91/30 quick and dirty build

[kyratshooter]

Just finished with my bolt butchering. Now I have to put it back in usable shape. It's getting a spoon shaped bolt handle for right now. I have the pretty one for it but I want to see if this will work.

One thing I have found out about these old guns is that there are more myths about them than any other firearm since the invention of gunpowder. I have really had to root through the material to find a bit of turth to work with.

I have also found that there are some real nuts out there that treasure every one of these old POS rifles past the boundries of lunacy. There is one forum that will ban you for asking about any modification past factory specs! On top of that their reference material was dead wrong on several other points. I just stayed quiet, got my info and moved along, which is unusual for me. I would normally pick a fight on sites like that. Poor fellas.

Lucky for us I have no qualms at hacking up a Russian Rifle for the betterment of science. Thing is that this is one of the few military rifles I have no desire to really "sporterize". I don't want to make it pretty, I just want to see how good I can make it shoot.

[crashdive123]

Hack away. No worries here.

[Aurelius95]

Pics, man! We need pics! When it comes to custom rifle jobs, my eye glaze over when I read. However, pictures keep my attention. Sounds like a cool project, from what I can understand.

[Rick]

Well that and Aurelius has a short attention span. Anywhoooooo. Anything in the name of science. But yes on the pics!!!!!!

[kyratshooter]

I have this great state of the art Cannon that I don't know how to work.

You are talking to a guy that will take apart and reassemble a pickup over the weekend, build an MG42 out of the neighbors trash and has three different recipes for napalm tucked away in the back of his head, but I type with one finger and I'm scared to death of the computer tower.

If I post pictures you guys are going to need surgery for the busted gut you get from laughing.

As far as the rifle goes, I have a bit of wood to shave off the stock so the bolt can close and it's back in operation. Time to pull the action again.

[mccaw69]

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.

LOL...Can't wait to see some pics of it..been thinking of getting one myself.

[Rick]

I have this great state of the art Cannon that I don't know how to work.

I had to think on that one a bit. I was imagining a 105mm Howitzer or something along those lines.

[tipacanoe]

you have to have a friend that can run your state of the art Cannon, don't you?

[kyratshooter]

I had to think on that one a bit. I was imagining a 105mm Howitzer or something along those lines.

I could handle a 105 with no problem! At least I could at one time.

When the wife died and I had to move I lost a bunch of detail stuff. There were cables that went from the camera to the computer and a seperate card reader that I have yet to see.

Guess I need to go to Best Buy and find someone that knows something about a Cannon Camera.

The new "bolt" is attached. This will allow me to flip the scope around on the mount and get it over bore. I will not do that yet. I go to the range to do 100 yard testing this trip. I want to do that with the scope offset.

The way it is set up now is the minimum one would have to do to mount a scope. I have spent ZERO $$$ so far. Even if I had bought scope, mount and rings it would have been minimal cost. I could have done all of it with a hand drill, hacksaw and thread tapps.

I have already cut group size in half at 50 yards. I am anxious to see how close I can hold at 100.

[Aurelius95]

Last night walking the attack dog, I came across the sone of my recently deceased neighbor. He was taking all of his dad's rifles to his house. As I was watching him remove close to 15 rifles, one stuck out to me (literally). It was a 1944 MN with the bayonet attached. The son was in the military and knew quite a bit about Russian weaponry. It was great listening to him give me the detail of the rifle. I think he was glad to have someone who actually cared.

Good luck on your progress KYRS

[Rick]

When you get it sighted in go over and shoot the Balut thread, please. Of just beat it to death with the butt of the gun. Either would be appreciated.

[kyratshooter]

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

We have pictures?

And remember, a clean workbench is a sign of a sick mind!

[hunter63]

Cool, figured it out, outstanding.
I see the wd-40, duck tape not far away?

[kyratshooter]

I keep duct tape in 4 colors, incoluding camo. They make the digital pattern now.

I made a recoil pad using two layers of closed cell foam sleeping pad and camo DT. Works very well.

As I experiment with the camera I will post the progress. I now have a bolt handle that is as ugly as the scope mount, but it works.

This has been one of those strange projects where everything I have tried, worked. It is all ugly, but it works. And everything I have done has improved accuracy to some degree. Drilling, grinding, threading, gluing and a bit of the ole duct tape, all from the shop shelf.

I can see where these 91/30 guns are addictive. They shoot pretty good out of the box, are easy to understand and work on, ammo is crazy cheap and good quality.

I have other rifles and often feel that 20-40-60 rounds is plenty to have around. I have loading dies, powder, primers and feel no real need to have a big cache of ammo. Not this 91/30. End of the week I am getting another spam can. I may snag another rifle too. How else can a person have a rugged long range rifle with sniper quality accuracy for less than $150?

[hunter63]

........I can see where these 91/30 guns are addictive. They shoot pretty good out of the box, are easy to understand and work on, ammo is crazy cheap and good quality.

I have other rifles and often feel that 20-40-60 rounds is plenty to have around. I have loading dies, powder, primers and feel no real need to have a big cache of ammo. Not this 91/30. End of the week I am getting another spam can. I may snag another rifle too. How else can a person have a rugged long range rifle with sniper quality accuracy for less than $150?

My name is hunter, and I have a problem..................

I agree, like buying a "Bic" 30-06.
I also had a tough time understanding why you would want to fool around with the "old military stuff", but bottom line is that are historical, butte ugly, look like they were chopped out of a block of steel with an axe, cheap, and FUN.

Was selling D.U. raffle tickets at the local Gander Mountain, Sat.
While there I had to go visit "My collection" just to make sure none were getting lonely and were being taken care of.
No Nagants in stock.........

[crashdive123]

The newer scope looks kind of out of place on the old rifle.....but then again attaced to a piece of angle iron makes up for it. Very slick idea. Well done.

[Batch]

Aluminum angle not iron. Sorry, I couldn't resist...

I still don't understand why the scope is mounted that way though.

[kyratshooter]

That angle iron is not aluminum! It's solid 3/16 mild steel and weighs almost a pound!

The scope is mounted that way because I bought a commercial mount and used the comercial mount holes for the home made mount. I will replace the home made unit with the commercial mount when the experiment is over. I wanted to drill as few holes in the receiver as possible. This also required no mod to the bolt handle.

If I were doing a straight emergency mount I would use a flat piece of 1/8" plate mounted to holes drilled in the side of the receiver. Two holes in the side of the rifle and a splinter of wood removed would be the only mods to the rifle.

This is not what the scope and mount looks like at this point. It gets a new look every couple of days. I'll post more pictures and a couple of the targets I shot today.

I now have the scope mounted over the bore and the glass bedding is completed. Shot a couple of satisfactory groups that seem to porve the work is worth the effort.

[kyratshooter]

http://www.wildsidecamo.com/

[Rick]

I would very much like to know how you glass bedded the barrel with all that wood hanging out front. I keep hearing a faint call from the gun safe and one of them may be mocking me over this.