91/30 quick and dirty build

[kyratshooter]

The project is begun. The Ivan rifle is stripped and cleaned. All cosmiline removed along with every screw, pin and spring.

This is a Tula, all parts matching. Round receiver.

The bore is dark but has strong rifling.

I also got 300 rounds of Polish ammo. 147 gn steel core on stripper clips. I have another 440 rds on order at $89.00. I can not reload with jacketed bullets for that. That is one big difference from my last ownership of a 91/30. There was none of this cheap ammo around back then.

I will go to the range and do a trial target as a base reference tomorrow.

I must now learn how to post pictures.

Help!!

[Alaskan Survivalist]

Open account with Photo Bucket then transfew pictures from your computer to photo bucket and use code to post here.

[Rick]

Everything you ever wanted to know (and a couple of things you didn't) about posting pictures on the forum.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ead.php?t=1318

[kyratshooter]

Thanks fellas. This is another aspect of point and click I must learn. I started snapping shots last night while working.

Scope mount is in progress.

[hunter63]

I use Photobucket as well, as I'm old and not real 'puter smart.

Will looking for pic's, as well.

[kyratshooter]

Did something yesterday I have not done in several decades. I shot at 100 yards with open sights.

The Mosi did it's part to a level I did not expect. My 50 yard group was three shots in 1 1/2" with a called flyer that would have opened the group to 3".

At 100 yards the gun did it's part but my 60 year old eyes were not up to the challenge. The group opened to 8" totally due to me not being able to focs on the bull. Couldn't see the %^& thing!

The 25 yard group had been 2" right and the 100yd group was a foot right. Examining the rifle I realized the front sight was slightly tweeked to the left, off the allignment mark.

Amazing to me was that at 100 yards I could still keep the open sight shots in the head zone of a soldier with my old eyes and Polish ammo that has a bad rep for consistancy.

I got home and straightened the front sight and gave the bore a scrub. It is getting smoother and brighter as it is piolished with the bore brush.

I drilled and tapped the rifle for a scope last night and have a mount half finished. My homemade mount is as ugly as the Mosin.

The schedule of improvement i have in mind is

Scope

Trigger work

Glass bedding

Free floating the barrel

Tweeking the ammo

I know from past experiences that scoping the rifle will help me close groups. My next improvement step is always smoothing the trigger. If it were a .22 I would start experimenting with ammo choices next, but this beast must wait for reloading dies and proper .313 jacketed bullets to arrive.

Got to get back in the shop and find another hacksaw blade.

[Rick]

I'm all new to this Mosi thing too but I've read the 91/30 was designed to be shot with the sticker hung on the front end. If you remove the bayonet it messes with the harmonics and it will be off. Supposedly, the arsenal sighted them with the bayonet installed because it was designed to be carried that way.

[hunter63]

KS, have you slugged the bore? My 91/30 slugs at .311 mostly, M38 @ .309, haven't checked the M44, (currently deployed).

Been looking for the .313 bullets, most books call for .308 bullets, but I thinking thats for covering their tookas..........

Is your counter-bored? My M38 is, M44 and 91/30 not, all seem to shoot well.
M44 front sight was pushed off the mark, and shot left. Pushed it back and came back in.

Will be intrested in how the trigger work goes........

[randyt]

That's a cool project. I had a westinghouse that was converted to ought six but I heard that wasn't a wise thing to do so I westinghouse marked barrel from numrich arms but dang I traded the rifle off and years later found the barrel in amongst some parts. I wish i had the gun back.

[kyratshooter]

The theory about the bayonet is from the carbine length guns with the swing out bayonet. They seem to do better with the bayonet installed.

Apparently the 91/30 was sighted without the bayonet and from what I have read, shows no difference in accuracy with or without the sticker. The sniper models were never shown with fixed bayonets so accuracy was apprently now affected by its presence.

Soviet doctrine was that the bayonet was to always be attached. I think this was due to the Soviet soldiers' tendency to throw away or sell anything that was not attached to the equipment, and not actually to improve the rifle's operation.

I have not slugged this bore, but every other bore I have slugged on a Mosi has been .313 or larger. Enfields are the same way. I have an Enfield that allows a .308 slug to slide from one end to the other rattling like a pea down a water pipe.

My muzzle is not counterbored. The barrel is looking better with each scrubbing and I am amazed this is so on a 71 year old war use rifle. It must not have seen much line use.

I am having a really difficult time doing only one operation at a time on this rifle. I want to dive in and do everything I know will enhance the performance right now! That would counter the intent I had, which was to show wat each operation would do and allow a person to pick and choose what they wanted to do to their rifle and know what improvement they could expect from each operation.

Most of my past gun work has involved taking a pig's ear and turning it into a silk purse. I have often purchaned Mausers and completely reworked them before I ever fired them. New barrel, custom stock, new trigger, scope of choice, then I would expect superior performance from the first shot with only minimal tuning.

This effort has turned into taking a pigs' ear and turning it into a really good shooting pig's ear.

