New Stocks for Mosin Nagant and K31 Swiss.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I have resisted the urge to obtain a MN or K31 mostly for only one reason. They are downright ugly guns. Both of them.

While at the SHOT Show last week I ran across somebody who actually makes some decent looking stocks for these guns.

A Small outfit named "Bluegrass Gunworks" located in Kentucky. http://www.bg-gunworks.com/

If you would like to restock your MN or K31 into something that looks a little more like a Sporting Rifle it might be worth a look.

I was impressed.

Randy

[Fishman]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder :)

[Peregrine]

I have resisted the urge to obtain a MN or K31 mostly for only one reason. They are downright ugly guns. Both of them.

Had a bad day at work?

[nicholst55]

Richard's Microfit offers a number of different styles inletted for the Mosin. Boyd's even has one or two, IIRC.

[LAGS]

I will have to check out what Bluegrass has to offer.
But I have been building or Modifying the original stock for the M N 's since 1976 when I got my first one.
Have a couple of ATI's but not impressed with plastic and it takes a lot of fitting to get it to fit right.
It is not a drop in Bolt on but many just install them that way.
I bought a Boyds to try on one, not too bad.
Here is some pics of some of the Modified or Custom stocks I built

[GhostHawk]

I disagree, if only they could talk the story's they could tell.

Do they look like sporting rifles? No, but they should not.
They could be used for that, and in that case by all means restock it if that is what you desire.

Mine will stay stock, with dings, burns, scratch's and initials scratched into the stock.

My SKS was in rough shape, so once I got the cosmoline off it I carefully stripped it, gave it some steel wool love, washed, dried then a couple of coats of True oil.

Every ding is still there, the name scratched into the stock, the burn, all of it sealed, protected and safe.

Its like a road map of what went wrong in their life. It is displayed for all to see, and it adds character.

[LAGS]

I too agree with you GhostHawk.
But in the surplus field, and with Previuosly Home Gunsmithed guns, there is just no Saving some of the stocks.
Or the metal has been modified so much, that it wont function on an original stock.
But those are the rifles that get played with, Customized or Modified, and I restore or shoot the ones that still retain their Original Story.
But I dont dwell on some falisified Claim to being Historic just because it was made in that Era.
But it is great to relive the past, and walk down the stepping stones of how we got to where we are today.

[reddog81]

Spend more on a stock than I spent on the rifle, no thanks...

[Adam Helmer]

Randy,
I agree with Fishman, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." I like the "Looks" of As-Issued military arms and have since my first military surplus rifle purchase in 1958. I was 13 years old at that time and lived through the 1950-1960 "Sporterization" frenzy (AKA Butchery by woodshed hammer mechanics). Not many "sporterized" rifles looked half as good as the issue arms the hammer mechanic started with, in my opinion.

I have purchased "butchered" rifles, one a M1911 Swiss Carbine that is now in a walnut Herter's stock that is passably easy to look at. The cut-down military stock went up my woodstove pipe!

Military As-Issued arms have a charm all their own. That charm is not for everyone, so if a sporting rifles is desired, the shops are full of factory rifles. Please leave the military arms as is for those who appreciate them for the history they represent.

Adam

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Got to go along with those who are saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." The Bluegrass stocks in the link just aren't my cup of tea, nor are Archangel stocks. To my taste, if the original stock is to be discarded or modified, I want something more like Lags' Mosin stock in his photo dated 21/11/2013.

I guess my peculiar quirk is that I want to retain the original stock on a rifle that hasn't been modified, but want it to look at least as good as the day it left the arsenal, so if it's dinged up I'll refinish it with that thought in mind. I've never understood the viewpoint or appreciation of "historical scars" on surplus rifles. After all, is it not true that after a war is over the various militaries recycle the weapons through the arsenal and refurbish them to like new? Refinish the metal and replace the stocks as needed? So, what's non-historic about having a rifle that looks nice?

As for the ones that Bubba got to before I acquired them, if they can't reasonably be restored to "as-issued", then I'll finish the job and turn it into a nice sporter. Most likely that will involve a completely new stock. I came to the conclusion long ago that life is too short for stocks from blanks, but I do like working up semi-inletted stocks.

[LAGS]

Stocks from Blanks.
I built Two Guys Mosin Nagant Pistol grip stocks that they provided the wood for me.
They owned a Hardwood Flooring company, and I built one out of Walnut Planks Glued together, and the other out of Cherry Planks Glued together.
Both had them built on Full Length Barreled M N's, and I modified another Bolt body so they could work with a scope.

I have two pictures printed of them , but lost the photo file , so I can not send them electronicly unless I take a Picture of a Picture.

[W.R.Buchanan]

This is a to each is own situation.

I have taken a beating from "Enfield Collectors" who chastised me for not returning my already Sporterized #4 Mk1 to original.

