My mosin 91/30 shooting 12" groups at 100yards...

[roadrunner681]

well get a wood or a laminate stock, then take a BRASS washer (get a couple different thickness) .090 works on mine set that under the recoil lug and run the bolt thought it, then take a very thin piece of brass i measure a piece i made a .0127 the other was .0119? set the thin pieces under the rear piece where the bolt goes though keep a couple of the shims with you when you go to the range. i then set a piece of thin oiled leather under the barrel all the way out at the end of the stock. made a 4 moa gun a 2moa gun some times better, just a heads up this will change your zero good luck.

 

[lmyer]

Still betting on ammo. I've had Milsurp ammo that gave me 10+ MOA / different milsurp that gave me 2-3 MOA / and handloads giving down to 1 MOA - all on the same rifle (a frosty-bored 1942 Izhevsk with scout scope). Some ammo simply hasn't been stored properly.

I have another 91/30 Mosin that typically shoots 1.0 - 1.2 MOA and has shot as low as .0.57 MOA on 5-shot groups.

It's all here, but you need to read the entire thread to truly understand it:

Loading 7.62x54R for a Mosin - Observations and Questions

Take my advice.... try some different ammo and report back.

p.s. it is also true that scope mounts can be a big problem with Mosins.

Best regards,

Les

 

[arthrimus]

My mosin is a tack driver, I think it's kinda hit or miss with them though. Perhaps it would have been a good idea to have shot it before you mounted up all of the accessories though.

 

[sgreen3]

Quality ammo will help a little for sure. If you can find it try an get some Privi Match grade 54r to try. But as mentioned the Mosin was made for "minute of man" not "minute of angle". The scope sitting that high as Vette mentioned will hinder results a great deal, by not being able to get a nice cheek weld on the stock. Just be sure your expectations are not outweighing what the rifle is ment to do. If your wanting cloverleaves at 100yrds, best to probably get into a little bit better rifle.

 

[Shadow8088]

My mosin is a tack driver, I think it's kinda hit or miss with them though. Perhaps it would have been a good idea to have shot it before you mounted up all of the accessories though.

He bought it as is... he mentioned that a number of times.

 

[cavskillz]

A lot of good info here. I plan on buying another 91/30 next weekend and ill be able to compare the two at the range and experiment with ammo. Ill probably attempt to free float the barrel and then cork it and see if there are any improvements after I test various ammo.

 

[ssblair]

I have one of those ATI stocks and the one I got was junk; It pinches on the barrel and then when I tried to relieve it to float the barrel, it warped to all get-out.

Mosins can be plenty accurate. Mine has held 4 shots in 1 MOA at 100 yards with surplus ammo (I still have that target), but it was 40*F outside at the time. My Mosin is a 1932 Izy that has a clean bore and a smooth (if long) trigger. This was also done with iron sights, prone with the sling.

First thing I would do, is make sure that barrel is freely floated. I quasi-floated by Izy by sanding out the inside of the stock barrel channel with a hex socket and sandpaper--but there is still contact at the muzzle end. I've read variously that either free-floating a barrel completely gives best accuracy, or putting a single pressure point (with only a little bit of tension) at the muzzle yields best accuracy (ie. Springfield armory did that on the 03 Springfields that they tried to accurize for national match applications). The folks over at ProMag that make the Archangel stocks for the Mosins that have just been released have tried it both ways and they say that they've had very good results either way.

Next I would check the condition of your throat. If the muzzle has been counterbored, the rifle may have seen enough use (or bad cleaning) that the throat is badly eroded. Use of a stoney point OAL gage (and you'll have to send away to Hornady to get a special gage case made for the 7.62x54R cartridge) will tell you how much "jump" you have before your bullet gets into the rifling. If the throat is unequally eroded from overcleaning or careless cleaning with a rod, then that may be the culprit and there might not be much to be done short of replacing the barrel or setting back the chamber (and removing the barrel is supposed to be a real b**ch)--I've never done it, but my gunsmith, who I paid to change barrels for me once, swears off such jobs now.

As far as the scope mount, I don't have much experience with optics, but if the scope is so high that you can't get a decent cheek weld, then that is a problem right there. Its also possible that you have a crummy or defective scope where the innards aren't up to holding themselves in place against the recoil. Iron sights are the most reliable.

