Scoped my Mosin 91/30.

[BigAlofPa.]

Plan on zeroing it in tomorrow. Took me some time to decide on a mount. Found one that goes in place of the rear sight. And has a sight notch for up close shooting. Put a UTG 1-4x28 Scout Rifle Scope on it.
239604

[LAGS]

I have installed Various scope mounts on my M N's
I have the mounts that replaced the rear sight and used a LER scope.
I have one I bought for my M-44, and 91-30
I got a M-39 Bad *** Ace mount for a M-39 that worked on my M-28-30
Now they do not make a Scout scope mount for my 1891's.
So those ones I made out of a scope rail for a Marlin 336 and a piece of metal to replace the sight leaf.
But I also made side mounted scope mounts for some rifles like the Hex receivers and customized the bolt handles.
I do have an ATI mount that uses a regular Eye Relief scope, but never mounted it on a rifle because I did not want to drill my rifles in the top of the receiver. but Friends have them and like them.
But I did install a PU scope on my Chinese M 53 and made the bolt handle into the sniper design by welding an extension on to it and reshaping it.

[BigAlofPa.]

Wow nice indeed. I can't wait till tomorrow lol. My irons grouping test went well. Looking forward to see how it does with a scope.

[BigAlofPa.]

I got it zeroed pretty decent. Then i started pulling shots left. Not sure if it was because the barrel was getting hot. Or from me getting uncomfortable not being able to get a cheek weld. Im going to get a check rest for it. Next outing ill rig something up until i decide on what ill buy.

[LAGS]

How far were the shots pulling to the left.
And were they all grouping consistent to the left, or just all over to the left.
Check to see if you have pressure from the stock on your barrel consistent with which way your bullets were going once the barrel got hot.
IE; the barrel is hitting the wood solidly on the right side of the barrel.
But also, with a new scope mounted up, check to see if the mount is still tight.
Those Scout scope mounts are not the most solid mounts, and do loosen up.
I always use Blue Locktite on all the screws and set screws, plus I install Shim washers to take up the extra space where the screws go into the sides of the base.
The bases are usually aluminum, and with a gap between the base and the rear sight ears, you can not get them really tight without bending the ears on the rear sight base, or stripping out the threads in the scope base.
And make sure your screws are not bottoming out on the screw on the opposite side.
They will be tight, but leave a space where the scope mount can move side to side after firing a bit.

[BigAlofPa.]

It was good on horizontal just a about 2 inches left. The rings were a little loose about 1/2 turn. I tightened them. Came up with something for a temporary cheek rest too. Until mine comes in that ordered. I'll loctite them too. Thanks for the idea. Saturday im going back out. Rain tomorrow.

[LAGS]

How did you set up your scope and bore sight it, Thru the bore or a laser bore sighter ?
I try to set all my scopes to Zero /Zero on V blocks, then bore sight them on the rifle.
Then I will make as much adjustment in the scope base as I can to get the Zeroed Scope to Bore Sight in, before I ever adjust the dials on the scope.
That gives me Full adjustment in all four directions if needed.
But in many cases, I install the zeroed scope on the rifle and test fire it.
I do not touch the dials at all.
I record where it is shooting, then back home to use a bore sighter and Make adjustments to ONLY the mount.
I Know, I have way too much time on my hands.

[BigAlofPa.]

I bore sighted it looking though the bore at the range. I have a laser one that goes on the the muzzle too. But with it being counter bored wasn't sure how well that would work. It was about a foot low 1st shot and 3 inches left at 25 yards. I got it in at 25 then moved out to 100. Only needed a little adjustment. Ran a few with the tula ammo. The a few with ppu. Then a few with my speer loads. Took a break from the target and shot at some cans and brick people dumped. Started to miss. Went back to the target. That's when i saw it was pulling left. Rain today. Gives me time to do the loctite and roll some more ammo.