1. The gun was originally Sporterized by Parker Hale and I brought it back from the grave by just doing what I did to it and I didn't want a Full Mil #4 Mk1 I wanted something closer to an L39 or L42 in appearance. That's what I got. This gun was a Parker Hale "Standard Sporter" meaning that they removed the upper handguard and cut the fore end back to behind the barrel band. They sold for about $75 in the 60's.

2. They made 17 million of these guns and mine didn't have any battle scars to reminisce over. I personally consider this to be a figment of somebodies imagination as nobody alive today could have any possible idea of what a specific WW II era Firearm actually went thru on a battlefield that they couldn't possibly connect any particular firearm to. It's all in their minds!

3. My Second Enfield is a #4 Mk1* Long Branch made in Canada. It had been Sporterized by Parker Hale as well, and was a "Deluxe Sporter," meaning that it had had the barrel cut back to 22" and a PH Ramp Front Sight attached( crooked). My research on this gun came up with the little known fact that the "Deluxe Guns" had the barrel cut due to the fact that the muzzle was worn from excessive cleaning with a pull thru cleaning tool, thus cutting the barrel and recrowning it restored some of the accuracy, and was a cheap away to save the barrel. Cost in the 60's about $85! This gun also had one of the odd 2 groove barrels, and I saw fit to have JES rebore it to 35-.303. It is getting Boyd's Laminated Wood and a Cera Kote finish as well as a Redfield Receiver Sight. It will be a good looking Sporting Rifle when done, but nothing more!

Neither of these guns were in any way restorable to original in an economical manner. They were lost to history and I resurrected them from Bubba Hale and made them into something useful! And I have to tell you, that just because someone with a well known name modified a gun doesn't mean they did a very good job of it., and quite frankly Parker Hale sucked at this. And the lower grade PH guns were perfect examples. They were done strictly to generate Cash Flow during hard times after WWII .

4. And this is the one everyone really needs to respect,,,,They are my guns and I will do what the He11 I want with them, and if someone doesn't like it they can act all disheartened and sad,,, and go fish themselves! It is none of their business.

I have never seen a Mosin Nagant that looked even remotely as good as the guns I described above, and also they made about 130 million of them, so where is the rarity? They are just like a stack of pick axes, and are nothing more than tools from a bygone era and getting worked up over them is dumb.

This guys stocks make them a little better looking and for that I commend him. I haven't seen anyone else's stocks for these guns that did anything for me.

The Russians had a philosophy for using conscripts,,, it was called, "Plenty more where they came from!" Same goes for their guns.

So that's my .02 on this subject.

Randy

[LAGS]

Well lets try this.
I Scanned the pictures, so they are not the best quality.
The guy that wanted the stock made out of Walnut was Left Handed.
So , I had to make the relief to clear his wrist on the left side of the stock , which you cant see.
The pistol Grip was easy to shoot and absorebed a lot of the recoil.
Except for the scope mount that they wanted, all the other parts of the rifle , including the stock and bolt body were left like original, so they could put them back like the original.

[LAGS]

Randy
I have to agree with you in many respects.
The Russians, just provided Cannon Fodder for the Germans.
And one rifle to a man, and 5 bullets to his buddy.
Between the two, they might get to knock off a few Germans.
But the Finn in my post is called " Clanky "
Such a basic yet complex action.
But it is a cheap way to start for many gunsmith, Myself included.
Back in '76, what was I out ?
$35.00 shipped ? who cared if I screwed it up.
But I learned from my mistakes, and every rifle that I have tackeled from that year on has functioned and shot.
Maybe not as designed, but I Banked away Tons of Knowledge making mistakes , or trying designs on a ( Back Then ) Cheap throw away big bore rifle.
Now, my Mausers that I reserect from Bubba, and ones too far gone to restore, show the skills that I have aquired.
But I agree, that the " Kids as I call them (cus I am old ) want to buy a cheap rifle, and dump a ton of money into it and think they are going to have some Fancy Sniper Rifle.
And they are impressed with 2" groups at 25 yards , With a scope.
The original Battle dress rifle unrestored, did better than that, so why Bubba it.
But buy the ones that are not in so nice of condition and see if you can make them better.

[leebuilder]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Very true.
i agree, your rifle do as you please.
I find the guys the comment negatively on the conversion and resurrection of ex military rifles are the guys that have no hand skills or lack patience to carry out restoration let alone a basic cleaning.
there i said it.
i have sporterized a few milsurps and restored many more, looked as long as 2 years to source correct parts for a restoration, even then it is a restoration, not authentic.
After market stocks are awsome, you can build a good rifle on the cheap.
be well

[GhostHawk]

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Totally agree.187768

Pair of Mosin's, 43 and 44 and a Yugo SKS. I have not touched either of the Mosin Stocks.

But it is your rifle, you do what suits you.

[kawasakifreak77]

K31s are pretty funny lookin' at first...

However you forget what they look like when you start shooting sub moa with irons.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Ghost Hawk: Those Mosins are the best looking stock guns I have ever seen.

You know full well that the vast and overwhelming majority of those guns do not remotely look like yours.

