Custom M44 Help!

[DARKWOLF]

Hi all! I am new to these forums, but I like what I see!
The members here seem to be very helpfull, and give accurate feedback.

I hope you guys can give me your opinions! I have an M44 Mosin Nagant that I recently re-barreled<---(for sentimental reasons). I also added a Scope rail and bent bolt handle. I was given a new Leapers 5th gen 6-24x50 scope to use on it! here is a link to the scope.

http://www.leapers.com/pages/optics/accushot%20scope.htm

I would love to find out any info, or pros and cons about this scope from anyone who has used or uses these types of scopes! thanks guys!

[AJAX22]

thats beautiful, who did the barrel work?

[FatKatMatt]

Wow, that's nice. Is it still in x54R or did you rebarrel it in a different caliber? As for the scope, I don't know much about it except that Leapers is made in China; since someone gave it to you you might as well use it since you got it for free, but you'll want to invest in a new scope eventually.

[.22guy]

I've heard the Leapers scopes are pretty junky, from other websites. Just what I've read, no personal experience. Try it and see.

Sweet custom mosin by the way. I'd like to hear more about it.

[LECTRIKHED]

I'm interested also. With the price of 7.62 x 54r ammo this might be a good long range tactical option.

[762cavalier]

I would also like to know more about that. Who did your barrel work and what mount did you use for the scope.

[hybridatsun350]

Beautiful rifle. Don't forget to tell us how she shoots! (Can't help with the scope, sorry!)

[jtv3062]

Spec' Spec's. I want Spec's on your rifle

[DARKWOLF]

Wow Guys! Thank you for all the kind words! I had no idea that others would like my idea of customizing a mosin nagant. Most people including several gunsmiths put me down for trying. I am still curious to find out more on the scope, as well as any suggestions on an affordable scope if this one is poopy! But since you guys asked, here is the story!
This was my very first rifle that I purchased at a Big 5 for about $99! I took it to the range as it was, and realized that this rifle had potential to be a pretty badass shooter! after a few years of planning, I took it with me to work were I have a full machine shop at my disposal and went to work on it! first I installed a mosin scope mount and bolt handle from cheaper than dirt, what a bitch it was to get it in-line with the bore. I then took the huber anti friction ball trigger design and machined the stock trigger to his specs. Then I called up a very good gunsmith I know in texas and had him thread and chamber a Douglas chrome moly 6 groove 1in10 one inch no taper bull barrel in the original 7.62x54r. After free floating the barrel in a new ATI mosin synthetic stock..........here I am! I have yet to fire a single round through it!
If you want to know anything else let me know. But any ideas for a long range scope would be great! Thanks again for any help!

P.S. I still have the stock barrel if anyone needs one!

[NeoWeird]

Just checking but did the barrel maker headspace the rifle and install the barrel, or did they make the barrel and have you install it? Just trying to keep us all safe...

As for the rifle, looks good. Did you bed the action? Did you need to modify the stock in anyway (I have one on an M44 action and I didn't think a bull barrel like that would have fit)?

The scope is a low end scope. It will probably work just fine for what you need, but as you know that 7.62x54r round through that short of a barrel sure does blast and recoil comparatively hard to some other calibers. You might just break the scope on your first range visit or it might just be fine adn never give you problems. People that complain about the cheap scopes complain for a reason, but at the same time the cheap scopes are there for a reason also. If you're not doing precission shooting and the scope holds up then there is no need to change it. You're using a Mosin-nagant action so extreme long range accuracy is not what you're looking for (no offense to MNs, but any war time reworked action is not going to be as good as a precission machinied piece of equipment - that's fact). Even if you were going to hunt with it, the scope would be fine. You'd really only start to notice the difference when you push out past the 100 yard mark and your groups go from .5" center to center to .75" center to center because of the scope. If you do your part, and if it's just for fun and semi-accurate shooting like hunting, then the scope is fine as long as it works for you.

You don't need to spend $500 on a scope to plink with. Now if you want to compete and shoot out to 500+ yards then you NEED a new scope, but for fun you don't NEED anything.

