Mosin nagant project questions.

[autofix4u]

I know i dont need another project right now, but have been thinking & playing with this for a while.
I have a junk MN action (I tweked it trying to get the barrel off) I have moded the mag, bolt face and extractor to feed 44 mag. So heres my thought. I want to take 1.75" out of the center of a MN action & bolt body, so it has a short throw, and install a 44 mag barrel. I now have 3 actions with the barrels off (thats not so bad after i figured it out). Has anyone here tried a project like this, and does anyone want to donate a barrel to play with :) =) ;) Any input would be helpful, good or bad you wont hurt my feelings. Thanks all, Josh

[Willbird]

I remember reading about a guy shortening an action of some kind, the issue he ran into was there was not enough room for enough mainspring to make the gun go boom :-).

[223tenx]

PM Buckshot. He has done it.

[Mk42gunner]

Roy Dunlap's book Gunsmithing has achapter or two on shortening actions; as does Wolfe Publishing's Gunsmithing Tips & Practices, which is a collection of older Rifle Magazine articles.

Good luck on your project,

Robert

[Willbird]

One issue at hand is that actions that were often shortened had FRONT locking lugs, if you shorten one that is a rear locker your weld is stressed by chamber pressure, in a front locker that is not true.

[Milsurp Junkie]

You could always chamber it in 444 marlin. The work that you did on the bolt face, and extractor would be the same. Just the magazine work would need to be redone. Might be easier than shortening the action, and bolt...Just an idea.
Can you upload pictures of the bolt face/extractor work?

Jonathan

[autofix4u]

You could always chamber it in 444 marlin. The work that you did on the bolt face, and extractor would be the same. Just the magazine work would need to be redone. Might be easier than shortening the action, and bolt...Just an idea.
Can you upload pictures of the bolt face/extractor work?

Jonathan

I hadnt thought of 444 marlin. I dont have one that had ought to be excuse enough to build one. I will see if i can take some pictures & post then this weekend.
Anyone care to send me 5 444 marlin dummie rds?

[bstarling]

I've thought about doing one of these in 375 Winchester. Part of the thinking is it might fit the magazine without too much fuss. I was thinking the rim size might also be close enough not to have to mess with the bolt head.

Anyone tried that?

Bill

[roverboy]

Bstarling, I've never done a Mosin project but I own some and the .375 might work like you say. Sounds good.

[bstarling]

Bstarling, I've never done a Mosin project but I own some and the .375 might work like you say. Sounds good.

Rover, If you do try it, keep us posted. I am in a Mauser project right now, but will be looking for something else to do after that one.

Bill

[richhodg66]

There is a gunsmith closeby who has shortened Mauser actions and made rifles to shoot .45 ACP. Makes for a fun plinker, but I haven't asked him in detail what all was involved.

This is an intriguing idea to use Mosin actions for other big, rimmed cases. How about a .348 Winchester?

[autofix4u]

Here are some photos. sorry there a little late, and of a diffrent action, as the parts i have modified are still a the machine shop getting a barrel fitted. But here goes

[autofix4u]

We will start withe the interupter. It will need to be lenghted at the tang. I used a MIG welder and added some metal in this area. I ended up .040 longer at the tang. This part is the spring so dont get it very hot. Its also dovetailed in and has to be drove out forward after the screw d removed.

[autofix4u]

Along with the lower part the upper needs moved closer to the centerline of the rifle. I just used a file and removed .020 from ths area. Just the rear part, as the 7.62x54r has a lot of case taper and 44mag doesent. This will move the rear in and leave the front in place.

[autofix4u]

Here we see the 44mag in the mag held up by the follower against the interupter. You need to leave this piece long and take a little off at a time untill when you push the upper part out the round pops up into place.

[autofix4u]

Now to the bolt face. See this ring machined in the face, Its a good place to hold solder.
The rim on X54 is @.575, 44 mag is @ .510, I used a .030 shim cut from a 50 bmg case solderd in place to take up the diffrence.
As a caution DO NOT remove the extractor from the bolt head. I have broken 4 of them trying YMMV.

[autofix4u]

more pics to come later, I hope to get the barred action back in a couple of weeks.
Sorry for the poor pictures I dont have a digital camera except for my phone.

[JIMinPHX]

How did you get the barrel off that thing in the first place? I took a look at one a while ago & it didn't look all that obvious to me.

[Artful]

I had thought about this for a magazine feed bolt 44 mag using desert eagle pistol magazines and an adaptor block in the existing magazine.

I have a SIA conversion on a SMLE -it uses the 1911 45ACP mags thru an adaptor block

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/6318/dsc06032.th.jpg (http://img258.imageshack.us/i/dsc06032.jpg/)

click to enlarge Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

had to dremel the barrel in front of the receiver to relieve enough pressure to get that old 303 barrel to unscrew.

[Freightman]

There is an old machinist on the east side of town that did a 444 on a mosin also something he called a short 50 using a 50 cal barrel and 50BMG brass shortened. He is in fast failing health and not up to visitors, I wish I had spent a little more time picking his brain. All that knowledge is for all piratical purposes gone.

[richbug]

Now to the bolt face. See this ring machined in the face, Its a good place to hold solder.
The rim on X54 is @.575, 44 mag is @ .510, I used a .030 shim cut from a 50 bmg case solderd in place to take up the diffrence.
As a caution DO NOT remove the extractor from the bolt head. I have broken 4 of them trying YMMV.

Are you driving the extractor out to the rear? I had mine in and out many times when I did my 209 primer bolt face.

[3006guns]

I don't know if this will contribute to the discussion or not, but I got bored on a rainy Sunday years ago and did the following.....

Grabbed a MN action, purchased at a gunshow for five bucks.
Threaded a .45 caliber barrel to fit (actually a muzzle loader barrel, wrong twist).
Chambered for .45-70 with a boring bar in the lathe, then polished.
Made the extractor cut with a Dremel tool.
Opened the bolt face.
Fitted an old Mauser front sight.
Dropped into a duffle cut stock.

The result was the UGLIEST .45-70 single shot you can imagine.......but it shoots! I might have to drag it out, clean it up and see if I can open the mag well a bit.