Can it be saved...Mosin-Nagant

[wallenba]

I Came across a Mosin- Nagant carbine today, seller wants $80. I think I can get him to take $50. It's stamped 1942, I could not find an arsenal stamp. Problem is the bore is trash. Import mark was Cv something, I think it was in Vermont. Can this be rechambered up, and is it worth the trouble?
:?

[EMC45]

Probably CIA in Georgia Vermont.......

[hoosierlogger]

Nagants arent terribly expensive in good shape. But if your intentions are to re chamber one, thats probably not a bad buy if it can be had for $50.

[wallenba]

Nagants arent terribly expensive in good shape. But if your intentions are to re chamber one, thats probably not a bad buy if it can be had for $50.

Yeah, that's my thinkin' too, I'll just look a bit more, I just like the little carbine.

[Freightman]

Get it for $50 clean it good and shoot some surplus through it you might be surprised at the bore. If not find you a 444 barrel and put it on the action, a man I shoot with did that it was a very accurate rifle and fun.

[wallenba]

Get it for $50 clean it good and shoot some surplus through it you might be surprised at the bore. If not find you a 444 barrel and put it on the action, a man I shoot with did that it was a very accurate rifle and fun.

Hmmm....how about necking it up to 8mm and rebore?

[Char-Gar]

Ijust bought a 1932 Tula Hex Receiver 91/30 for $100.00. After a good cleaning the bore is nice and sniney and .302 X .314. It looked a little rough before cleaning.

A Mosin with a trashed barrel isn't worth $5.00 to me

[RugerFan]

Is it a M44, M38, M91/59....... (look here: http://www.7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinM.htm)

Once you clean up the bore it may end up looking better than you think. Reboring would probably cost more than it's worth.

[rhbrink]

I checked on some rebore jobs most are in the 200 to 250 dollar range. You might be surprised what a bit of fire lapping will do to really bad looking bore. The real problem then is getting a boolit to fit, then comes the paperpatch Oboy what a ride that is still working on that one but making progress.

Richard
Missourians for Mosins

[wallenba]

I think I'll take a second look at it tomorrow. I didn't have my bore light with me as I was not expecting to find that there. I used the old piece of white paper in the chamber trick. I could see rifling, but it looked like it was very worn down. And it seemed that it started and stopped in places, but like has been stated maybe its very fouled. I just don't relate to leaving a gun in that condition but who knows. Still, it might make a good reduced load plinker.

[wallenba]

Is it a M44, M38, M91/59....... (look here: http://www.7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinM.htm)

Once you clean up the bore it may end up looking better than you think. Reboring would probably cost more than it's worth.

Rugerfan, pretty sure it was a 38, as I recall seeing (I think) 38 stamped in the barrel over the chamber. I wish I made more mental notes as I looked at it. It was on the drive home that interest in it grew.

[mike in co]

the import marks may show the model..and it n might even be correct.

[mooman76]

As many cheap Mosin- Nagants as there are around if the bore is trashed I'd just pass and and look for another. There are allot arounf for under $100 with good bores. Unless of coarse you were looking for something to rebore anyway.

[rhbrink]

Some have been counter bored at the muzzle to remove cleaning rod wear. The muzzle will look like a smoth bore for a 1/2 inch maybe a little more so don't let that fool you can still be a great shooter with good rifling down the barrel. Maybe you could take a cleaning rod and do a quick clean job with a brush and couple patches might give you a better ideal of what you are looking at.

[DukeInFlorida]

Don't forget that if whoever owns it didn't take good care of it, then it's possible that they also fired CORROSIVE imported ammo through it, and totally ruined the bore.

When you shoot corrosive ammo, you must clean it that same day. Barrels will rot away if left uncleaned for weeks and months after shooting corrosive ammo.

I'm guessing that your first guess with regard to the barrel is on target. Unless you want or need a wall hanger, I'd pass. Buy one in really good shape for about $100.

[KCSO]

IF you have to pay somebody to work on the gun even $50 isn't a good buy. IF you can rebarrel the gun yourself it's a good deal. Surplus barrel $39.00, 444 barrle on sale from GPC $69.00 on up... gunsmith cost to rebarrel and headspace $50 would be cheap and $100 not unheard of. So with a M/N in new condition selling on sale this week at Dunham's for 119.00 figure it out a shot out M/N is only worth what you want to get into it. I give a flat $25 for rusty musty nuggets.

