Finn Mosin Nagant curve ball..........

[3006guns]

I have a Finnish MN m28/30 that I purchased many years ago. It has a good bore/crown and is in good shape over all. I finally took it shooting for the first time and discovered that it shoots to the right. No problem I thought......I'll just adjust the front sight windage.....uh oh. Someone's already adjusted it to its limit. What's goin' on here?

Looking at the muzzle barrel band, I noticed that it seemed to be touching on one side, so I disassembled the rifle for a closer look. It was touching all right......the entire forestock, from the second barrel band to the muzzle has a distinct curved warp. The barrel actually has rub marks where the wood has been forcing it over. The remainder of the stock, including the Finn finger joint splice, seems to be fine but the forestock is quite thin and looks like it "took a set" that is affecting the accuracy. Frankly I'm somewhat amazed that I hit anything I aimed at.

My first thought is to remove any metal, strip any oil/finish and place just the forestock section into a home made steam chamber long enough to soften the wood. I would then place a close fitting form of some sort in the barrel channel and bind everything with surgical tubing until the wood cools and solidifies. Hopefully this will straighten the warp and allow the barrel to float like it used to. I'm avoiding simply using a barrel channel rasp as I'm afraid I'd have to remove so much wood that it would be too thin.

Does anyone have any other ideas before I try this? I'm anxious to save this rifle due to its heavy barrel and decent bore. Thanks in advance for any advice!

[NuJudge]

I have seen a lot of Russian stocks for sale, cheap. Can I suggest you get one of them to try this on first? You could also try the barreled action in the Russian stock first, to see if the problem is actually with the metal, not the wood.

[3006guns]

I have seen a lot of Russian stocks for sale, cheap. Can I suggest you get one of them to try this on first? You could also try the barreled action in the Russian stock first, to see if the problem is actually with the metal, not the wood.

Although I'm pretty sure the stock is the culprit, I have a spare MN half stock with an enlarged barrel channel. That should prove if the original stock is the problem all right!

[MtGun44]

I believe I would get a large, stiff "thing" - bench, heavy slab of wood, chunk of angle iron - pretty much
anything that will be pretty darn stiff in bending and longer than the stock - and then rig up a way
to attach the rear 1/2 of the stock to this stiff "thing", rope, clamps and wood, etc - with padding to
keep from damaging it. Then, after strapping the stock to the "thing", I would wet the front part
of the stock and then heat with a hair drier until it was very, very warm. Then I would put a shim
or two under the tip of the forend - perhaps a bit more than the undesired bend - to reverse the
bend and leave it to cool and dry for a day or so.

Wood is cellulose fibers stuck together with a natural resin called lignen which softens when heated.
So - if you wet and heat the wood, it will soften and then when bent and cooled, will re-harden in the
new configuration. The water prevents overheating the lignen, max temp possible if wet is 212F
which will not damage it.

Good luck.

Bill

[3006guns]

First of all, thank you for the help and advice guys. I just finished "correcting" the problem. I built a steam chest and steamed the fore end for over two hours yesterday, then removed it from the steam chest. To my absolute horror, the fore end curve (warp) was now TWICE as bad! I went ahead and cranked it back on the action anyway with plenty of clamps, etc. and let it cool overnight. I loosened everything this morning and it was still badly warped. Evidently I managed to get the only chunk of wood that the Finnish armorer pulled off a dog house outside during the winter. Basically it's hopeless. Okay, time for plan "B".

A few months ago one of my friends purchased one of the many Mosin Nagants on the market, then bought a plastic replacement stock. He gave me the original which is one of the arsenal reconditioned ones. After a couple of hours of minor, but very careful inletting, the action dropped right in. I'll use the Finnish hand guard since the Russian is a different profile. I have probably a couple more hours of minor band fitting and the rifle should be good as new.

I'm going to keep that old stock for those people that claim that wood can't put enough pressure on the barrel to make a difference. One look at the 1", rock solid bend in that wood will close the argument! :)

[MtGun44]

The barrel is not stiff enough to force the wood to stay in position.

With a proper "stiff thing", and enough heat, I do believe you would be able
to move that wood back. OTOH, you have a better solution there already.

Bill

[madsenshooter]

The stock on my K31 is warped enough that it split at the very end when the front band was tightened down. I can loosen the band just enough to take the left to right pressure off and get it to group.

