New Mosin today

[tomme boy]

I traded off my 1943 Ishv Mosin 91-30 today for a 1942 Tula Mosin 91-30. This one looked to have a pristine bore and groove. I slugged it from both ends and things are not good. 0.313"x0.305" at the chamber end and 0.315"x0.3055" at the muzzle. I took it out and fired 50 rounds of cast through it. It was leading a little the last 3 inches. It brushed right out, but I don't like it. The bullets I used were sized 0.314" and lubed with Tac1 and then tumble lubed with alox. With a alum check.

I also spent the last 3 hours taking apart about 300 rounds I had loaded up for the other mosin and then ran them through the FL sizer as this one has a little tighter chamber than the other. I pulled the decapping pin and then sized them. The price of primers and the availability I am not going to waste them.

Know, what to do about the barrel?????

[littlejack]

tomme boy:
It sounds like you need to see how far down the bore at the muzzle end, it is oversize. You may get by with cutting off a couple inches, and re-crowning.
Regards
Jack

[tomme boy]

I looked a little at it today. It looks about 5" down where it starts. I am not going to cut it down. I might go and try to find another gun. This one looks perfect. Other than the large bore anyway. I should be able to find one with a tighter muzzle end.

I'm going to try shooting it this weekend again. I am going to see how long it takes before the accuracy falls off. The leading cleaned right up this time. So if I can get 50 rounds off I will be happy.

[Motor]

tomme boy,
Yeah you may need to throw that one in the scrap barrel. Just kidding. LOL

However finding one with a better bore would help. My 91-30 is .313+ and shoots a .313+ un-checked sub-sonic or checked 1850f/s both very well and with no leading problems. I can't recall the bore size but I'm sure it was a lot closer to .300" than yours at .305"


Nice thing is they are still kind of inexpencive. Most people have a few. If you havn't yet you have to shoot a Finn M39. They are just awsome !! We have 3 of them. They normally are .3105" GD I have one that is .3115" They all shoot the .313+ bullet very good.


Motor

[GhostHawk]

Lots of them out there yet in the 130-150$ range. I got lucky this winter and scored a pair of very sweet ones for 155$ both with .312 bores.

I'd suggest just put the bayonet on the end and hang it on the wall if you don't want to shorten the barrel and recrown.

I'm having a blast playing with reduced loads for mine. Dropped as low as 20 grains of IMR 4895, now I'm working the ladder up from 30 towards 40.

20 grains worked fine, but hit about 6" low at 50 yards. 25 gr was about 3-4 inches low, well within minute of 5 gallon bucket! :)
But I'll run the ladder to see where I can find the best accuracy with a little less drop and still have reduced recoil.

[I'll Make Mine]

An alternative option to shortening the barrel (and the one always seen on arsenal rebuilds that had that worn muzzle problem; they had to maintain original length and bayonet attachment) is to counterbore. I've heard of counterbores in muzzles as deep as several inches; the counterbore acts as a new crown and eliminates the worn rifling, though it's much more commonly done as a remedy to cleaning rod wear (i.e. bore diameter worn oversize) than relative to groove diameter flare (but ought to fix either one equally well). You'll need a piloted counterboring tool (to keep the countebore concentric to the original bore), but that can be driven, with care, in a hand held power drill; no lathe required. For a Mosin and the depth you need, you'd probably want to counterbore to at least .330 and could go as big as .360 or .375 (I don't recall the exact muzzle O.D., but you want to leave enough metal there for sight support, so it doesn't bend if the muzzle gets a bump). Bigger gives less effect on the bullet from gas escaping past after leaving the "new muzzle", but smaller is less work, easier to get accurately concentric, and may be sufficient.

[725]

There's always fire lapping. I've turned some real stinkers into downright nail drivers by fire lapping.

[gew98]

I've got three of those refurbed 91/30's and they shoot OK but nothing to rave about. Have two finned 91's and they shoot by god. My son likes shooting those finned 91's more than any other rifle excepting his M1 carbine , and he can do some good shooting with them !.

[tomme boy]

Well I went and got rid of it. It actually shot surplus really well.

I ended up getting another one. This one is a 43 Ishv. This one has even a better looking barrel on it. Looking from the muzzle, you can see the chatter marks from the reamer when they did the rifling. Both on the lands and groves. This one measures 0.313" at the throat and at the muzzle. It doesn't look as pretty as the Tula did, but I want a shooter more than anything.

[Motor]

This one sounds really good. It should shoot.

One suggestion I will make is that you shoot it with decent surplus first to make sure it shoots it good. There is often more to these rifles than a good barrel that determines if it shoots good or not. But if it shoots surplus good then move on to your cast loads.

Motor

BTW: Funny how they shoot surplus good. Surplus light ball 147gr steel core bullets mic .3105" It is believed the open base of these bullets allow pressure into the bullet jacket expanding it to fit the bore better.

[tomme boy]

Took it out today and shot a 1.25" group at 100 yds today. I used a boolit I designed for one of my other Mosins. It fills the throat very well. http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=31-215B-D.png

Winchester brass
Win LR primer
31-215B lubed with Tac1
Alum check
Sized 0.314"
21grs 5744
Seated to the crimp grove

[1911cherry]

Is your barrel drilled straight? I have a 43 Izhevsk also and the bore aint even close to centered in the barrel, still shoots ok though. From what I have seen these aren't as nice a rifle as a Tula, but I can live with em for what I payed.

[tomme boy]

Barrel is straight. The receivers on 43-44 Isv mosins are crudely finished on the outside. But I don't care what they look like. I want one that shoots.

[Archey]

That looks like a great boolit that you designed for Mosins. Have you hunted with it? I am using the Lyman 314299 in my Mosins, works great.