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Old June 14, 2013, 08:55 PM   #1
Chowder
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Mosin followed me home.

I have been meaning to pick up Mosin Nagant in some form eventually. They are so cheap and plentiful I figured why not, but I kept putting it off. Lately the prices started to climb just a tad so when I saw this laminated stock M44 I though now is as good a time as any. I paid a little more for it then I wanted to but the M44 looked great and has a nice shiny bore and sharp rifling. Only issue I saw was the crown looks a bit beat up so I might as well re crown it to a nice target crown.

Since it didn't happen without pics...



It is a 1945 production and I will have to look up the manufacture. Going to sight it in tomorrow and might remove the bayonet. I will get better pictures then. I also got a little money knocked off 2 440 cans of ammo for buying the gun at the same time so I guess a little higher price for a better than average Mosin isn't so bad.
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Old June 14, 2013, 09:01 PM   #2
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Very nice!!!
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Old June 14, 2013, 09:03 PM   #3
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Get some Prvi Partisan ammo, brass case, boxer primed, and reload for it.

Fun rifles to shoot. Keep the bayonet on it, it belongs there.
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Old June 14, 2013, 09:10 PM   #4
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its a pretty rifle, it'd be a shame to remove the bayonet on one in such condition.

if I wanted a carbine without the bayonet I would get a M38 or get one of the piecer type 53s that century is peddling nowadays with no matching numbers and take the bayonet off of it.
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Old June 14, 2013, 09:16 PM   #5
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I might leave the bayonet on, but it is put on with a screw, its not like I can't just put it back on if I felt like it. I don't plan on messing with the rifle other than getting it to shoot strait. Of course, it may shoot strait already so I will find out tomorrow.
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Old June 14, 2013, 09:20 PM   #6
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Quote:
if I wanted a carbine without the bayonet I would get a M38 or get one of the piecer type 53s that century is peddling nowadays with no matching numbers and take the bayonet off of it.
I found a local shop with a bunch of mismatched 91/30s for a good price. I might pick one of those up soon if I get the itch to start messing with a mosin. Don't worry guys I very much appreciate the fact that this is a numbers matching rifle, you wont see scout scopes and bi-pods on this one .
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Old June 16, 2013, 06:44 PM   #7
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Got my M44 to the range today. After struggling a bit to get it sighted in and getting used to the sights on this rifle I have to say I am impressed! Most of the frustration sighting it is was because I forgot my hammer so I was drifting the sight with a punch and small rock .

The front fight was flush to the mount in this pic when I started so I had to drift it pretty far to be dead on.



I have only sighted in iron sights once so this might not be drifted very much, it just seemed a lot to me.

So once I got it shooting where I aimed it I moved out to 75 yards to see what I could do. I was shooting off the bench with elbows resting on the bench for support . I was all over the place at figuring out where to hold as the elevation was high. I figured out that a 6 o'clock hold right on the bottom of the black circle on my target was dead on.

This is was my best group after some practice.




That shot off to the bottom right I knew was off as I was pulling the trigger... Next time I wont let it happen .

At 100 yards I struggled a bit more with elevation, I think I need to figure out how to add some height to the front sight.



Over all I am super happy with this rifle and think it will be coming to the range with me very often.
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Old June 16, 2013, 07:41 PM   #8
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that's about all the accuracy you can hope to get out of most of these rifles so you did pretty good. match ammo or handloads would shrink those groups by a bit and eventually the holdover will become almost second nature to you.
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Old June 16, 2013, 07:50 PM   #9
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Mosin followed me home.

I finally ordered an Excellent-grade 91/30 that I should be able to pick up in the middle of this week. Very excited. Enjoy yours!
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Old June 16, 2013, 08:02 PM   #10
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No its not the most you can get out of accuracy. A bit of practice will tighten those groups up.

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At 100 yards I struggled a bit more with elevation, I think I need to figure out how to add some height to the front sight.
I wouldn't fool with the front sight. It's a simple fix but from the rear sight.

On the Mosin Nagant, every movement of your sights 0.0068
inches moves the impact 1 inch at 100 yards.