[jmlivingston]

Most attempts at sporterizing a Mosin seem to be done by Bubba working in his garage with nothing more than a hammer, a pair of pliers, and a hacksaw. Not too many are done well, so seeing yours is a pleasant surprise to those of us who've seen so many done badly. I'm not sure I've ever seen one rebarreled, that barrel you put on yours looks nice! If you don't mind sharing, how much did the barrel work set you back?

John

[DARKWOLF]

In response to Neo's post, It has been headspaced, and I failed to mention it did have one round test fired! I dont agree with you as far as the mosin not being capable of long range accuracy! special attention was paid to the chamber work, and the barrel is capable of much more than "plinking". I dont think the bolt has as much to do with accuracy as the chamber,barrel and ammunition used, so any negative comments about the mosin action is just personal opinion not fact! I know that cheaper scopes have drawbacks and you get what you pay for, I was simply asking for any info on this scope because I have never used one! I will be shooting this rifle at as many distances as i can to determine its accuracy capability, and im sure a cheap scope will hinder those results to a degree. I am going to try to bed the action myself just for a fun project! Alot of material had to be removed from the stock in order to fit such a large barrel, but in the end everything worked great and the barrel is perfectly floated!
The barrel set me back $675, but you can get lower grade barrels for much less!
I am thinking this setup when fully completed with a good scope should be a tac driver, but thats just my hopes!

[.22guy]

675 dollars?? Holy crap, that's a lot of money! But to each his own. Make sure to keep us posted with a range report!!!

[DARKWOLF]

As soon as I figure out what scope I will use, I will sight her in and go to the 200 yard range at Chabot and see what she can do! I will fill you guys in on all the details and take some good pictures of everything!

I think you guys have convinced me that the leapers scope belongs on one of my plinkers! If you guys can steer me in the right direction of an affordable scope that would do this rifle well, by all means let me know. I dont know what kind of long range scopes are out there, but I do know that I would like to get one with a mil dot reticle if possible, and I would like to get one with decent magnification( 12x or above). Any Ideas fellas?

P.S. $675 bucks is alot of money, but It was my first rifle and I want to treat it good! So its worth it to me in the end!

[NeoWeird]

Sorry Darkwolf, I wasn't trying to come off as pretentious, I was simply stating that war time production equipment, especially service rifles, will always be of lower quality because of the demand required of their production. And the bolt and receiver have a LOT to deal with when it comes to accuracy. If your bolt face isn't true to the chamber then you can have brass expand in one direction more than the other and offset pressure, the angle the bullet is released, spin, etc. If the threads in the receiver are not absolutely 100% parallel to the top plane of the receiver than it doesn't matter how nice of a scope you have because the bullet will always be off an inconsistant amount in regards to the bullet drop. A good example is if the threads on the receiver are canted softly, even so much as half a degree, downward and to the left then your bullet will progressively drop down and to the left in regards to your sight plane. You can sight in at 100 yards and then at dial in for 300 yards and your bullet, even with drop calculated in, will be hitting left 6" and a foot low. Now if you trued the action prior to installing the barrel then you could have torqued the barrel true and put the threads in a bind and have the bore running perpindicular to the trued face, but that still doesn't mean the top plane of the receiver is square to it. If it has a ripple and is pointing slightly up, or if the plane is not absolutely flat and the rings are offset from each other than you will have inconsistant points of impact when you change distances.

And this is all just going over path of sight from a scope, this doesn't include harmonics, metallurgic response to impulse pressure, etc. Like I said your Mosin will most likely give you very good groups and will be a great plinker (and by plinker I mean it will serve no other purpose than to shoot for fun - ie it's not a service or carry piece, not hunting with it, etc). Plus, unless you are reloading the 7.62x54r you won't really find anything outside of surplus and Wolf and neither of which are known for their great accuracy.

So again, sorry if I came off as pretentious, but there is a LOT more to making an accurate rifle than a good barrel and a scope. It's a science and it takes a very indepth understanding of all aspects of the shooting world. All chains are as strong as their weakest link and in this case it's the action. It will be a GREAT shooter, trust me, and I am sure it will provide years and thousands of rounds of fun, but what you have is a great bolt action plinker and that is all it will ever be without serious modification/rework to the receiver and bolt. So before that is done your scope is fine for what it is. Just make sure you have it installed properly and zero it and you will have a good plinker as long as the scope holds up and until it fails you have no real need to replace it unless you find it to your disliking.

That's just my opnion.