[wallenba]

Well I got another tip about a Mosin across town. I checked it out, real sweet, nice bore a little copper fouled. Someone took the trouble to re-crown it. Stock looks great, no dents of any consequence. It's a 1942 carbine Izhevsk arsenal, no import marks. (?) Only thing that seemed strange was the magazine box. It had numbers stamped in it that seemed too crisp, and the floor plate dropped out. I didn't think the originals did that, did they? Negative side is the man wants $400. Thinks it's extra special. The search continues.

this one 22667

[hazwoper]

I bought a nice looking 1946 Izzy M44. Bore looked iffy. Worked at cleaning the barrel and chamber for a couple of weeks a little each night. Used 10% ammonia (from Ace), Hoppes9, MIL-C-372B. Wore out a phosphor bronze brush. Got a stainless steel brush, that really worked. Used lots of patches. Now looks as bright as new. Rifling great. Each of the three solvents colored the patches different. You can have cosmoline, copper, potassium chloride, etc. Each seemed to work a different issue.

[wallenba]

I bought a nice looking 1946 Izzy M44. Bore looked iffy. Worked at cleaning the barrel and chamber for a couple of weeks a little each night. Used 10% ammonia (from Ace), Hoppes9, MIL-C-372B. Wore out a phosphor bronze brush. Got a stainless steel brush, that really worked. Used lots of patches. Now looks as bright as new. Rifling great. Each of the three solvents colored the patches different. You can have cosmoline, copper, potassium chloride, etc. Each seemed to work a different issue.

Thanks, I'll add this to my tricks library.:-)

[JIMinPHX]

Can it be saved? If you are willing to invest enough time money & effort, almost any of them can be saved.

Is it worth saving? Since you can buy a fairly nice one for $200 or less, I would not put too much effort into fixing up a bad one.

Many of them have bad looking bores because of the 50 year old dried-out cosmoline that encrusts the barrel. It often takes at least a few weeks to get that stuff out. The guys over at milsurp after dark have several suggested methods for getting rid of that stuff & each suggestion seems to have some merit, but none that I tried are a magic wand. They seem to recommend everything from simple green, to amonia, to power purple, to steam, to boiling water, to CLP, to WD-40 to acetone, to pigeon droppings. OK I made that last one up, but I think you get the idea - try a bunch of different things & just keep at it for a long time.

If it were me, I'd spend about 20 minutes cleaning that barrel each night for the next two weeks & then make a judgment call.

I have yet to find a good reference that explains how to remove the original barrel on that rifle without messing up the receiver. Instructions for rebarreling a Mouser seem to litter the earth, but the MN seems to come up short in that respect. If you do find a good set of instructions for getting one of them apart, I too would be interested in reading it.

Jim

[PAT303]

I got hold of one that had been in a flood,a bit of brasso on a rag and plenty of elbo grease and it shot 5'' groups at 300mtrs prone.It's a good feeling saving a wrecker. Pat

[fj3fury]

Hmmm....how about necking it up to 8mm and rebore?

The Finns have such a wildcat. You can find info in the vitavourhi powder reloading manual.

[wallenba]

Well two days of haggling with the dealer over the $400 Mosin yielded a buy at $325, with a trade-in of a safe queen non shooter. Out of pocket $200. Not the best deal I ever made, but it is a very good rifle. I've spent several hours now passing a brush then a patch. This rifle I don't think has been fired for decades. Olive drab/brown patches just keep on coming out. Rifling is becoming more pronounced each time I look, but this stuff is stubborn.

[rhbrink]

Yup you are gonna find out how stubborn. It'll take a while but it'll be worth it. Do a bore slug to find out what you are dealing with there some of these are really over size but they will shoot!

[mroliver77]

I use Eds Red for cleanup of old dried grease/cosmoline. Let it soak in it for a week. Sweets 7.62 is an aggressive copper solvent when you get to that point. If I were to give $325. for a Mosin type it would be something special with a brand new bore and beautifull bluing etc.
J