[LAGS]

The Laser will work on a counter bored rifle.
If it is the type that has a laser that sits and centers on the crown at the end of the barrel , and a stem with a adjustable flaring piece that fits down into the bore.
If you haven't re adjusted your scope yet, then check it with the laser, just to see where you are at, and possibly adjust your mount a bit for elevation before you locktite everything in.

[BigAlofPa.]

It's just a cheap magnetic one with a cone. I already did the loctite. It's setting up for tomorrows outing. Im getting ready to roll some more rounds soon.

[krallstar]

I have installed Various scope mounts on my M N's
I have the mounts that replaced the rear sight and used a LER scope.
I have one I bought for my M-44, and 91-30
I got a M-39 Bad *** Ace mount for a M-39 that worked on my M-28-30
Now they do not make a Scout scope mount for my 1891's.
So those ones I made out of a scope rail for a Marlin 336 and a piece of metal to replace the sight leaf.
But I also made side mounted scope mounts for some rifles like the Hex receivers and customized the bolt handles.
I do have an ATI mount that uses a regular Eye Relief scope, but never mounted it on a rifle because I did not want to drill my rifles in the top of the receiver. but Friends have them and like them.
But I did install a PU scope on my Chinese M 53 and made the bolt handle into the sniper design by welding an extension on to it and reshaping it.
I am also wanting to scope my 91/30. Has anyone used a https://jmeckscopemounts.com Thinking i might go with this setup.

[LAGS]

This is the first time I have seen the Jmecks mount.
It looks like something I might use to install a scope on a rifle that I did not want to drill and tap or modify from its original condition.
It looks like you could get a regular scope on the rifle with out much problem, and it would give you a better sight picture than a Scout Scope set up that replaces the rear sight.
Since I have never seen one of these mounts, I will not guess about the durability, or if it can truly hold Zero over time.
But the band that holds it on, being able to be bent with your hands seems like it could possibly flex a little.
But it does seem like a nifty way for an average guy to scope his rifle with a standard style scope at home with a minimum of tools.
But your bolt handle looks like it still has to be modified.
To me, that is not an issue since I have spare Parts for my rifles that have already been modified, so I can keep the original bolt body Original and not effect the value of the rifle if it is some collectable model. ( Very Few are )

[BigAlofPa.]

This is the mount i went with.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mosin-Nagant-Scope-Mount-for-the-91-30-See-Through-Rear-Sight-Machined-In-Base/163522088868?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

[LAGS]

I have never used that mount.
Mine are the ones that replace the rear sight blade and have screws that go thru where the Pivot pin use to hold the sight blade on, then have two set screws that bind against the old sight base and they can give you a little elevation correction if needed.

[airone46]

DO YOU KNOW THIS???
http://www.scopemounts.com/index.html?main.html

[LAGS]

Yes I know about the S&K scope mounts.
I have several on My Lee Enfields , German , Turk/Czech 98-22 and Yugo Mausers , Mosin Nagants M-53, M-44 and 91/30.
But they don't make one for the M 1891
The only one that I didn't like was for the SKS, but it is a good mount, it was just more of my personal Preference, so I built my own

[BigAlofPa.]

Question on red dot for 150 grain jacketed speer bullets. I been running with the 13 grain rule. Would bumping to 15 grains be dangerous?

[LAGS]

It has been so long since I used Red Dot in my MN's I cant say for sure.
But never just JUMP up to a load.
Work the load up slowly, especially on old Mil Surps.
Currently I am using Reloader 7 and 2400 with my cast loads.
Before that it was Unique.
My J bullets, I mostly used IMR 4895

[BigAlofPa.]

Yeah im thinking do 5 at 13.5 and keep going .5 increases. And chronoing them as i go as well as seeing how they are for accuracy. And checking for pressure signs. For full power loads im running imr 4895 at 44 grains middle of the road.

[Larry Gibson]

O use this mount which came as a "kit" with D&T, and bolt handle. You cut off the bolt handle and D&T'd it for the new one. I had a Soviet sniper bolt so I used that instead. I had to cut off and reshape a bit of the back of the mount for the Soviet bolt handle to clear but it wasn't difficult. I also added an additional mound screw to the front which makes it rock solid on the rifle.