Sight radius divided by 3600 (3600 inches in a hundred yards) tells you how much to move the sights to move the impact 1 inch.

The sight radius of the Mosin 91/30 is 24 3/8s. Divide that by 3600 and you get .0068.

Find the center of the group, and measure how high it is. Mine was 7 inches high at 100 yards when set on the 100 mark on the sights.

I wanted to keep it legal per CMP Rules so I couldn't change the front sight, but I could adjust the rear sight.

I too the sights off the rifle and turned it up side down and milled .048 of the bottom of the sliding part of the sight.

Put the sight back on and its on at 100 when on the 100 mark, same with 200, 300 and 400, (didn't try it past that).

--------------------------------------------------------------------

What I like most about the Mosin is its cheap, its accurate, its reliable, and the ammo is cheap. I can shoot surplus ammo cheaper then I can shoot cast bullets.

It's competitive in the CMP GSM matches, this means any one can afford to get into competition.

I hate to see shooting sports become a rich man's sport. That's why I like the CMP matches. The Mosin fits perfectly.

Difference between a accurate Mosin and a not so accurate Mosin is learning how to shoot it, and lots of practice.
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Old June 16, 2013, 08:07 PM   #11
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Thanks for the responses everyone. Kraigwy, I didn't even think about adjusting the rear sight that's a great idea. Doesn't seem too difficult as long as I'm patient with it. It's easier to take away metal than it is to add, as long as I don't take too much haha.
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Old June 17, 2013, 09:19 AM   #12
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You can also slip a small piece of tubing over the front sight post.
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Old June 18, 2013, 07:31 PM   #13
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The sights are in meters, not yards. At 100 meters on the sight, you are shooting at 109 yards. Just aim at the belt buckle on the target, you'll get used to where it's at.
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Old June 18, 2013, 08:42 PM   #14
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Quote:
The sights are in meters, not yards. At 100 meters on the sight, you are shooting at 109 yards. Just aim at the belt buckle on the target, you'll get used to where it's at.
I guess I forgot that, should be embarrassed to think a 68 year old Russian rifle would be in yards haha. Of course, it would still be about 6" high at 100 meters but that is something to consider.

Quote:
You can also slip a small piece of tubing over the front sight post.
If I can find the right diameter in a rigid tube that might be an easy removable trick. Great Idea!

I just picked up some large Silhouette targets for this weekend. I think I am going to try and go out to 2-300 yards and see how I do.
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Old June 19, 2013, 05:05 PM   #15
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It's still shooting a bit high, but not as much as you thought. These were military rifles and made to shoot a bit high, the idea was to aim at the belt and hit the chest area. I'd spend some time running various ammo makes through it, see what's the most consistent.
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Old June 19, 2013, 08:44 PM   #16
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kraigwy,

I forgot to ask if you had access to a machine shop or if you used hand tools to fix your rear sight. I have a decent quality dial caliper but only access to hand tools. I was also looking at the rear sight and saw that only one corner of the adjustment block on the sight touches the ramp. So theoretically I could remove some material from that edge and have the same effect correct? I might be easier that way with hand tools as long as I am very careful about not taking too much material as a corner would file very fast.
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Old June 20, 2013, 03:50 PM   #17
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He said he used a mill, but if you're only "hitting" on a corner, that's easy enough to do with a file or stone since you don't need to carry that across the width of the sight. Calipers should be accurate enough for a couple of hundredth's off.
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Old June 20, 2013, 04:09 PM   #18
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Nice looking rifle. I almost bought 1 and an SKS for $400 for both at a store. Bought an AK for $450 instead. Those were the times. They'll never that cheap again and that was just 2 years ago.
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Old June 20, 2013, 07:29 PM   #19
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Nice looking rifle. I almost bought 1 and an SKS for $400 for both at a store. Bought an AK for $450 instead. Those were the times. They'll never that cheap again and that was just 2 years ago.
I would take either of those deals in a second lol
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Old June 22, 2013, 09:21 AM   #20
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The Soviet Mosin is a good battle rifle which proved it's merit in several wars and conflicts. My chief complaint is the mediocre safety device.

