[greyhawk50]

This is the rifle that my son built for me. He delivered it today. Number 5 of 5 and yet, one of a kind. We won't let them procreate because the world's not ready for that kind of an invasion.
Nothing special and maybe distasteful for some - but I'm happy to have it because it's unusual and it was built by my son.
It's a M91/30 Mosin Nagant. He took a M91/30, cut 8" off the barrel, re-crowned the muzzle and threaded the barrel to add a Flash Guard, which he also made. Then he raised the cheek rest, bedded the stock, floated the barrel and gave the stock a camo paint job. Finally, he replaced the rear sight with a scope rail and a Holographic Reflex Sight that was Bore Sighted.

It came complete with the Russian Field Accessory Bag, 100 New Un-primed Brass, 100 Bullets, Dies Set and a Case Length Trimmer.
Now, I need to uniform the Primer Pockets, De-burr the Flash Holes and load a few test rounds. Then off to the range to see how it shoots.
My plan is to load them at or near Starting Loads. That should put them a couple hundred fps above a 30-30. That's a plenty for me.

It, most likely, won't win a Blue Ribbon but I just wanted to share.

 

[greyhawk50]

Although I was very pleased to receive this modified Mosin Nagant M91-30 from my son, it wasn't without problems. I spoke with my son and he was elated to have me make some changes. Wood working isn't a problem for me.

First off, as with all mil-surp rifles, the stock was too short.
Second, the raised comb was too short (lengthwise), so as to allow the bolt to be removed. This required some serious "craning" of the neck when sighting.
Third, the paint was not durable. (although I like the look better than what I used.) But no matter, It's a beater hunting rifle. (although I hope it shoots well)

So, I made a template and found a 2X10 to form a new butt stock insert.
First off, I added 2 1/2" to the length of the stock (including a 1" rubber recoil pad).
Then, I cut and sanded the block to the desired design.
Next, I secured it to the original stock with Screws/Gorilla Glue and sanded the entire stock.
Next, I shortened the Forearm to give it a Sporter Look and added Swivel Studs for the Sling and Harris Bi-Pod.
Finally, I gave it a new paint job with Crylon Fusion Paint and added Mole Skin on the Comb for added comfort.

This is the completed project. It shoulders nicely.

The weather forecast suggest that I may make it to the range this weekend???

 

[greyhawk50]

Went to the range for the first time this year. I was shooting at the 50 yard line.
Started with the 762X54R.
List of handicaps;
1. First time of seriously attempting to shoot left handed. Very awkward.
2. The rifle is equipped with a Holo-Graphic Reflex Red Dot Sight. At 50 yards, the red dot covers about 2" of the target. Anything inside of that is acceptable.
3. The rifle is a mil-surp Russian and the trigger is original. Although it's normal, it's no too hateful.

Results;
I was using reloads with .310 dia., 123 gr. FMJ ahead of 45 gr. & 46 gr. of H4895. (will be looking for some .311" dia. bullets. Not easy to find right now.)
The recommended AOL for that bullet is 2.800" and mine were set to 2790".
The bolt face to lands with that bullet measured 2.900.

I'm pretty happy with the 45 gr. powder charge but I believe the grouping can be improved on. I'll try extending the AOL to 2.800, 2.810 and 2.820. Those Russian Rifle are picky about AOL and there is a sweet spot in there somewhere. All I have to do is find it. I'll let you know if I find it.

 

[greyhawk50]

2nd. trip to the range.

Again, I was continuing my quest to improve at shooting left handed.
As earlier mentioned, I needed to experiment with the AOL and try to improve the group of this 762X54R rifle.
I loaded up 4 groups of 5 reloads at various AOLs. Started with 2.810", then 2.820", 2.830" & 2.840".
I set up at the 50 yard range first. It was 1500 hour and the sun was well over my right shoulder. I was facing East. The range tables are covered but the targets were directly in the sunshine. Because of this, I couldn't see the Red Dot on the white targets at that distance. Had no choice be to move to the 25 yard range.
Again, the Black Dots are 3/4". Starting left to right. The target on the left was with the AOL set at 2.810". Next was 2.820", then 2.830" and finally the 2.840" AOL. (powder was 45 gr. of H4895.)
The 2.820" appears to be the best unless I consider shooter error with 2 of the shots on the 2.830" target. Matters not, I believe I found what it likes, (at least with the .310 dia. 125 gr. bullet) Somewhere between 2.820" ~ 2.830".

Strangest thing happened. The last target (far right) only has 4 holes. The very last round was a dud? Never in 46 years of reloading have I seen such a thing. When I squeezed the trigger, the rifle want "pop". I waited a few seconds before opening the bolt. The bullet had traveled about 1" into the barrel and the powder was hard packed and still in the case. When I got home, I had to dig the powder loose before it would dump out of the case. I poured the powder onto a concrete surface and touched it with a Butane Lighter. It flashed immediately and seemed to burn normally. I looked down into the neck of the case and the flash hole appeared to be partially blocked by the anvil of the primer???? Won't know about the primer until I punch it out.
Has anyone experienced this or do you have any thoughts????