239743239744239745

[LAGS]

Larry.
That looks like the ATI scope mount.
I have installed many of those for friends, but never on my rifles.
That third screw that you added really makes a difference in keeping them tight.
The pictures I submitted of the bolt modification were built in the late 70's.
The top two on the left started off as a D&T of sorts and are made out of 1/4" flat steel reshaped, and the one has the original Ball off the old bolt D&T'ed onto the shank.
Where I mounted the handle onto the bolt body, I did not countersink the screws.
Both parts are threaded, then put together and the screw shank is ground and polished flat.
The bottom two are welded on.
I did those after I taught myself to Gas Weld.

[BigAlofPa.]

Heading out soon. I scrapped the idea of going over 13 grains of red dot. I loaded some with 2400 and IMR 4895.

[LAGS]

Please post your results.
Are you still using the Speer 150 .312 ?
I noticed that my MN's like heavier bullets, especially in Cast

[BigAlofPa.]

Ok here we go lol. Running the speer .311 hot core 150 44 grains of IMR 4895. And tula. My 13 grain red dot were all over. I didn't take pic of them. Gun was hot when i got to them. I started out with the tula factory. Had to do some adjustment after taking the scope off and loc-tite'n it. The 2400 grouped the tightest but high. I was aiming at the paper. I used a makeshift cheek rest.
239811
239812

[LAGS]

How many grains of the 2400 ?

[BigAlofPa.]

25 grains.

[LAGS]

I don't know if you want to keep your rifle in its original form.
But the two rifles in the pictures I posted work great.
The Monte Carlo stock is the Original M28-30 Finn that I laminated wood to the stock, then reshaped it into a more Sporting design for hunting.
The Black one is actually a Prototype that I made out of Poplar Planks I glued together then cut out my own design.
It was supposed to be a Pattern to use on a stock Duplicator.
But the guy that had the duplicator that I could use moved to the other side of the country.
So , I just painted it with Black Wrinkle paint and mounted it on a rifle.
But I made two more stocks like that design and used Wood Flooring planks glued together for the wood.
One out of Walnut, and one out of Cherry.
The pistol grip design on the short rifle especially with the cheek piece riser is very quick to the shoulder and is perfect for the High See thru scope mount
The pistol grip also helps with the recoil.
I call that one my AKMN.
Here is another MN stock that I modified that you can see better how it was laminated and a picture of a target from years ago with a light bullet in a .310 Sako Finn

[BigAlofPa.]

Yeah i want to keep it original as possible. And work from it. I know it can group tight from my irons testing. Here is some results with the irons different ammo. S is speer loads. T is tula P is ppu.
239858

[yeahbub]

My post might be late to the party, but time is limited. Anyway. . . .

BigAl, those groups are looking good. I topped out at 24gr of 2400 with paper patched cast.

A common characteristic on Mosins I worked with was that the forearm and handguard fit around the barrel at the front barrel band was sloppy loose, causing uneven and/or random contact with the barrel from shot to shot and sometimes moving the strikes in some direction due to humidity changes bending the forearm. This is evidenced by the barrel being worn shiny from movement where it should be gripped by the stock. The Finns were better at stocking them so they could be reliably be free-floated in their conversions, but even they stopped doing that. The standard fix for this was to tightly wrap paper around the barrel until there is too much, and then remove a wrap or so until the band could be tightly installed. The paper can then be saturated with a persistent moisture displacer (beeswax, LPS-3, bearing grease, etc.). It won't be free-floated, but the harmonics will be consistent from shot to shot instead of all over the map and paper can stand what heat is likely with any rapid fire matches in a bolt-action. Improper action screw tension from decades of storage is also pretty common. I don't recall what the torque was supposed to be, but a rule of thumb was that the front screw should be tighter than the rear by 20% or so. Others who have the data might chime in on that detail. This likely will not make your Mosin into a one-hole-group match rifle, but ya never know. In any case, it sure reduces the scatter common to old battle-axes.