[graphic914]

Check online, I have seen original stocks cheap

[Gtek]

What a pain, there are other options but none quick and easy. The Com-Bloc wood is usually very sappy and epoxies can be difficult to say the least. If stock is nice and correct, worth saving? Strategically remove material on inside of front end enough back beyond start of warp and create epoxy bed, almost 180 degrees. Design ribs and cavities to create longitudinal strength and mechanical bond. Build jig to set wood straight and let her have it. If over done,, grind for clearance. I have over the years sectioned stocks under the band lines on Vet bring backs fixing "Duffle Cut" is another option. Find one with bad butt and splice. Gtek

[W.R.Buchanan]

Or you could just cut off the offending front section of the stock in front of the barrel band like they do with a lot of different Target and Sniper Rifles. Examples are the L42 Enfield, CG 63 Swedish Mauser.

I personally like the look of the bobbed stock. You have nothing to lose because what you have right now won't work anyway

Whereas I don't believe that the Finns ever made a rifle that looked like these, I think you could imagine what it would look like. I would also bet that someone along the way has sporterized one by nipping off the front section of the stock, which seems to be the easiest and quickest way to repurpose a military weapon.

I missed the only Finn Nagant I have ever seen in person at my local Hardware store last year. It went for $229 in less than 20 minutes and was a nice one. I came in an hour later it was already sold. I have no interest in the Soviet made or other guns of this type but the Finns did a real good job of building their guns. All they kept from Mother Russia was the receiver, everything else is Finn.

I wouldn't hesitate to bob the stock on a $250 gun. There is little if any significant Collector value here, and it certainly wouldn't outweigh the coolness of the new look. IF you decided to put a scope on the gun there is a nice inexpensive kit to alter the bolt by cutting it off , drilling and tapping two holes and bolting the new handle on.

Randy

[pcarpenter]

I hate to see an original Finn m28 get cobbled into something else, but then it's not mine and you should do as makes you happy. As mtgun44 points out, you probably did the right thing except that you hoped it would form back to the right shape by clamping to the barrelled action. In steaming wood--especially fighting natural stresses going the wrong direction-- you have to exaggerate your forming back the other direction while still wet. That would take some clamps and shims arranged as described, rather than the original action and barrel, as a form.

Paul

[Junior1942]

Man, it's amazing what a fellow can learn on this forum without even trying!

[.5mv^2]

Good luck with your project. My Finn has a Russian Imperial Eagle on the receiver. 1916.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Re-steam the stock with something else instead of the rifle barrel in the channel. Something bigger and stiffer. Clamp/force stock by degrees into correct position. Let stock get fully dry only in correct position. If you're not sure how to do this, do a good bit more google research on steam shaping of wood.

Also, if it looks normal on the outside, but a mess on the inside, you can remove material on the inside and use fiberglass mat and fiberglass epoxy to build a new and much stiffer barrel channel. Once the fiber glass it dry, clean it out to re-float the barrel and you're done. Not a tough job, just requires patience.

Should be very do-able.

Hope this helps,

Dave

[Hang Fire]

Or you could just cut off the offending front section of the stock in front of the barrel band like they do with a lot of different Target and Sniper Rifles. Examples are the L42 Enfield, CG 63 Swedish Mauser.

I personally like the look of the bobbed stock. You have nothing to lose because what you have right now won't work anyway

Whereas I don't believe that the Finns ever made a rifle that looked like these, I think you could imagine what it would look like. I would also bet that someone along the way has sporterized one by nipping off the front section of the stock, which seems to be the easiest and quickest way to repurpose a military weapon.

I missed the only Finn Nagant I have ever seen in person at my local Hardware store last year. It went for $229 in less than 20 minutes and was a nice one. I came in an hour later it was already sold. I have no interest in the Soviet made or other guns of this type but the Finns did a real good job of building their guns. All they kept from Mother Russia was the receiver, everything else is Finn.

I wouldn't hesitate to bob the stock on a $250 gun. There is little if any significant Collector value here, and it certainly wouldn't outweigh the coolness of the new look. IF you decided to put a scope on the gun there is a nice inexpensive kit to alter the bolt by cutting it off , drilling and tapping two holes and bolting the new handle on.

Randy

Hey if sporterized MN Finn rifles was good enough for this guy, what the heck, go for it.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/TANSTAAFL-2/Finn20sniper3.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/TANSTAAFL-2/media/Finn20sniper3.jpg.html)

[Josh Smith]

Hello,

How did the project go?

The M28/30 should have a short barrel sleeve near endcap of the stock. The purpose is to keep the barrel from contacting the stock at all, for any reason.

Is it still present in yours?

Josh