Mosin 91/30 handguard creep

[lencac]

Anybody who shoots a 91/30 knows what I mean.
For the rest of you. A 91/30 has a long thin hand guard that is held loosely in place with a couple spring tension barrel bands. Upon shooting the hand guard will slip forward on the barrel. It can't be good for accuracy and is one annoying characteristic that all those 91/30's, M38's, M44's suffer.


Anybody have any solutions for this annoying little thing?

 

[BemidjiDweller]

None of my hand guards creep like you describe. Maybe your barrel bands are loose.

 

[travisd]

My bands were tight and it still happened. Just push it back when it gets bad..

 

[theotherwaldo]

One of the traditional cures is to take a strip of thin cloth, soak it in BLO, then wrap it around the barrel just behind the upper barrel band. Just enough to make it good and snug. I've done this on MN-91/30s after brass-shimming the actions. Tends to make the gun a tad more accurate, too.

 

[lencac]

SNAP! ................ there ya go
Theotherwaldo; I like that. Makes much sense. I have done the shimming and all that. But I know the hand guard thing can't be good for harmonics, especially a barrel that long.
I'm down wit dat homey

travisd; I know I can "push it back" ............. that's the point of this thread ............. to see how NOT to have to "push it back"

 

[lencac]

ok theotherwaldo, I did what you said. Piece of cloth one wrap around seemed to fit nicely, soaked in boiled Lin seed oil. Probably take a while to dry and harden. It kind of glues those edges of the stock and hand guard together a little bit.

 

[theotherwaldo]

-My experience is that it also stabilizes that long, whippy barrel. Here's a picture from the original manual: http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o129/05cosmo/jurjevbedding.jpg (Not mine, of course.)

 

[akv3g4n]

I've always heard of just using thin sheets of cork under the hand guard. Maybe you can try that if the other method doesn't work out for you.

I have this issue on one of my 91/30s but the rings are just stretched. I got some new rings that are tighter to throw on it. If it's still an issue I'm going to try the cork.

 

[plmitch]

My hand guards don't creep like you describe. Never seen this happen.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I believe that the image that I included (above) may actually be about cork-bedding. The principle is mostly the same, though.
I prefer brass under the action and cloth around the barrel.

 

[DPris]

Try inserting a small pin punch in the holes where the two barrel band spring retainer shafts are, tap the punch in very slightly, just enough to raise the section on the opposite side of the stock that engages the barrel bands.

Worked fine for me.
No more wandering handguard.
Denis

 

[Caliper_Mi]

One of mine used to creep. It had shelac built up behind the barrel band preventing the band fully seating on the tab that holds it in place. Cleaned things off and all is well.

 

[lencac]

Well, I shot this thing today.
I did put one tung oil soaked layer of cloth around the barrel underneath the handguard where the front barrel band is as that was all that would fit, and this did solve the issue. What's more is it seems to have improved accuracy a bit also.
But kind of hard to tell as it was freezing and I was freezing shooting through some pretty heavy fog at 100 yrds.:banghead:
Anyway it did absolutely work