LAGS, those are nice bolt handle jobs! I particularly like the one at the bottom of the last pic. Do you do this for others? I'd have my Mosin out more, but that little straight-out stub doesn't offer much leverage against that truck spring in the bolt. It would be nice to have a mod like that which doesn't require cutting a channel in the stock to accommodate it.

[leadhead]

There's a company in Western Pa. that makes a great non drill mount for Russian and
K98 rifles.... contact DANO5058@hotmail.com
Denny

[LAGS]

@ yeahbub
I use to make handles for people Locally.
But now that I am retired, I am going to concentrate on my rifles.
But I like sharing the pictures with others, so they can do their own or have someone locally do it for them.
There is some minor fitting to the rifle that is required to do things right.
I don't like the One Size Fits all stuff on the Net.
But I am glad you like the handles.
That handle you like is actually a Weld on Handle that I got from Brownell's 20 years ago for one of my Mauser customs

[Larry Gibson]

Larry.
That looks like the ATI scope mount..........

I believe you are correct.

[LAGS]

I like the ATI scope base.
But I don't like their D&T bolt handle replacement.
It works fine, and can be easily installed.
But , That again is a personnel preference.
But it is too short for what I like and is sometimes hard to work if your rifle has a rough chamber or one of them that still has the cosmoline cooked into it.
But the handle replacement is the fastest and cheapest way for the Average Guy to turn down the bolt handle on a MN and they make one for a Mauser too.

[BigAlofPa.]

Im going to see if i can tighten the front barrel band. With an index card. My cheek rest is on the way. Hope i get it before this coming monday. Going to be a washout the rest of the week with rain. Sunday ill be away for Easter at my parents.

[LAGS]

To tighten up the barrel bands, and make them fit the stock, I built up the inside of the band "off the stock" with Epoxy then sanded it to fit the stock shape.
A index card is the same thickness and will add thickness to the tightness of the band only on the parts where it hits.
Possibly making the other areas with gaps, even larger.
The epoxy can be built up only in the areas where you see gaps between the band and the stock, and it stays on the Band and doesn't mess up your stock.
But another option if you want is to build up areas ON the stock or Handguard where there are gaps Under the band if you want to.

[Larry Gibson]

I like the ATI scope base.
But I don't like their D&T bolt handle replacement.
It works fine, and can be easily installed.
But , That again is a personnel preference.
But it is too short for what I like and is sometimes hard to work if your rifle has a rough chamber or one of them that still has the cosmoline cooked into it.
But the handle replacement is the fastest and cheapest way for the Average Guy to turn down the bolt handle on a MN and they make one for a Mauser too.

The ATI bolt handle does indeed suck......that's why I didn't use it. The Soviet long sniper bolt handle gives lots of leverage and is much better. The ATI Base is excellent on the other hand was easy to modify with a hacksaw and files to accommodate the Soviet sniper bolt handle. It works very well for me.

[LAGS]

I am glad that I am not the only one who has the Personnel impression on the ATI bolt handle replacement.
But if you try it, and you too do not like it, the bolt body can still be modified to use another bolt handle.
But , like I said, it is a good starting point for most shooters on a Limited Budget, or just want a Quick Fix.

[BigAlofPa.]

Great idea Lags. Thank You. :smile:

[LAGS]

@ BigAlofPa
You are welcome.
I like digging back into my past and bringing up Ideas that worked for me back in the day.
But if the epoxy doesn't work the way you want it to, it is easy to remove and try something else.

[BigAlofPa.]

I found that the screw by the trigger worked loose. I thought i put blue loc-tite on it. I did now lol. Back one by the bolt was still tight. So ill see if that helps. One step at a time.

[458mag]

Scoped mine to.

[BigAlofPa.]

Looks good. After im healed from my surgery. I'll get back to shooting my mosin. I had my other rifles out the other day. I was pulling shots left. I think im favoring my thumb tendon. And it's throwing me off.

[Life Member]

Nice set up. All depends on your barrel.