I will not go as far to say he's full of it, with a benchrest stock, timney, crowned barrel and a pricey scope, pillars and bedding......1000$
so he spent a grand to get 1 1/2"groups. sounds pretty reasonable I guess, but I think the condition will change depending on the luck rifle you grab. like I said, I am not against it, but this is a huge project, and you can read thousands of posts of people spending years sporterizing their nagants and not getting results like his. if you have a particular love for the Nagant, then go for it, but in the end it will depend a lot on the tolerances and the condition of YOUR particular nagant. There is a guy here in Georgia that is a nagant fanatic, has a very popular youtube channel with all the useful upgrades and results afterwards, check out his vids to see what your getting into.
https://www.youtube.com/user/Iraqveteran8888
I would just buy a nagant, shorten and polish the trigger, glass and pillar it, and be happy with a cheap decent shooting rifle. but buy another gun for accuracy. but that's just me, when I bought my FIRST nagant, I was also chasing the tiny group dream, but it dawned on me how daunting the task is when so many easier cheaper options are out there. plus, I don't wanna be spending 1-2$ per bullet on a rifle that I can get a SPAM can for a hundred bucks. and you will never get surplus to shoot consistently, and don't think handloading is a whole lot cheaper for it either.
I have a feeling that once you get your nagant, you will have lots of fun with it and your dreams of grandeur will melt away much like mine did. I still have a love for the rifle, but "it is what it is", and I am plenty happy with that. its a cheap rifle, heavy but built like a rock, that shoots very highpowered ammunition for an insanely cheap price, accurately enough to have a great time with.
p.s. im on my 4th nagant in 2 years, so I am not a hater. with simple upgrades you can them to shoot plenty good for hunting