Russian Mosin 91-30 Accuracy

[farmerboy78]

Well this may upset some people but here I go, the best may to make them shoot is to totally float the barrel and do a cut and recrown to about 24" to get rid of barrel whip...or just spend a little more and get a finn...buy two Russians that won't shoot or spend the same money and get one good shooting rifle...I am a modder and I know you can make them shoot if they have a tight bore...

 

[Ash]

Floating the barrel often isn't a good solution for 91/30's it seems. Indeed, it seems they benefit best from applying pressure at some point in the forearm against the barrel. Mosin shooters have had tremendous luck with shimming the barrel at various places, adjusting the shim until they shoot as desired.

If barrel whip were a problem, then M91's would shoot even worse but I have a New England Westinghouse that is very accurate. Now, the Finns did free-float their barrels (generally by shimming the action) and the results are excellent.

 

[farmerboy78]

Well again, I say float the barrel...each of these are submoa rifles to 400yds or further

 

[farmerboy78]

Here's more

 

[Ash]

Again, sometimes that doesn't work. Some 91/30's (or many, many rifles, including commercial hunting rifles) actually shoot better with a pressure point instead of free-floating.

 

[Swing]

Hard to say as the quality varies so wildly on this milsurp. Most I've seen shot for crap. Some were actually pretty darn accurate.

 

[Holescreek]

Well again, I say float the barrel...each of these are submoa rifles to 400yds or further

Sub MOA for 3 shots or 5? And if 5, how much time between shots?

 

[Ash]

Swing, no offense, but how many have you seen? Most I have seen, and that has been quite alot, shoot fine.

 

[farmerboy78]

All of my mosin will do 5 shots submoa, and I fire normally...I don't give much time in between other than to get the rifle just so so on my shoulder and get a good sight picture, then I squeeze the trigger... but I'll tell you this, they are all finns...3 m28/76, m39, I have a m28/30, and working on a scout tikka m91

 

[Plinkin' Logs]

I've gotten 1.5 MOA with my 91/30, but it is free floated, bedded and has a muzzle brake, trigger job with return spring, modern steel cased 54r, and was in unfired conditon when I bought it. Keep in mind this is completely rested on a bipod but with stock iron-sights

 

[razorback2003]

I went out and shot the old Mosin Nagant today on a short 50 yard range. I was shooting Monarch/Brown Bear steel cased 180 grain FMJ ammo. I was able to get a 2 inch cluster with the open sights at 50 yards. That's not bad for that kind of gun with open sights and a heavy trigger. I figure 100 should be under 4 inches.

 

[farmerboy78]

I've gotten 1.5 MOA with my 91/30, but it is free floated, bedded and has a muzzle brake, trigger job with return spring, modern steel cased 54r, and was in unfired conditon when I bought it. Keep in mind this is completely rested on a bipod but with stock iron-sights

If this rifle were scoped, I think you would greatly reduce the group? What kind of trigger are you running? And what is your barrel length?

 

[TIMC]

Mine will do about.5" at 100 yards good tight bore and old eyes so I think it is pretty good. It was good enough to put this pig down with a head shot at 100 yards!

 

[farmerboy78]

Is that a refurbished or original pu?

 

[TIMC]

It is refurbished, the reproduction scope came from the Ukraine. Very nice clear glass and easy to sight in. I am getting away with .308 bullets in my hand loads because of a very tight bore.

 

[Thermactor]

The problem with getting an accurate 91/30 is that you'll pay out the nose for one. Finnish Mosins are expensive. A 91/30 PU is stupid expensive.

A better deal is found in those Swiss Schmidt-Rubin-style surplus rifles that are accurate out of the box for less money.

 

[ol' scratch]

Mine will do about.5" at 100 yards good tight bore and old eyes so I think it is pretty good. It was good enough to put this pig down with a head shot at 100 yards!

