Mosin-Nagant range report (1931 Izhevsk)

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270Win

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Took my new 1931 Izhevsk 91/30 out for its first shoot in my hands today. Weather was very warm bordering on hot - 80 degrees, maybe a hair higher.

First, the other shooters: guy to my right had an AK-variant, trying to get one of those massive drum mags to work. It didn't. Every other round or so I heard a "click" instead of a "bang!" and he would have to work the action, or eject the mag and fiddle with it. Seemed really pissed off... and for good reason.

A father and son were shooting .22s. Couldn't tell what kind.

Gentleman to my left had the two most interesting rifles: a Colt Sauer in .375 H&H, and a double rifle in .477 Nitro Express. Good LORD, that thing is loud. The .375 made a giant concussion also, but nothing like the .477. The rifle was either French or Spanish, I can't remember which, and was a work of art. He was headed to Africa in a couple months, and was preparing. Both rifles seemed very accurate, at 100 yards anyway.

I brought 20 rounds of Bulgarian heavy ball and 20 rounds of Hungarian light ball. It seemed to prefer the light ball. 8 out of the first 10 shots were great... 1.75" or so at 50 yards. Weirdly, the other 2 shots (one in each group seen below) didn't even hit paper. I'm sure the massive concussion of one those big-game rifles threw me off; maybe a couple really bad rounds of surplus ammo.

The first group was with a six o'clock hold, and hit an old left-behind target - hence the small .22ish holes higher on the target. I then tried a dead-on hold, and produced the second group. I was waiting 20-30 seconds between each shot, but I think I have to wait more; at 100 yards, the groups opened up considerably, which I can only blame on either myself or the heat. I'm going with the heat ;) If it happens again next time (cooler weather expected tomorrow, wait longer between shots), then I'll point the finger back this way.

Recoil and muzzle blast were noticeably less than the M38. The carbine seems to be more accurate, for now - something of a surprise. But I spent a lot of time getting used to the M38, so I expect the same learning curve to apply to the M91/30. The trigger, among other things, really threw me.

So... more to come in the following days! Here were teh first two groups of "five" ... with the mystery shot in each group that didn't hit paper.

M9130-4-03-07.jpg
 
Very cool! I have to get out a test-fire mine one of these days. To what do you liken the recoil of the Mosin, a .308? More? Less?
 
Doc2005, If I was you, I would get a slip-on recoil pad. I use a size small on my 91/30, and it really helps cut down on the recoil. You still definitly notice it, but it helps.

I've never shot a .308, but it would probably be a little bit more. The steel buttplate does not help matters, either, hence the recoil pad suggestion.
 
Id agree, the group wasnt that bad.Id be interested to see what some different ammo would produce,each gun has its own pet load.
 
If you have any, my 91/30 really likes the Czech 147 Silver tip, and it gets pretty good reviews across the board. It's worth a try, but those groups aren't bad at all for the first time with the rifle.

I'm sure the 477NE was the reason for the missing shots. I flinched just reading about it.:p

If the trigger is really bad, check out the trigger job on surplusrifle.com. I did it on my M38 and the pull is at less than half of what it was when I started. I just did the soda can shims on the 91/30 and it made a huge difference. I think I used 6 on the 91/30 and 7 on the M38. It's almost like gunsmithing, except much easier, for people like me. But it seriously helps the trigger.
RT
 
I have found that....

the '85 and '87 year Albanian is the most accurate in my rifles. My '43 Tikka barreled 91-30 will do minute of angle with that ammo.....chris3
 
Damn, don't have any Czech "in stock" right now. I'll have to order some up. The other two are according to the preference of the M38, so it's all I had around.

Recoil is closer to a .30-06 than a .308. Recoil is also maybe only 75% of the carbine... still not too bad.

Those Nitro Express cases are simply monsters. He said his load was something like 105 grains of H-4350. He had the rifle in a lead sled, but the shockwave made its way backwards and to the side with a surprising force. I don't know if he was using 500 or 600 grain bullet, or what.

More pics to come!

Thanks for all replies.
 
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