Hello,
Try here
Accurizing the Mosin-Nagant Rifle
and here
http://www.smith-sights.com/accurizing-the-mosin-nagant-a-year-later.php
The Mosin was designed with the bayonet in mind. The bayonet was always affixed, and the rifle was a vehicle for the bayonet. In early Russian military doctrine, shooting was secondary.
For this reason, inletting was not done well in a lot of cases. Some rifles were done nicely, but most we run across today were not.
It's not so much a case of an imprecise rifle as it is a case of wandering zero with the Mosin.
The Finns knew this. They had a different idea of what the rifle was supposed to be. When they replaced the worn barrels of their Russian M91 rifles in the '20s, they had heavier barrels made.
To cope with poor inletting, the Finns turned to bedding. They used shims. Though a poor substitute for pillar bedding, it worked and worked well.
Because the barrels are long and relatively skinny, they do flex a lot during firing if freefloated. Therefore, providing a pressure pad near the front barrel band (much as is done to light-barreled sporting rifles) helps immensely. Floating is usually inadequate; floating and pressure padding do the trick.
If the Mosin has a good bore and crown and is properly bedded with shims and a pressure pad, chances are it will shoot 2.5MOA on the outside. Many find that, with handloads, their Mosins go sub-MOA.
Without getting into the whole push feed vs controlled feed debate, I will say this much: The Mosin's bolt head carries the lugs. Because the bolt head is a separate piece, it allows equal contact of the lugs so that no lug lapping is necessary. The cartridge headspaces on the rim, but if you fireform your brass, they will headspace on the rim
and the shoulder, both. It's very excellent for repeatability.
I just buy PPU ammo, plink with it, and save the brass. It's fireformed that way and I have fun doing it!
Mainly, though, my methods follow the Finnish ideas. In some areas like the trigger, I improve on these. The stock M91/30 trigger is horrible (I think you'll agree) and does not allow the shooter to take full advantage of the precision that is already there. The Finns began using two-stage triggers in the M27 and M28, and provided the M39 with a two-stage trigger. My trigger takes advantage of earlier developments and addresses a safety issue I found in some M39 triggers.
At times, the M39 sear would stick if you let off the trigger and decided not to shoot. My trigger uses a mousetrap spring for both feel and safety: There is a sear return bar on my two-stage triggers to that if the sear would otherwise stick, the bar uses the return spring to, well, return the sear.
I have three phases I think of when working on the Mosin, after stock:
1. Ensure function and improve ergonomics. This involves making sure the rifle works correctly, repairing any sticky or stiff bolt, lengthening the length-of-pull, and ensuring that point-of-aim = point-of-impact.
2. Improving accuracy/precision/parts: This is where the drop-in and semi-drop-in parts come in. My sights fall into this category, as does the shim kit I sell and
maybe the trigger. It's an internal fluff'n'buff and bedding job. The rifle should get 2.5moa after this.
3. Category 3 involves inletting the stock for a Timney trigger if you're so inclined (I prefer my two-stage jobs), real bedding, maybe an aftermarket stock if that's what you like, maybe optics, pretty much what folks would consider "open class".
My personal Mosin falls between 2 and 3. It's pillar bedded and shimmed, and uses a Finnish HV (no-jam) magazine. The trigger my two-stage job and breaks crisply at 3.5lbs, the rear sight notch is filed to a uniform 2mm, and the front sight is my Classic Target. I load for this rifle, and it is a true sub-MOA Mosin. The bore slugged to 0.3095", which is on the tight side for a Russian. It feels like the bore is slightly coned, and if so, it should have been selected for a sniper rifle build by the Soviets.
I have other rifles, but if I need a rifle, this Mosin is my go-to.
I think I covered everything; if you have any particular questions, please let me know. I'll be more than happy to address them.
Regards,
Josh