That comment about 1/2 group and a tight bore peaked my interest. The fact that you are using .308 diameter bullets in your other post was also interesting as I have a very tight bore on my PU. As I said, I was getting 3/4 inch three shot groups at 100 using surplus. Really makes me want to get the press out and set up to work up a load with the PU .

 

[ol' scratch]

The problem with getting an accurate 91/30 is that you'll pay out the nose for one. Finnish Mosins are expensive. A 91/30 PU is stupid expensive.

A better deal is found in those Swiss Schmidt-Rubin-style surplus rifles that are accurate out of the box for less money.

I really don't think the original PU's are "stupid" expensive. Have you priced an actual surplus sniper rifle recently? They are the lest expensive honest to goodness sniper rifles I have seen as of late. Frankly, I think they are going to really increase in value, import marked or not.

That said, the Schmidt-Rubin is a very cool rifle and the price isn't too bad.

 

[TIMC]

The fact that you are using .308 diameter bullets in your other post was also interesting as I have a very tight bore on my PU. As I said, I was getting 3/4 inch three shot groups at 100 using surplus. Really makes me want to get the press out and set up to work up a load with the PU.

If you can use .308 bullets it opens up a lot more variety in bullet styles. Mine shoots very well out to 200 yards which is as far as I have tried it. I was talking about 1.5" groups not .5 (I hate iPhones!) but that was 5 round groups.

 

[Thermactor]

I really don't think the original PU's are "stupid" expensive. Have you priced an actual surplus sniper rifle recently? They are the lest expensive honest to goodness sniper rifles I have seen as of late. Frankly, I think they are going to really increase in value, import marked or not.

That said, the Schmidt-Rubin is a very cool rifle and the price isn't too bad.

$799 buy it now on GunBroker for an actual surplus PU.

 

[ol' scratch]

$799 buy it now on GunBroker for an actual surplus PU.

Well there's your problem Gunbroker is a bit inflated, but compared to other milsurp sniper rifles, still the least expensive. I purchased mine from AIM two years ago. It was $595 and had only one force matched part- the magazine floor plate. The scope is original to the rifle. The scope serial number is stamped into the barrel shank. It has the correct sniper marked stock. They are out at the moment. I do have to admit, I hadn't checked in a month, but at that time they were around $625. Classic has them too sometimes and so does SOG. Royal Tiger Imports has them right now for $699. I would spend some more time looking, but I have a honey do list I have to get done. I would venture a guess that you could find them for less than that $799 Gunbroker listing without much searching.

 

[lionking]

Some grouping I have got with a couple Mosin 91/30 and various factory ammo.

1939 Tula



1943 Izhevsk

 

[lionking]

I have a couple 91/30 I haven't even test fired yet but one day I'll see how they do also. But it is a crap shoot. My experience is the long 91/30 tends to favor light ball and the carbines M38 and M44 tend to favor heavy ball. PP and S&B giving better results then cheaper ammo.

But for much better accuracy a Finish Mosin is the way to go.
Below is a couple tests from two Finish I have.

 

[farmerboy78]

Oh yeah I love the finns, matter of fact my custom m28/76 I have suppressed is a ex sniper asev1 with a .308 bore...super accurate, I picked it up as a barreled action with the sights already removed... so I built it into a custom nail driver...I have shot it to 628yds... but my most accurate is a m28/76, 1894 french action with a 1969 sako barrel with a .308 bore...I have shot sub 2" groups at 450 and 500 yds with it...

 

[WardenWolf]

A good Mosin can shoot 1 MOA or better. One trick you can do is cork the barrel. Get a cork sheet of the thinnest cork you can get, and put some under the upper handguard. You may have to relieve it some. This will relieve some barrel resonance.

Additionally, some Mosins shoot better when they're not perfectly clean. You probably shouldn't be doing a deep cleaning on the barrel, because fouling can fill in any imperfections in the barrel and allow it to shoot better. A standard cleaning is sufficient.