Bought a Mosin Sniper, what type of glass bedding job should I do?

[Solidsnake87]

I bought a perfect condition mosin sniper at Big 5 today. The glass is nearly as clear as my nightforce scope. Mount is solid. Bore and crown are perfect (new barrel). Its a fully documented rifle, which I've never seen from a Big 5 rifle. The scope was packaged with the re-tooling info for the rifle. Manufacture, refurbishment, replacement part info, ect.. is all on a Russian/English document. I doubt it was originally manufactured as a mosin sniper but I have not seen anything to indicate otherwise. Scope was made in 1960 from some factory in Russia. The trigger could use a little work, which is easy. The furniture could look better, but I plan on refurbing it in Russian Red anyway. Looks to be a good shooter.

I plan on shootin this thing for fun on the 1K range at sac valley if the accuracy is decent enough. I figure a worst case 3 MOA @ 100 will take me to 600 easily with decent accuracy. Worst case 4 MOA @ 100 will easily do fine at 500 yards. I'm not expecting mad accuracy out of this as is--just a relatively accurate fun rifle to shoot. When I need extreme accuracy at the 1K, I have a Lawton 7500 for that job. lol.

In any event, I figured I'd bed the rifle myself with an epoxy bedding compound. Due to the nature of the rifle's design, I was wondering if I should bed the action and the whole length of the barrel under both hand guards? I figure since there is no way to truly free float the thing, a uniform bedding job under the upper/lower hand guards should improve the harmonics to some degree. At $21 for the complete bedding kit, I figure I have nothing to lose.

[B Strong]

I bought a perfect condition mosin sniper at Big 5 today. The glass is nearly as clear as my nightforce scope. Mount is solid. Bore and crown are perfect (new barrel). Its a fully documented rifle, which I've never seen from a Big 5 rifle. The scope was packaged with the re-tooling info for the rifle. Manufacture, refurbishment, replacement part info, ect.. is all on a Russian/English document. I doubt it was originally manufactured as a mosin sniper but I have not seen anything to indicate otherwise. Scope was made in 1960 from some factory in Russia. The trigger could use a little work, which is easy. The furniture could look better, but I plan on refurbing it in Russian Red anyway. Looks to be a good shooter.

I plan on shootin this thing for fun on the 1K range at sac valley if the accuracy is decent enough. I figure a worst case 3 MOA @ 100 will take me to 600 easily with decent accuracy. Worst case 4 MOA @ 100 will easily do fine at 500 yards. I'm not expecting mad accuracy out of this as is--just a relatively accurate fun rifle to shoot. When I need extreme accuracy at the 1K, I have a Lawton 7500 for that job. lol.

In any event, I figured I'd bed the rifle myself with an epoxy bedding compound. Due to the nature of the rifle's design, I was wondering if I should bed the action and the whole length of the barrel under both hand guards? I figure since there is no way to truly free float the thing, a uniform bedding job under the upper/lower hand guards should improve the harmonics to some degree. At $21 for the complete bedding kit, I figure I have nothing to lose.

Don't Bubba that Mosin!

Leave this one be and build your fun LR rifle on a garden variety parts gun.

[eighteenninetytwo]

If you want 1000 yards get a Remington or Savage. What you have is designed for Minute of German, not minute of angle. Leave it as a dceent historical piece. Spending $100 EXTRA to bed and turn a $450 rifle into a $200 rifle seems like a bit of a silly move to me. But it's your rifle I guess.

[B Strong]

If you want 1000 yards get a Remington or Savage. What you have is designed for Minute of German, not minute of angle. Leave it as a dceent historical piece. Spending $100 EXTRA to bed and turn a $450 rifle into a $200 rifle seems like a bit of a silly move to me. But it's your rifle I guess.

LOL! That I must remember!

[264charlie]

Why would he use a Remington or Savage... "I have a Lawton 7500 for that job"

[BillyGoatMachine]

I really don't think it will make any difference, but if you got the time and $$, what the heck!

[God Bless The Mauser]

A good option for bedding is Devcon steel putty, Midway carries it.

[Pthfndr]

Clark

As the ONLY person who has successfully competed in ANY of the matches on the SVSC 1000 yard range (at least in the last 10 years) with an original milsurp sniper rifle, let me say, the satisfaction and pleasure comes from doing it with the original rifle as it was issued, working up a hand load that gets the most out of it and then going out and beating others with their more modern equipment, or simply to see well you can do with it.

You will never make a mass produced military rifle (especially one from Russia!) shoot better than modern custom made rifle (even though the SHOOTER might be able to get a lot out of it). So why take the chance of ruining it by modifying it.

If the the rifle you bought is an original sniper version, or is even a repro based on an authentic ex-sniper rifle, then it has value over and above the run of the mil 91/30.

It's your rifle and you can do with it as you choose. But I think you should find out what the tags actually mean before modifying anything. If it's a true repro, then go for it. Beating other guys with really old rifles is fun. :)

ETA: Check out Mosin Nagant dot net. There is a special section just for the sniper rifles and you can probably find out there is it is genuine or a repro.

[Solidsnake87]

I can understand the value of keeping it all original. I would not do anything to alter its appearance other than re-doing the wood finish.

Just curious, what is wrong with doing a bedding job? Its not cosmetic. Its functional and in no way alters the original finish. It will let me get the most out of the rifle as is, would it not?

[ar15barrels]

I can understand the value of keeping it all original. I would not do anything to alter its appearance other than re-doing the wood finish.

Re-doing the wood finish DRASTICALLY alters it from being original.
If it's a real one, don't do anything but clean it and shoot it.

[ar15barrels]

As the ONLY person who has successfully competed in ANY of the matches on the SVSC 1000 yard range (at least in the last 10 years) with an original milsurp sniper rifle,

read: As the ONLY person crazy enough to attempt it,

[Solidsnake87]

hmmmmm. I guess I'll have to see if its a real sniper when I pick it up in 10 days. I'll check out that mosin site. I'm not looking to compete with this rifle, just have fun with it. If its a repro, it will at least give me the opportunity to learn how to bed a rifle.

[ar15barrels]

hmmmmm. I guess I'll have to see if its a real sniper when I pick it up in 10 days. I'll check out that mosin site. I'm not looking to compete with this rifle, just have fun with it. If its a repro, it will at least give me the opportunity to learn how to bed a rifle.

Honestly, with the handguards touching the barrel, there's no advantage to bedding.

[Solidsnake87]

The barrel is marked 1938......so it is not an original sniper. It might be an ex-sniper but I won't be able to determine that till I can look at the underside of the receiver tang.

The bedding would at least eliminate the slight shaking/displacemrnt of the action within the stock, if that is all the bedding fixes then its worth a $20 investment.

[ar15barrels]

The bedding would at least eliminate the slight shaking/displacemrnt of the action within the stock,

Not with a full stock.
That only works when the barrel is free floating.