Mosin Modernization - 7.62 x 54r accuracy

[Holescreek]

I've been building 54r rifles for a few years now for one project or another and after the 54r Mauser I decided that I wanted to attempt a M-N. I mentioned that I was looking for a Mosin Nagant receiver to start a new project to some friends on another forum and a short time later I received a barreled receiver that had the barrel hack sawed down some and the original handle had been replaced by one of those ATI units as well as having an ATI scope mount on it. The receiver had a 1943 date and was pretty rough, as you would expect from wartime production.

As it turned out the barrel was .3145" for the first few inches from the chamber then the slug fell through the rest of the way. I rebarreled the action with a McGowen .302/.310 1:10 blank.



After initial break in the rifle was shooting pretty decent so I started looking for a load it liked. Last weekend I took a variety of different ammunition with me and shot 8 five-shot groups. Groups 5 and 7 were done with the same ammo to confirm group 5 wasn't a fluke.

I thought it was nice to see the groups achievable with the different types of ammo from a barrel with this configuration all shot on the same day from the same rifle:

 

[Caliper_Mi]

That's a nice looking Mosin! Looks like the SMK is a winner.
Any details on the stock/chassis?

 

[lobo9er]

I love mosin stuff... whats all been done to yours?

 

[R.W.Dale]

You appear to be on a similar quest as I was when I built a bull barrel 7.62x39mm Stevens 200 on a shilen select match blank

 

[Holescreek]

The stock is just something I whipped up in the shop, I just start cutting aluminum until I get what I want. The rest of the build includes:

-Bolt handle moved back
-Receiver notched for bolt handle relocation
-Bridge built for rear pic rail support
-Machined a bolt-on steel pic rail
-Timney trigger
-Aluminum receiver
-Aluminum stock
-AR handguard
-22" McGowen barrel blank turned and fluted
-Romanian style brake
-Millett TRS-1 scope on Burris Xtreme rings

 

[Geno]

Great looking rifle! Congrats.

Geno

 

[Holescreek]

Video taken 3 weeks ago when I was using a SMK load developed for my 54r Mauser:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR_RrUpTI5Q

 

[Catpop]

Wow, nice job! Proof is in the pudding, and the puddy looks good!
Congrats!
Ain't got a usable barrel lying around do you, mines shot out.

 

[justin22885]

thats a very interesting mod moving the bolt handle rearward, would solve some of the ergonomics issues i have with mosins in general.. also learned the barrel shank threads are something common like 1-16TPI and would accept drop-ins from more common rifles (i think the winchester model 70 was one).. if i could get a bolt head for the mosin with a 12mm bolt face, i could really be interested in a modernization project myself.. one in .308 would be pretty cool

 

[Holescreek]

I may be doing one in .308 soon. Still thinking about it.

 

[justin22885]

hmm, if you could make up a new bolt head you could do a WZ91 clone, the 8mm polish mosin and use that as a basis for a .308 rifle

 

[Holescreek]

Ain't got a usable barrel lying around do you, mines shot out.

It's my understanding that Mosin barrels are not "timed" relative to the threads like an FAL meaning that if you screw a strange barrel into a receiver it wasn't made for the extractor groove and everything on the barrel will be out of rotation. I'm getting ready to pull a barrel off of a receiver, I'll screw a barrel from another Mosin on and let you know how it works out.

Additional info: I removed a shot out barrel from an action tonight and screwed a barrel off of another Mosin in and it was out of time about 180 degrees. You might get lucky putting a take off barrel on your action - but I doubt it.

 

[Jeff H]

Nice Mosin. Where in SW Ohio do you shoot? I might have to see this one in person. Looks way nicer then my two.

 

[Holescreek]

I shoot at a private club in Miamisburg. What part of Ohio are you in?