Quality of my Rifling (Mosin)

SigP6Carry · March 9, 2010, 06:55 PM

I've got a 42 M91/30. I love it. It shoots pretty well. But, I finally got around taking pictures of my rifling and found that I could decipher how well it looked.

Would ya'll mind helping me out a little?

See, to me: it's always looked clean and bright. But, I'm starting to think I may not have been the best judge of it. The crown looks a little on the weak side, too.

edit: note that it isn't rusted and pitted like the picture makes it look. The bore is actually very clean, the camera (a crappy Sony) makes things look crappy at close range, combine that with a 2D maglite and it makes things look rather brown.

noelf2 · March 9, 2010, 10:25 PM

don't worry about it. if it shoot good, it's a keeper.

TX Hunter · March 9, 2010, 10:34 PM

Looks like good strong rifiling to me.
Just remember to clean it well after shooting corrosive ammo.
Very nice pictures by the way.

SigP6Carry · March 9, 2010, 10:46 PM

I actually don't shoot corrosive ammo through it, for fear of eating away the rifling. I fire Wolf and Brown Bear threw it. (is that the right "threw?") to ensure the longevity of my barrel and accuracy. With Wolf, I get about 1.5MOA. Brown Bear, I've never really measured. But When I really started looking into Mosin's and their issues, I started thinking I might have jumped the gun on my gun's accuracy rating and maybe it was less of a quality weapon than I thought.

Edit, also, the math adds up about right for me: $11-12 per 20 = $.55-60 per round vs. $44 per round for surplus ammo. I'll pay an extra ten cents per round to promote the longevity of my rifle's life, plus guaranteeing the quality of my ammo.

hickstick_10 · March 9, 2010, 11:20 PM

if you really want longevity out of your pet gun, look into reloading led bullets, especially if you have some guns (like your mosin) you enjoy shooting alot.

I myself thought it was silly to load lead, but it really grew on me and I doubt I'l wear out a barrel in my lifetime if I use suitable powders.

You seem to care about quality ammo that isn't high priced (as anyone would), and this points to handloading ammo. Surplus ammo in that caliber wont be around forever, in fact I remember when 303 british was as common as hens teeth as well.

5whiskey · March 9, 2010, 11:21 PM

Thomme, you really don't have to worry about shooting corrosive ammo. As long as you clean within a couple of days after firing you will be fine. I will say that it may be worth it for you to pay an extra 10 cents per round to not have to worry about cleaning EVERY time... and hey, I can't say as I blame you. I'm a tightwad, you may not be.

Your rifling is pitted and the rifle will never be worth more than the value of the lumber that comprises the stock. As a matter of fact, it looks as if this would be a potential danger to shoot. Were you willing to send it to me, I would be willing to dispose of this pitted and rusted firearm, that is obviously useless and a potential hazard, for free for you. I'll even pay shipping

JK in the bold, it looks pretty darn good for a Mosin. They're good rifles, but a crap shoot on the bore. Looks like you have a fairly decent one.

SigP6Carry · March 10, 2010, 03:27 AM

I looked into it. And Shipping alone is $200. Plus my own finder's fee of $50. So, if you want this particular piece of crap, go ahead.

But, yeah, like I've said. It "seems" to shoot 1.5 MOA with Wolf (the honest truth is: out of 10 shots, the closest five were within 1.5" of each other with the epicenter a couple centimeters {I must digress on centimeters, the "center" was truly a few inches, not centimeters. I'm'a bad judge of distance [I once thought a 12" pizza would feed 4 people]} to the lower right of the bullseye [this was freehand... I'll try it out benched soon]) Brown bear, I never checked how close the shots really were. I don't know what the weight of the bullet has on it, cause of that. I've considered spending the next couple years converting it into a PU, but I'm not 100% confident in the rifle itself. I don't want to convert a "minute of a pie-plate [a phrase I've heard regarding these]" rifle into a $400 piece of crap that looks cool cause of the "Enemy at the Gates."

I've always thought the bore looked bright, clean, crisp and nice. But I'm new to the who judgement of weapons type thing... and am not 100% I'm a good judge.

Cheapshooter · March 13, 2010, 12:53 PM

The first Mosin I bought was a M44. Looked great on the outside, but when I cleaned it, brushed and swabbed out the bore, looking through the barrel was like looking down a gravel road!. The rifling was still strong, just very pitted.
It still shot great, and I still have it.

TX Hunter · March 13, 2010, 05:36 PM

I just bought my first Mossin today, I actually bought it for my Son, from a private collector.
Ours has the Octogon reciever and is dated 1933.
The rifleing looks as good as the one pictured here.
We dont have any amunition for it yet, but cant wait to try it.