 

[JettaKnight]

Maybe it's angry you put all that crap on it.

 

[cavskillz]

Maybe it's angry you put all that crap on it.

Or maybe it's angry that someone else put all that crap on it

 

[cavskillz]

Still haven't made it back to the range to test different setups, but I did get another mosin 1943 91/30 russian as well. Still cleaning cosmoline off but the bore looks brand new which makes my other mosin look much worse than I thought. I think it's had too much corrosive ammo and neglect from previous owner. Also checked this time and all numbers match!

 

[cavskillz]

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Dat's mo' betta... Congrats! Looking forward to seeing how the "new" one shoots.

 

[cavskillz]

Dat's mo' betta... Congrats! Looking forward to seeing how the "new" one shoots.

I plan on making it to the range next weekend, ill have several pictures of groups of both guns.

 

[Ljungman]

This is interesting. im eagerly watching this thread to see the out come of it. with a little elbow grease, stripping and re-assembly (minus the cosmo) i have never had a mosin that wouldnt punch holes where i told it too with the right combloc ammo...i think ammo may be a big part of this. the cheap ass wolf and silver bear are meant to be minute of man ammo. its meant to go boom and go "that way" from the end of the barrel. mine are all picky about bullet type and weights. one loves surplus crap. shoots 2" inch at 100 yards till she gets hot then 3". The others including a carbine wont fire that crap (which was meant for machine guns) worth a hoot. but they do enjoy the brass cased left overs that i find from time to time in spam cans. try different types of ammo as you may have a rifle that is disinclined to shoot what your feeding it.
Bolt may have an effect just slightly...but im more concerned about the counter bore. when done improperly...it is the last thing your bullet has contact with before it leaves in flight. it may very well be misbored and sending rounds into an unstable flight. easy fix. cut her back an inch and have a good machinist/smith do the work...and thread that puppy too..they do benefit from a nice brake. if youre a purist...ignore my last..but i bought a real nasty bore rifle that shoots 3" all day long with a rotten looking barrel and a nice brake - its very good for beverage can killing. and remember - the year of manufacture also has a great deal to do with accuracy. the russians were hard pressed to keep up with the demand for weapons in mid war, and for the continuation war. earlier models have much better machining, fit and function as opposed to mid/late war where they were slapped together as fast as possible.
-Ljungman

 

[palerider0485]

i would first look at the crown on the barrel and also look at the stock fit to the action, see if there are alot of gaps that make for movement during recoil.

 

[Leo]

Many of the tips above are pretty good. Some make the assumption that the barrel has potential. That may or may not be the case.

Have you ever actually measured your bore? They can vary greatly. I had a Finnish rebuild with a Tikka barrel that shot great, especially with good quality modern .308 bullets. I have also seen a tired old Russian barrel that you could push a .308 bullet down the bore by tapping on a cleaning rod with a screwdriver handle. Needless to say, that one would not even hold paper at 100 yards. Bullet engagement to the rifling is not an option. If you end up with a .310 or .311 bore, you may still be able to enjoy it if you reload with .312 bullets. If you are just target shooting for fun, cast lead bullets will often shoot ok in a worn out oversized bore because they will compress to hug the rifling.

A quick an dirty method is to push a piece of buckshot (.32 caliber) down the bore and measure it up with a micrometer. I have also been able to use a fishing sinker that just barely was larger than the bore. Any soft lead will work. Rather than beat up a perfectly good claening rod, you can pick up a piece of steel 1/4th inch rod at Lowes and use that as the slug punch.

Good Luck

 

[87iroc]

Hope this new one works out for you...if I'm not mistaken...you're the guy at Atterbury that I sold Ammo to that day you were trying to figure out why it wasn't shooting to your expectations.

 

[chilly2477]

Is the crown of the barrel even and smooth?

 

[cavskillz]

Hope this new one works out for you...if I'm not mistaken...you're the guy at Atterbury that I sold Ammo to that day you were trying to figure out why it wasn't shooting to your expectations.

Hmm I bought a box once at atterbury complex but I didn't shoot any of them. I did sell the gun a while back to a guy that worked at the range and bought it back recently for a project.

 

[87iroc]

Ah...OK. It was the guy that worked there I sold some ammo to.