Just go a little bit at a time, and bump the rifle butt HARD on the floor to make sure it won't go off by itself.

Make sure the tang and triggerguard screws are gorilla tight.

You might also take a look at the crown on the muzzle and see if it's dinged up. It may need touched up.
 
Visit SurplusRifle.com There's a TON of good info on Mosin's and how to tweak them. Then if that isn't enough, go to the Surplus Rifle Forum and you'll be deluged with good info!
I own and couple and they shoot fairly well with good handloads. I find most surplus ammo doesn't shoot well unless it's broken down and re-assembled. Here's some 100 yd. groups from one of mine:
Grouplabeled.gif

Good luck!
35W
 
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