Rcinit · March 13, 2010, 09:36 PM

I just picked up a Tula hex 91/30(1932) myself. This one is for me since my son claimed the M44 I bought. My 91/30 rifleing looks great, I couldn't have asked for a better bore. It actually has a really nice shine to it. Almost mirror like. Not as good as my new hunting rifles but still very very nice. Shoots great too. I'm going to go shoot it at 100 meter's this weekend to see how well I can do with it. It prolly out shoot me since I can't all that great.

SigP6Carry · March 14, 2010, 03:27 AM

Rcinit, I think most rifles outshoot their owners, no offense! Have fun with your 91/30! They're great rifles!

ksstargazer · March 15, 2010, 09:08 AM

Looks like very good rifling. These rifles have shot corrosive ammo through them since they were made over 60 years ago. Just clean them properly and they will continue to shoot relatively accurately for years to come. I have put thousands of rounds of corrosive ammo through mine without any loss of accuracy.

Gunplummer · March 30, 2010, 04:46 PM

I agree with the majority of you guys, there is way too much emphasis put on shiney bright bores. I have a 6.5 Arisaka I re-cut to 6.5x55 and the barrel was so bad when I got it that I could not get a cleaning patch through without ripping. I put a steel brush on a cleaning rod, soaked it with bore cleaner, and used an electric drill on it until I could run a patch through decently. It may have been salt water and ammo rust. It still doesn't look great up the bore, but it is the best 6.5 I have @100 yards. After that I don't worry about dark bores when I buy something.

March 9, 2010, 06:55 PM	#1
SigP6Carry Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2009 Posts: 1,086	Quality of my Rifling (Mosin) I've got a 42 M91/30. I love it. It shoots pretty well. But, I finally got around taking pictures of my rifling and found that I could decipher how well it looked. Would ya'll mind helping me out a little? See, to me: it's always looked clean and bright. But, I'm starting to think I may not have been the best judge of it. The crown looks a little on the weak side, too. edit: note that it isn't rusted and pitted like the picture makes it look. The bore is actually very clean, the camera (a crappy Sony) makes things look crappy at close range, combine that with a 2D maglite and it makes things look rather brown. __________________ -liberal gun nut = exception to the rule- -1.24274238 miles, because Russians don't need scopes- -Gun control was the Klan's favorite law, how can you advocate a set of laws designed to allow the denigration of a people?- Last edited by SigP6Carry; March 9, 2010 at 07:31 PM.

March 9, 2010, 10:25 PM	#2
noelf2 Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2008 Location: Stuart, VA Posts: 2,473	don't worry about it. if it shoot good, it's a keeper. __________________ Liberty and freedom often offends those who understand neither.

March 9, 2010, 10:46 PM	#4
SigP6Carry Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2009 Posts: 1,086	I actually don't shoot corrosive ammo through it, for fear of eating away the rifling. I fire Wolf and Brown Bear threw it. (is that the right "threw?") to ensure the longevity of my barrel and accuracy. With Wolf, I get about 1.5MOA. Brown Bear, I've never really measured. But When I really started looking into Mosin's and their issues, I started thinking I might have jumped the gun on my gun's accuracy rating and maybe it was less of a quality weapon than I thought. Edit, also, the math adds up about right for me: $11-12 per 20 = $.55-60 per round vs. $44 per round for surplus ammo. I'll pay an extra ten cents per round to promote the longevity of my rifle's life, plus guaranteeing the quality of my ammo. __________________ -liberal gun nut = exception to the rule- -1.24274238 miles, because Russians don't need scopes- -Gun control was the Klan's favorite law, how can you advocate a set of laws designed to allow the denigration of a people?- Last edited by SigP6Carry; March 9, 2010 at 11:03 PM.

March 10, 2010, 03:27 AM	#7
SigP6Carry Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2009 Posts: 1,086	I looked into it. And Shipping alone is $200. Plus my own finder's fee of $50. So, if you want this particular piece of crap, go ahead. But, yeah, like I've said. It "seems" to shoot 1.5 MOA with Wolf (the honest truth is: out of 10 shots, the closest five were within 1.5" of each other with the epicenter a couple centimeters {I must digress on centimeters, the "center" was truly a few inches, not centimeters. I'm'a bad judge of distance [I once thought a 12" pizza would feed 4 people]} to the lower right of the bullseye [this was freehand... I'll try it out benched soon]) Brown bear, I never checked how close the shots really were. I don't know what the weight of the bullet has on it, cause of that. I've considered spending the next couple years converting it into a PU, but I'm not 100% confident in the rifle itself. I don't want to convert a "minute of a pie-plate [a phrase I've heard regarding these]" rifle into a $400 piece of crap that looks cool cause of the "Enemy at the Gates." I've always thought the bore looked bright, clean, crisp and nice. But I'm new to the who judgement of weapons type thing... and am not 100% I'm a good judge. __________________ -liberal gun nut = exception to the rule- -1.24274238 miles, because Russians don't need scopes- -Gun control was the Klan's favorite law, how can you advocate a set of laws designed to allow the denigration of a people?- Last edited by SigP6Carry; March 10, 2010 at 03:39 AM.

