Mosin Nagant Accuracy...

Older thread but it is at the top...and I am watching computers work....so.

I have 4....all different flavors. I generally talk a 5 shot group.....I have one that will do a fist sized group....one that will be lucky to put 5 shots on a 4x8 sheet of plywood....the rest in between.

Condition is so much to do with it....if you want a shooter get one that is the best mechanically that you can find....if you need something that will fill a hole in your collection you might get a sewer pipe.....and that is ok....it is not why you bought it in the first place.

They really are unique rifles, and non of mine have had any real issues in running the gun. They work fine, they are pretty smooth....they are still about the best bang for the buck out there for a full power rifle cartridge.

That all said remember you can go to walmart and buy a new savage axis that will shoot far better for about the same money.....I don't understand the bubba mentality in "improving" them...you never improve it to the point where it is going to shoot better then a new factory rifle....even something as lowly as a savage....and I LOVE savage, but you could toss ruger american and all the others in that price range.

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Originally Posted by cherokee

I don't understand the bubba mentality in "improving" them...you never improve it to the point where it is going to shoot better then a new factory rifle

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That's not quite true...but I agree for sure about Nagant rifles. They're probably at peak from the factory.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

That's not quite true...but I agree for sure about Nagant rifles. They're probably at peak from the factory.

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They peaked when the Finns captured them and were finished with them. Otherwise, yes, they peaked at the factory.

I hear so many stories about 91/30's, the worst being having to beat the bolt open with a section of 2x4 after every shot, most likely because they are using cheap, steel cased and heavily coated shells that melt and stick. If I was only allowed to keep one Mosin Nagant, it would be my Finn 38. I also have a Finn 91/30 that probably had little done except a replaced front sight and a bit of trigger work. Previous owner claimed sticky bolt which was most likely shellacked shell casings because I haven't had an issue with it.

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Originally Posted by Aragorn243

I hear so many stories about 91/30's, the worst being having to beat the bolt open with a section of 2x4 after every shot, most likely because they are using cheap, steel cased and heavily coated shells that melt and stick.

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Don't forget failed to clean the cosmoline out of the chamber and locking lugs properly. If you fail to do that, you will cause all sorts of lovely issues to your rifles, such as the bolt being stuck shut.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

That's not quite true...but I agree for sure about Nagant rifles. They're probably at peak from the factory.

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To make sure I understand correctly.

You think an 80 year old rifle that is realistically going to cost you in stock condition $200, then you are going to put minimum $200 more, before glass into it is going to shoot better then say a Savage Axis II with glass that has a MSRP at a tick over $400?

If I understand that correctly I think you iz crazy.

I will take that challenge any day.

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Originally Posted by cherokee

To make sure I understand correctly.

You think an 80 year old rifle that is realistically going to cost you in stock condition $200, then you are going to put minimum $200 more, before glass into it is going to shoot better then say a Savage Axis II with glass that has a MSRP at a tick over $400?

If I understand that correctly I think you iz crazy.

I will take that challenge any day.

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I can't imagine what you drank before not understanding what I said. No you don't understand.

Nagant rifles are at their peak from the factory. Civilian rifles have potential for improvement, bedding, sights, trigger packages...I would never put money into a cheap rifle to make it a target rifle. It's not worth it.

However, a cheap rifle might make a good candidate for can we blow this thing up? You Tube out there with a couple of guys trying just that with a Nagant. I don't think they ever fully broke it but they made it so it wouldn't work. Took something like 10 attempts and some very special powders packed fully into the case.

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Originally Posted by Aragorn243

a cheap rifle might make a good candidate for can we blow this thing up?

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Agreed. Shows many things are over engineered...

Since this thread got bumped, I discovered the hard way at a match last weekend that these were not designed to use a hasty sling... noticed when I used my sling my shots were way low, by the time it was over my rear sight was at 400 and still shooting about 2.5-3" low at 100. Had no idea why it happened, but in the middle of the night had a thought about the difference in doctrine, mainly how to the users of these rifles, a sling was just something to carry it with.

Next morning I checked the gun, and found it extremely easy to pull the fore end down when rigged up like that due to how thin the wood is, loose barrel bands probably not helping. Why it didn't happen my last match no idea, though I recall ditching the sling after sitting sighters because it was annoying me and too short for whatever reason that day. Next time I will probably just try to wrap the sling around the handguard and fore end together. Funny the things you learn...

Finn Rifles can of course be improved by making the same improvements the Finns made. The M/28 became a M/28-30 which IMO is the most accurate of the Finnish battle issued rifles. Then they were improved with the M/28-57. Stocks were shimmed and sometimes bedded. Rear Diopter was added and front tunnel. Then came the M/28-76 which they changed the stock, bedded some of them, and upgraded the trigger on some as well to the TKIV M/85 trigger. I just bought one of those triggers. I will likely install it in my M/28-76. So yes a Finnish rifle can be improved upon after it leaves the arsenal.

As for the Finnish Captured Russian Mosins such as the 91/30 they likely have had done to them all that can be done. I would not purchase one if accuracy was my goal unless I was on a very tight budget. I would choose a Swiss Rifle or Enfield instead.

Here is the M/85 trigger. Just a little different than your typical Finnish Mosin Trigger.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...406f6270-1.jpg