Mosin owners- "loose" barrel?

[OC Speedball]

Hey guys, I have a Mosin 91/30. Great condition, I keep it clean and lubed, and the wood is beautiful.

Anyway, the barrel wiggles a little bit if I grab it and move it around because there is some space between the wood stock and the front of the barrel. (It doesn't just clank around as I walk though- I actually have to grab the barrel and wiggle it). But since the barrel, chamber, and sights are all one piece does this matter? I'm guessing it doesn't affect performance? Is it safe to shoot?

I've shot it several times and it seems fine. Just wondering if it's completely normal on a Mosin to have some wiggle room between the stock and barrel or if I should buy a new stock.

Cheers

[Varg Vikernes]

Are you missing a barrel band or something?

[Chaos47]

You could try corking it

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu63.htm

[kellyhachihachi]

Probably just loose from jamming a German in the face with it

[Altahick]

its extra free floated lol

[1337-Alpha]

When gun run out of bullets is used for club dah! How does is the accuracy? If accurate I wouldn't worry about it.

[CharlesV]

Hey guys, I have a Mosin 91/30. Great condition, I keep it clean and lubed, and the wood is beautiful.

Anyway, the barrel wiggles a little bit if I grab it and move it around because there is some space between the wood stock and the front of the barrel. (It doesn't just clank around as I walk though- I actually have to grab the barrel and wiggle it). But since the barrel, chamber, and sights are all one piece does this matter? I'm guessing it doesn't affect performance? Is it safe to shoot?

I've shot it several times and it seems fine. Just wondering if it's completely normal on a Mosin to have some wiggle room between the stock and barrel or if I should buy a new stock.

Cheers

Ok ok it was me. Kelly was trying to protect me but its cool. Yes I jammed the barrel in that Germans face because I was too tired from the days activities to bash his skull to toothpicks with the steel buttplate. Sorry, bro.

[CharlesV]

You could try corking it
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu63.htm

Chaos, I reviewed that and have a question, is corking basically the same as glass-bedding a barrel, to remove all open space?

Which to ignorant me begs the next question, what are the circumstances needed for corking, bedding, or free-floating a barrel? The circumstance isnt poor accuracy, im trying to understand why some people say bedding and some say floating? Do they accomplish different things or the same thing?

Ive read about both, particularly in the case of 91/30. There on YT is a free-floating lesson and a bedding lesson and each says they are right and the other guy is wrong.

[6mmintl]

Wrap Teflon plumbers tape around the middle and end under/at the barrel bands and reduce play/gap and see the accuracy change.

[Subotai]

Probably just loose from jamming a German in the face with it

[YZINGERR]

Im sure its fine as long as the barrel is snug at the receiver

[Ishooter]

I'm owning 3 Mosins and I don't have that issue. If I'm not mistaken, what you stated sounds like a wiggling loose barrel against the stock. That much looseness is not normal. However, the normal looseness is only detected after shots when the upper hand guard moves slightly forward when the barrel bands are stressed and tilted forward.

These rifles were not built with very tight action. The slots in the stock where the action screws go in are slightly bigger than the metal receiver. Therefore, it's loose and can be moved, but not by wiggling like you stated. That affects accuracy, even for a good condition Mosin.

You can take the stock out and verify how much bigger those 2 action screw slots in the stock are more than the metal receiver. That can be fixed by bedding the stock. Bedding is to fill up the open gap between the stock and the metal receiver, and make it super snugged and rigid. A good tight bedding can make it hard to remove the receiver off the stock. Bedding can also improve accuracy a lot. I'm not going into bedding here. You can also buy a used stock for cheap. I see a lot of them are posted on Ebay.

[Ishooter]

Chaos, I reviewed that and have a question, is corking basically the same as glass-bedding a barrel, to remove all open space?

Which to ignorant me begs the next question, what are the circumstances needed for corking, bedding, or free-floating a barrel? The circumstance isnt poor accuracy, im trying to understand why some people say bedding and some say floating? Do they accomplish different things or the same thing?

Ive read about both, particularly in the case of 91/30. There on YT is a free-floating lesson and a bedding lesson and each says they are right and the other guy is wrong.

Corking isn't the same as glass-bedding. To me, corking is a band-aid. It's just to put cork under the barrel to make the barrel tight against the stock. It can be loose and fall off.

Glass-bedding is to use resin to fill up the open space in the stock. It embraces the receiver and makes the entire action solid. Glass bedding can also be combined with pillar bedding, which is to put the small metal cylindrical shape tubes in the stock where the action screws go through. But the metal cylindrical shape tubes need to be glued by the resin and stayed solid in the stock. Pillar bedding makes sure a tight consistent pressure is between the receiver and the stock. Most match or sniper rifles have glass bedding and pillar bedding.

Free floating is for the barrel to be comletely loose/untouched with the stock forend, up and lower. It can be had with glass bedding or pillar bedding, or with both. However, if the rifle is loose at the action and also loose at the barrel, it will shoot Surface MOA, not Sub MOA.

[Gutz]

[DennisCA]

Nay it's hammer time!