Are you sure you didn't clean them up just a little? Usually they are completely soaked in Cosmoline.

Randy

[Fly]

If someone wants to bubba a peace of history it is a free country. But to me, when I pick up one
of these ole guys I wonder the stories it could tell. They will never be made again. My favorite is
my Finn 39. I,m glad I bought it when I did some years back. It,s value is three time more now.


I have seen people bubba finn 39 rifles & can not get any more for them that a Mosin Nagant.
The day will come when only custom rifles have wood stocks. But for me it is the history in them
I enjoy in shooting & caring for mine. To each there own.

Fly

[W.R.Buchanan]

The Finnish made Mosins are a completely different story. They are actually worth some money if in good shape and in stock configuration.

Those guns only used captured receivers from Mosins everything else was Finn. They had Sako Barrels with the cool adjustable front sight, and are five times the gun any Russian made Mosin Nagant ever was.

Then there are the Remington made Mosins which are somewhat rare as well. We wouldn't want to hurt one of them unless it had already been irreversibly altered.

I would really like to find a Finn that someone had bubba'd so I could Sporterize it. I think it could be made into a very decent sporting rifle with just some modified wood work. I would never consider doing it to a Finn in decent stock condition unless I could do it without modifying the gun so as to be able to put it back stock easily. Just putting the barreled action in another stock wouldn't kill it.

Randy

[LAGS]

The reason I sporterazed the one Finn, was All the parts were perfect, but not all serial numbers matched.
It looked like a parts gun that was assembled out of New Parts.
So where is the collector Value.
I would rather have a Very accurate Sporter / Hunting/ Target rifle then to hold on to something that LOOKED like a Historic Piece, that anyone who knew these models, would know it was not an Original Build.
And I was right.
It is the most accurate rifle in my Military or Sporter collection, and outshoots Most of my Factory Expensive rifles.
Another Finn 91 has the stock swapped out to a sporter stock but is original, and a Westinghouse was totally modified, because it was barely a parts gun when I bought it.

[nekshot]

Yeeehaaa, got me a hack saw, pipe wrench and a old vise. Now if I can find me a cheap gun I am good to go!

[Texas by God]

I inletted & finished Boyd's RIA stocks for a friend for a K31 and a 91/30. It was exactly what he wanted and he loved them. He kept all the parts for restoration if wanted. He's a smart guy. They handled well and the K31 would be better on sights alone. Try Boyd's. Best,Thomas.

[LAGS]

Got a Boyds for one of the 91's already.
Very nice stock for the money
Havent found one of my 91's that I want to put it on yet.
But I may inlet it to the Heavy Barreled M-28, but like you said, keep all the parts ,so it can be put back to original.
But in the mean time, I can just look for another deserving MN that is in need of a stock.
These are Boyds Pre finished on Mauser 98's and both in .35 Whelens that I built for myself and a friend.
He had me leave his stock as it came from Boyds, but I sanded mine down and did a little custom work to it.
That is why I prefer to get the Unfinished stocks from Boyds

[armoredman]

I've been in LAGS shop...I saw way more than a pipe wrench and a hacksaw. :)
This is a stock he made for me by hand over several months, a custom deal bedded and pillared, Ak style grip with reinforcing rod, and a spare 5 round mag holder in the butt.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/armoredman/527/527CSR11-27-2013200yards_zpseaea23f0.jpg (http://s16.photobucket.com/user/armoredman/media/527/527CSR11-27-2013200yards_zpseaea23f0.jpg.html)

Now the only thing he did with this rifle that even LOOKS bubba is the one of a kind 10 round mag for it;

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/armoredman/527/527%20with%2010%20round%20mag_zpspcddn92d.jpg (http://s16.photobucket.com/user/armoredman/media/527/527%20with%2010%20round%20mag_zpspcddn92d.jpg.html )

The reason it has that odd circle on the side was the very thin metal the magazine is made of, and it is really a first prototype. Ever see the first prototype of the AK? Gah! This one, however, works perfectly and the reason I use it is because I refuse to give it back - it's excellent like it is. :) He says he's working on either a 15 or 20 round mag which will very likely look much different. :) I'll be happy to test that one out, too!

[rondog]

The Finnish made Mosins are a completely different story. They are actually worth some money if in good shape and in stock configuration.

Those guns only used captured receivers from Mosins everything else was Finn. They had Sako Barrels with the cool adjustable front sight, and are five times the gun any Russian made Mosin Nagant ever was.

Then there are the Remington made Mosins which are somewhat rare as well. We wouldn't want to hurt one of them unless it had already been irreversibly altered.

I would really like to find a Finn that someone had bubba'd so I could Sporterize it. I think it could be made into a very decent sporting rifle with just some modified wood work. I would never consider doing it to a Finn in decent stock condition unless I could do it without modifying the gun so as to be able to put it back stock easily. Just putting the barreled action in another stock wouldn't kill it.

Randy

I have a Finn 91/30. Maybe I should consider that, sounds interesting.