One of the amazing aspects is that while cleaning the rifle I realized that I would be willing to hunt with it as it sits if the shots were inside 100 yards. I would also be willing to "fight" with this rifle at 200 yards, open sights, 60 year old eyes and all.

I am really tempted to install an old Williams Guide peep sight I have lying in the parts box. It is intended for a small ring Mauser but I bet I could make it fit on this Mosi. That would allow me to compare the accuracy change between open sights and peep sights. I may do that when all else is complete. What's two more holes in the side of a Mosi?

[rebel]

I've enjoyed reading and following along with you on this project. Thanks for posting!

[kyratshooter]

I mounted a scope on the Borrus rifle a couple of days ago and finally got to the range. I need to lock down the mount screws better due to things generally falling off the rifle after two shots.

If I can get a third shot to follow up on the first two this rifle is definately a keeper and I will be forced to write an apology to anyone I have ever insulted for owning one of these POS guns.

I am writing a detailed step by step on Word and will transfer it when the deed is done. I will eventually have pictures but it is difficult. The gun is so ugly the camera keeps running off and hiding.

[Rick]

I would guess there are thousands of Germans (and more than a few Russians) that could tell you just how accurate it is. But they aren't talkin' much these days. Great write up!!

[2dumb2kwit]

I mounted a scope on the Borrus rifle a couple of days ago and finally got to the range. I need to lock down the mount screws better due to things generally falling off the rifle after two shots.

If I can get a third shot to follow up on the first two this rifle is definately a keeper and I will be forced to write an apology to anyone I have ever insulted for owning one of these POS guns.

I am writing a detailed step by step on Word and will transfer it when the deed is done. I will eventually have pictures but it is difficult. The gun is so ugly the camera keeps running off and hiding.

So....how good were the first two???
The curiosity is killin' me.

...and don't worry about the ugly. Most of use are ugly, but we do our jobs! LOL

[kyratshooter]

So....how good were the first two???
The curiosity is killin' me.

...and don't worry about the ugly. Most of use are ugly, but we do our jobs! LOL

The first two shots were seperated by 3/4" center to center. I saved the target. 3rd shot went haywire due to the mount shifting. I know from past experience that I will probably be able to cut the groups 1/3-1/2 with some trigger work, but I have to get some consistant, measurable groups out of the scope work first.

Me and the cat are going to run a bead of JB weld under the base and lock it down in a proper manner. I once mounted a scope on a .308 with no screws and only JB Weld holding the mounts in place. Hunted with it all one season like that. I often mount a long eye relief scope on ML guns using JB Weld for accuracy testing. Hit the mount with a torch and pop it off when finished.

[2dumb2kwit]

LOL...that's better than most people can shoot!


JB Weld is like magic. I once fixed a cracked rearend housing, in a racecar, with it. I ran that thing for two more years, then the guy I sold it to ran it for two years, and when he sold it, it still had that rearend in it. LOL

[Rick]

I'm sure glad you explained that was a race car.

[kyratshooter]

LOL...that's better than most people can shoot!


JB Weld is like magic. I once fixed a cracked rearend housing, in a racecar, with it. I ran that thing for two more years, then the guy I sold it to ran it for two years, and when he sold it, it still had that rearend in it. LOL

I was introduced to JB Weld when I stripped the teeth off a windshield wiper sprocket on the drivers side of my car. I was standing there wondering what I was going to do when a neighbor drove up. He said JB Weld would fix it.

I was unsure so he told me to come down the road to his house. He had a McCormick tractor with a crack in the engine block 6" long that he had repaired with JB Weld ten years earlier. It was still plowing the garden.

Like you, I fixed the wiper with JB and it was still working two years latter when I sold the car.

If the Russians had JB Weld they might have won the "cold war".

[kyratshooter]

Back to the range today for a long session. 90 degrees and about the same humidity.

I had the bed rail scope mount locked down with JB Weld and everything had been bore sighted to the bore and iron sights using my neighbor's choo-choo train mailbox as the sighting point.

First shot was 4" low and left. Two was touching and three made a small triangle about 1" Center to center. All at 50 yards.

I started moving the group to the POA and heated the barrel up rapidly. The group opened with the heat. I had to let it cool off for half an hour to close the group again.

After cooling I had the last 3 shot group inside the 1" circle and one inch high @50 yards.

I did not shoot at 100 due to being worn out and the range getting crowded. I had already hogged one of the benches for 2 hours so I packed it up and let some one else shoot for a while. I will do a 100 yard session within the next few days.

Even with the hot barrel none of the 21 rounds I fired was more than 3" from where I was aiming. I am confident now that my first shot from cold bore will strike where I am looking. The scope cut my groups in half at 50 yards.

I am really starting to look foreward to doing trigger work on this rifle. Pulling the trigger is like trying to dismantle the Great Pyrimid with one finger.

[kyratshooter]

Those of you tha believe in the power of prayer can start now.

I'm about th start chopping on a perferctly good MN bolt.

Can't help it, I'm bored.