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Old June 22, 2013, 09:26 AM   #21
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Safety? We don't need no stinking safety!

No kidding...which is half the reason I use the Timney...

I just can't believe that soldiers in theater would ever have used it. Can you imagine trying to manipulate that cocking knob over when it's below zero, with heavy gloves on your hand?

I'd be surprised if AD's weren't commonplace.
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Old June 23, 2013, 01:03 PM   #22
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range shooting
one thing i can recommend to help with distance shooting is this

-take a small brush and a bright colored model paint, i used yellow.

-apply a bit to tip of front sight

this helps make it stand out against black/dark targets, i had issues hitting accurately before i did this, after this i hit some nice groups in the black at 100.
and for shooting past 100 i would recommend it highly, that and a light grain bullet...

Safety

the mosins safety system is pulling the rear of the bolt back while in firing position, turn to the left and lock onto the metal plate there, this can be difficult, i would recommend the brass stacker pull ring which mount onto it and allows an easier use of the safety, just a clamp with a ring.
clamp ring

Bayonet

i love mine, but some people take this off to add a add on muzzle break to reduce muzzle rise and flash, also make it louder, choice is yours as its your rifle. do what you want to it.

Cleaning

i would recommend cleaning it repeatedly as cosmoline can be stock in some places and can cause loss of accuracy if its accumulated in barrel. if using the surplus russian ammo, ram a boresnake, or rod with Windex or hopps corrosive ammo neutralizer, Windex is easy to get so i recommend this, it will neutralize the acidic buildup and allow for quick cleaning of the barrel


happy shooting, hope i helped
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Old June 23, 2013, 04:26 PM   #23
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Got too busy this weekend playing with my new smoker to get out to the range this weekend, but I had fun spending way too much at the butcher shop .

Quote:
one thing i can recommend to help with distance shooting is this

-take a small brush and a bright colored model paint, i used yellow.

-apply a bit to tip of front sight
Painting the front sight on my model 18 S&W made a big difference, I have a few different color model paints I can bring with me on my next trip. I am colorblind so white usually works best for me but I was thinking of trying out blue to see how that worked.

Quote:
I would recommend cleaning it repeatedly as cosmoline can be stock in some places and can cause loss of accuracy if its accumulated in barrel. if using the surplus russian ammo, ram a boresnake, or rod with Windex or hopps corrosive ammo neutralizer, Windex is easy to get so i recommend this, it will neutralize the acidic buildup and allow for quick cleaning of the barrel
Windex is what I brought with me last time and a bore snake. I gave it a quick swipe after ever 20 minutes or so, and when I was done. I never heard of Hoppes corrosive ammo neutralizer I might have to keep an eye open for that, thanks!

Quote:
the mosins safety system is pulling the rear of the bolt back while in firing position, turn to the left and lock onto the metal plate there, this can be difficult, i would recommend the brass stacker pull ring which mount onto it and allows an easier use of the safety, just a clamp with a ring.
I don't have too much trouble with the safety but if I ever decide to take this on a hunt or anything I will have to consider this. As of now It is just kicks at the range so I don't really use the safety at all.
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Old June 24, 2013, 09:35 AM   #24
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there are recoil pads that are drop in, i have one on my original stock, it really does make it easier, but my boyds has a cheap one built on , so i had to get used to the recoil anyway.

windex is normally cheaper and makes it easy, id just stick with that.

one thing i love about mosins is the simplicity, and the ability to customize without gunsmithing for the most part
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Old June 24, 2013, 08:16 PM   #25
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Quote:
there are recoil pads that are drop in, i have one on my original stock, it really does make it easier, but my boyds has a cheap one built on , so i had to get used to the recoil anyway.
I picked up a Limb saver slip on recoil pad when i got it. Recoil isn't bad when standing but that metal butt plate sitting on my clavicle when shooting from the bench didn't feel good lol. The extra couple inches was nice also, I'm not tall at 5'11 but these have a pretty short length of pull.
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