Finally broke down and got a Mosin Nagant...

So I finally broke down and picked up a Mosin Nagant... it’s a 1945 Tula build, so I’m guessing it was one of the last to be produced in the Soviet Union and probably saw little if any action during the war. I’ve never really liked the Mosin Nagant, but being a history nerd I wanted at least one example of the main arm used by all the major powers in the European theatre. I just find it an ugly rifle with a spotty reputation for accuracy. Still, overall this one is very nice. While the receiver is a bit rough, the barrel has strong grooves and the sights are pretty nice considering they're V-notch. They’re certainly better than my AK iron sights. The bolt is actually surprisingly smooth and the trigger isn’t that bad. It’s certainly better than the one on my M48 Mauser. And that’s presumably still with cosmoline coating it. The barrel is still coated in cosmoline, but most of the rest of it seems to have been cleaned and it does a couple of small surface rust spots on the bolt handle.

Maybe this rifle will change my mind on the Mosin once I get it out to the range... But that probably won’t be for a few months.

If you have a good one think about putting in a Timney trigger. Have one that has the trigger which cost more than the gun and it is very accurate considering the ammo we use.

They are a fun gun.

Mosin Nagants are as accurate if not more than most military surplus rifles out there provided the bore is in great condition and the ammo is good quality. The reasons they get a bad reputation for accuracy are.

One, many inexperienced shooters tend to shoot them as they are cheap. Inexperienced shooters aren't the best in getting the most out of their rifles.

Two, surplus ammo is garbage for accuracy. With my M38 carbine I was getting 3-5" groups at best with surplus at 100m with irons. With handloads I have actually gotten a 1" grouping. The groups literally shrunk instantly. The con is most people don't handload for Mosin Nagants as for many part of the fun is the cheap ammo.

Three, many rifles are in bad shape as they were one of the most used rifles of the 20th century.

Bravo! Welcome to the club.

Like I said, the bore has strong rifling despite being coated in cosmoline and the rifle doesn’t appear to have seen much use despite the rough machining... I’ll eventually handload for it as I do for all my guns minus my AK and 9mm. Once I get it out to find out how it shoots I’ll look into shimming it for better accuracy if need be. I’d like to have one essentially stock and another to set up as a reproduction sniper if I can find one with suitable accuracy...

What size bullets do you find give the best accuracy?

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Originally Posted by enfield303t

If you have a good one think about putting in a Timney trigger. Have one that has the trigger which cost more than the gun and it is very accurate considering the ammo we use.

They are a fun gun.

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I thought about that but I’m hesitant to remove too much wood from the stock. I might see about other options tho.

Hi, I'm very pleased with FMJBT 180 grs. from S&B, but better quality bullets like Sierra, Hornady etc are certainly even superior.
174 grs. is another perfect weight.
Never tried lighter bullets.
.311 diameter.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by amadeus76

Like I said, the bore has strong rifling despite being coated in cosmoline and the rifle doesn’t appear to have seen much use despite the rough machining... I’ll eventually handload for it as I do for all my guns minus my AK and 9mm. Once I get it out to find out how it shoots I’ll look into shimming it for better accuracy if need be. I’d like to have one essentially stock and another to set up as a reproduction sniper if I can find one with suitable accuracy...

What size bullets do you find give the best accuracy?

---------- Post added at 10:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:46 AM ----------



I thought about that but I’m hesitant to remove too much wood from the stock. I might see about other options tho.

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It does take removal of more wood than I expected however hasn't seemed to be a issue.

Picked up a trigger pull gauge... The trigger pull on the Mosin varies between 5.5lbs and just over 7lbs over 6 pulls. Very inconsistent, but still better than my M48 which didn’t break until the scale bottomed out.

Try one of those trigger shim w/return spring kits. They seem to lighten the trigger pull weight. I think they're like $4. Available on eBay or Amazon. Or try: wildmountainusa.com

Aloha, Mark

I have an unissued Finn trigger on its way... Should alleviate any trigger problems.