Sometimes I just need to shelve my custom rifles and go back to the classics, so I did just that today.
Over a year ago I slugged my mosin Barrel (ran a lead sinker down to check bore diameter) and it came out at .313”. I bought the largest “match” bullets hornady offered which was the 174gr HPBT .312” bullets. I did an o-give test and found out that in order to touch the lands I was all the way out at 2.47” which left only a few thousandths in the case neck. I did OCW with it which was maddening because across a full grain of powder variance the velocity remained exactly the same (need to labradar it some day to see what it actually ended at).
At the time the load proved to be pretty decent, with a 5 shot group pinching 3/4”. I figured it might have been a fluke but was content with the results. Well almost a year has gone by and I decided to dust off the back of the safe and get it out again. I loaded up another 5 shots with that recipe and hit the range this evening. 1 shot on steel for cold bore, and then 4 shots on paper at 100 yards.
I guess what I’m getting at is that it’s crazy how a 70 year old rifle with my DIY gunsmithing can pinch groups as tight as some of my custom rigs. For kicks and giggles I ran the bore scope down the tube. It’s such garbage; but with groups like this, what does it matter?
Anyone else have an old surplus rifle that surprises them like this?
Over a year ago I slugged my mosin Barrel (ran a lead sinker down to check bore diameter) and it came out at .313”. I bought the largest “match” bullets hornady offered which was the 174gr HPBT .312” bullets. I did an o-give test and found out that in order to touch the lands I was all the way out at 2.47” which left only a few thousandths in the case neck. I did OCW with it which was maddening because across a full grain of powder variance the velocity remained exactly the same (need to labradar it some day to see what it actually ended at).
At the time the load proved to be pretty decent, with a 5 shot group pinching 3/4”. I figured it might have been a fluke but was content with the results. Well almost a year has gone by and I decided to dust off the back of the safe and get it out again. I loaded up another 5 shots with that recipe and hit the range this evening. 1 shot on steel for cold bore, and then 4 shots on paper at 100 yards.
I guess what I’m getting at is that it’s crazy how a 70 year old rifle with my DIY gunsmithing can pinch groups as tight as some of my custom rigs. For kicks and giggles I ran the bore scope down the tube. It’s such garbage; but with groups like this, what does it matter?
Anyone else have an old surplus rifle that surprises them like this?