March 14, 2010, 03:27 AM	#11
SigP6Carry Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2009 Posts: 1,086	Rcinit, I think most rifles outshoot their owners, no offense! Have fun with your 91/30! They're great rifles! __________________ -liberal gun nut = exception to the rule- -1.24274238 miles, because Russians don't need scopes- -Gun control was the Klan's favorite law, how can you advocate a set of laws designed to allow the denigration of a people?-

March 9, 2010, 10:34 PM	#3
TX Hunter Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2010 Location: East Texas USA Posts: 1,805	Looks like good strong rifiling to me. Just remember to clean it well after shooting corrosive ammo. Very nice pictures by the way.

March 9, 2010, 11:20 PM	#5
hickstick_10 Senior Member Join Date: August 8, 2009 Posts: 477	if you really want longevity out of your pet gun, look into reloading led bullets, especially if you have some guns (like your mosin) you enjoy shooting alot. I myself thought it was silly to load lead, but it really grew on me and I doubt I'l wear out a barrel in my lifetime if I use suitable powders. You seem to care about quality ammo that isn't high priced (as anyone would), and this points to handloading ammo. Surplus ammo in that caliber wont be around forever, in fact I remember when 303 british was as common as hens teeth as well.

March 9, 2010, 11:21 PM	#6
5whiskey Senior Member Join Date: October 23, 2005 Location: US Posts: 3,657	Thomme, you really don't have to worry about shooting corrosive ammo. As long as you clean within a couple of days after firing you will be fine. I will say that it may be worth it for you to pay an extra 10 cents per round to not have to worry about cleaning EVERY time... and hey, I can't say as I blame you. I'm a tightwad, you may not be. Your rifling is pitted and the rifle will never be worth more than the value of the lumber that comprises the stock. As a matter of fact, it looks as if this would be a potential danger to shoot. Were you willing to send it to me, I would be willing to dispose of this pitted and rusted firearm, that is obviously useless and a potential hazard, for free for you. I'll even pay shipping JK in the bold, it looks pretty darn good for a Mosin. They're good rifles, but a crap shoot on the bore. Looks like you have a fairly decent one.

March 13, 2010, 12:53 PM	#8
Cheapshooter Senior Member Join Date: December 2, 2007 Location: Missouri Posts: 8,306	The first Mosin I bought was a M44. Looked great on the outside, but when I cleaned it, brushed and swabbed out the bore, looking through the barrel was like looking down a gravel road!. The rifling was still strong, just very pitted. It still shot great, and I still have it.

March 13, 2010, 05:36 PM	#9
TX Hunter Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2010 Location: East Texas USA Posts: 1,805	I just bought my first Mossin today, I actually bought it for my Son, from a private collector. Ours has the Octogon reciever and is dated 1933. The rifleing looks as good as the one pictured here. We dont have any amunition for it yet, but cant wait to try it.

March 13, 2010, 09:36 PM	#10
Rcinit Member Join Date: July 21, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 40	I just picked up a Tula hex 91/30(1932) myself. This one is for me since my son claimed the M44 I bought. My 91/30 rifleing looks great, I couldn't have asked for a better bore. It actually has a really nice shine to it. Almost mirror like. Not as good as my new hunting rifles but still very very nice. Shoots great too. I'm going to go shoot it at 100 meter's this weekend to see how well I can do with it. It prolly out shoot me since I can't all that great.

March 15, 2010, 09:08 AM	#12
ksstargazer Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2004 Location: Flint Hills of Kansas Posts: 316	Looks like very good rifling. These rifles have shot corrosive ammo through them since they were made over 60 years ago. Just clean them properly and they will continue to shoot relatively accurately for years to come. I have put thousands of rounds of corrosive ammo through mine without any loss of accuracy.

March 30, 2010, 04:46 PM	#13
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	I agree with the majority of you guys, there is way too much emphasis put on shiney bright bores. I have a 6.5 Arisaka I re-cut to 6.5x55 and the barrel was so bad when I got it that I could not get a cleaning patch through without ripping. I put a steel brush on a cleaning rod, soaked it with bore cleaner, and used an electric drill on it until I could run a patch through decently. It may have been salt water and ammo rust. It still doesn't look great up the bore, but it is the best 6.5 I have @100 yards. After that I don't worry about dark bores when I buy something.