Edit; Realizing that the Red Dot won't work in all light conditions, I just ordered a Scout Scope. I'm not giving up untill all options are exhausted.

 

[greyhawk50]

I also think the .820 load is a keeper. Good Shooting !! The .810 isn't bad. Are shots 1 and 2 on the .810 target the first shots of the day ? A lot of times the first one or two are needed to season the barrel and to heat it up.

The other 2 groups exhibit Vertical Stringing. If you are interested here is an article by an acclaimed shooter and Smith on Causes of Stringing.

http://www.6mmbr.com/verticaltips.html

Yes on the #1 & #2 shots. That is why I marked them as such.
I'll read the article later. Thanks. As for the vertical string, I really didn't confirm the shot by shot on the last 3 targets.
As you can see, I was shooting for group only. I'll adjust to point of aim at a later date.
I just edited the previous post to include the fact that I just ordered a Scout Scope. I'm not about to give up yet. I guess Red Dots have their limit based on light conditions, even at 50 yards. Who would have thunk it???

 

[greyhawk50]

After searching the web, finally found some .311DIA 150GR SPT at Natchezss. After shipping fees, they were a little pricey but, "it you can't afford to pay, you can't afford to play". To make the order worth while, I ordered 3 boxes of 100. That should hold me for a long while.
I'll let you know how they shoot.
Waiting for the Scout Scope to arrive. Should be any day, the first of next week. Having warm weather and a new toy has re-sparked my shooting interest.

 

[greyhawk50]

Just a note; I've already loaded 10 rounds of the .310 dia. 123 gr FMJ at the 2.820" and 10 at the 2.825" AOL. (recommended AOL is 2.800")

I'll use a couple of each to sight in the Scout Scope after I get it mounted. Then I'll compare the remaining rounds to see what groups the best.

After that, I'll load up 10 of the .311 dia. 150 gr. SPT at the 2.825" (which is the recommended AOL) and see how they group.

I'm starting to get comfortable with the left hand shooting. Although I still want to shoulder it to the right side on the first mount. The worst part is developing the trigger finger control but it's coming around.

I even went as far as taking the red dot off of my CVA 50 cal. muzzle loader and mounting a 4X BSA scope on it. That will require some more range time because I can't stand to have a rifle in the safe w/o it being sighted in. If I'm going to convert, I might as well go all the way.

 

[greyhawk50]

Final version???

This is the latest version (hopefully the final) on my project rifle.

There were 4 things that I wasn't pleased with.
1. The block of wood that I used to raise and extend the Butt Stock was made from a 2X10. So; the comb was the same thickness from the rear to the front.
2. There were obvious lines where the two parts of the Butt Stock came together.
3. The paint finish was too glossy.
4. The Reflex Red Dot wouldn't work in all light conditions.

Modifications.
1. I stripped off the glossy finish and sanded the Comb to a taper from rear to front.
2. I put wood filler on the Butt Stock to hide the seams where the wood was joined and gave the stock two light coats of paint to give it more of a Matt Finish.
3. I installed an Aim 2X7X32 Scout Scope.

Next will be a trip to the range to zero it in and continue with the test loads to see how it shoots.

Thanks for letting me share my latest project.

 

[greyhawk50]

Went to the range this afternoon. The scout scope was a huge improvement.
But;
The groups were less that acceptable. Not even worth posting any pictures.I was shooting at 50 yards and all shots were good enough for deer or hogs but I thing it can do better.
The Sierra .311 dia. 150 gr. pills came in while I was out. Back to the loading bench and see what magic I can perform.
If I can get some respectable groups, I'll be sure to post them.

 

[greyhawk50]

Final entry on this project rifle.

This will conclude my shared information on this project.
At this time, I'd feel comfortable taking this rifle to the woods for deer or wild boar.
I settled on the .311 dia 150 gr. Seirra Pro Hunter with 44.3 gr. of H4895. That has a listed velocity of 2600 fps. (300 fps faster than a 30-30 with the same bullet).
According to the on-line load data; The C.O.L. is 2.875" with a maximum powder charge of 49.5C grains of H4895. With a stated velocity of 2938 fps.
With that bullet, the C.O.L. from bolt face to lands is 2.952".
Here is the results of today's trip to the range.

The first target was with a C.O.L. of 2.900".
The next was a C.O.L. of 2.910".
The last one was a C.O.L. of 2.920".
I believe I will try 2.930" but I don't expect much improvements in the groups.
These targets were shot at the 50 yd. range and the Red Bull is 1 5/8" dia.

On the final target, the first 4 shots are in a cluster. Then I pulled the 5th. shot. My bad. Again, all were shot left handed.

Thank you for letting me share. I only hope that the information was useful to someone else.