Mosin-Nagant Project

[alfsauve]

NO THAT's not mine, but now that I have your attention.

Okay, I realize everybody in the world has already done this.    There are dozens, hundreds even, of videos and blogs and forums about doing this.   But this one is mine.

It's a $100 rifle.  Ammo is dirt cheap.  Why not make it into something a little be more handy.   WITHOUT spending a bunch of money.    Simple idea.  Cut the barrel down to 18", chop all that excess wood off the fore end of the stock.  That's all.  And you know with a forward positioned scope, voila, it becomes a scout rifle.  limited magazine capacity, but still.

So here's what I've done so far.   Using the horizontal band saw at work, I chopped the barrel off.   Then I cut off the fore end of the stock and started shaping it some.



It already feels better.  Balances nicely.

OF COURSE, the first thing I did wrong was loose the trigger pin.   Easy enough to replace, seems everybody does this.  Duh, I'm a member of the club.    I really wish there were published dimensions not just for the pin for but for all replacement parts.  That way you could find a replacement even if it wasn't originally intended for that gun.   As I measured it the pin should be 4mm by 18mm.   Looking in my miscellaneous parts bin I found piece of stock just the right size.  Beats me what this part was originally for, but I'm cutting it off and making my own replacement.

Okay on to crowning the barrel and shaping the stock.  I probably won't even refinish it.  Just make it functional.    The one question is finding an easy to install (and cheap) front sight.   I'll have to look through Brownells for something suitable.

[tombogan03884]

First, have you considered the distortion from machining the muzzle ?
Second, why not dove tail the barrel and reinstall the original sight ?
You will need to mount it differently to compensate for the shorter sight radius.
Third, With Obama's ban on Russian imports how long will 7.62X 54 BE cheap ?

[alfsauve]

I think the key to working on the barrel is to not let it get too hot while cutting or grinding.   While cutting I poured a continuous stream of oil over the blade and kept it pretty cool.   Don't think I distorted it too much or changed the temper a lot.   I'll find some ball shaped grinding bits and slowly and lightly create a crown.  Probably hand file the outside edge, then a little cold blue.  Not creating a tack driver.

The original sight is slightly inlaid but mainly it's soldered in place.   I wouldn't call it "dovetail" as might apply to say a Glock rear sight.   I'm going to have to look at my options here.  I don't want to put any money into this, so paying a machinist is out of the question.   If there's an inexpensive clamp-around the barrel sight, then that might do.  I have a Millet 1x red dot and maybe that's a possibility.  I knew sights were the one area where I might run into a problem.   I might spring for a fiber optic front if I can find a cheap way to mount it.   There's a lot of adjustment in the rear sight.

Obama will only be in office about 2 years, 2 months and 9 days, but who's counting.   The Russians have tons and tons of this ammo.   Plus I'm willing to bet a lot of this ammo isn't "in" Russia, but in many of the former satellite countries, which might not be subject to the Russian import ban.  In fact, I bet Ukraine might even have a ton or two of it.   Yeah, I think it'll be available for some time to come.

Then this is a "junker" gun.   A throw-in-the-back-of-the-pickup-with-16-rounds-of ammo-just-in-case gun.   

[Big Frank]

I like the short barrel but the fore end looks a little too short. It will be interesting to see the finished rifle.

[tombogan03884]

I was thinking about material being pushed into the barrel when you crowned it due strictly to pressure rather than heat.
My thinking was that if you do it with a counter sink you might have problems, but if on a lathe and make your cuts from the inside out instead of pushing any distortion into the barrel you would be pulling it outward where it effects nothing.

Ahh, zero investment, Didn't some one on here post about slotting the barrel and making their own front sight from metal sheet ?

[Sponsor]

[alfsauve]

Ah, good thought,  Tom, but what I'm going to do is us ball shaped grinding stones for Michael Bane's infamous Dremel tool,  to do the recess (crown).    Not high tech, not very deep, just a little crown.  I squared off the face this morning and it's looking great. 

[tombogan03884]

If you have access to a lathe it would be MUCH better. Do it by hand is alost certain to be imperfect in the most important section of the barre for accuracy.

[PegLeg45]

After getting close to the finish point, do a final smoothing to remove micro-burrs by using valve grinding compound on a thick piece of cotton....... drape over the crown....... chuck a brass carriage bolt in a variable speed drill and slowly work the crown.

[Hazcat]

Or you could have just traded your MN rifle for a type 53 which comes with a 20 inch barrel and as a bonus has a folding stabby thing.

[Timothy]

Or you could have just traded your MN rifle for a type 53 which comes with a 20 inch barrel and as a bonus has a folding stabby thing.

Didn't Haz, Jr. harvest a porker with a stabby thing?