Long story short, I'd like to build a custom Mosin Nagant rifle with a match grade barrel. I have all the parts except the barrel and I'm looking for a reputable gunsmith that can help me to source the barrel and put it all together professionally. I previously had a great experience with Corlane's in BC but I'm going to move to Edmonton in a couple months so I'll try to find someone local to Edmonton first.. Please let me know if you happen to know someone who can help with that. Thanks!
Looking for a gunsmith that can do a custom Mosin Nagant build for me
- Thread starter firebat
- Start date
KotKotofeich
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Ottawa Valley
Not local to either, but... I have discussed a build like this with Herron but did not follow through. Was going to use a 28-76 action in a Kruk stock and a McGowan barrel - they offered a 308 or 311 barrel at the time so you could have a greater variety of bullets available with 308... and I was leaning towards 308 since I reload anyway. Good luck!
Thanks for the suggestion, now I have two options.. I'll probably go with a 311 barrel so that I can use off the shelf ammo if needed but I also handload a lot. I already have a Boyd's AT-ONE stock, so it will be re-used for the project but I like Kruk chassis too, it is likely the best one for this rifle.
KotKotofeich
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Ottawa Valley
That was my thinking too. Also, if you are thinking of needing to use surplus in... um... an emergency, as long as you still have access to your tools, you could always pull the bullets, re-weigh the powder and run the bullets through a 308 sizer, then re-assemble?
Because I like Mosin Nagants, there's really no practical reason, I just want to have one
I have a couple other precision rifles in 308 and 6.5CM so it is not going to be my only target rifle. I really enjoy shooting a PU sniper and my other Mosins and I also handload for them, so I thought why not build a MN target rifle as well. This cartridge is capable of excellent accuracy, so I expect to get very decent results. My fav load is a copycat of a Finn cartridge with a .310 Lapua D166 200gr bullet over N140 and it shoots amazing. I'm not going to shoot crappy surplus through it, but I'd like to shoot Barnaul for instance. Their 200gr SP cartridge is surprisingly accurate and consistent for a cheap ammo. There are also PPU and S&B options available..I've never tried doing that to surplus rounds but that sounds like a good way to make it shoot more consistent.. I'll do some more research on this, thanks. But speaking of caliber choice, I already have a 308 rig that shoots very very well, so this build is envisioned as a "PU on steroids"
Firebat, go for the .308 barrel.
It will be cheaper than a special order .310 barrel and you might actually get it this year.
I have a 1942 date, 91/30 with a .3085 Soviet factory bore. To bad it's a refurbed mixmaster but the darn thing shoots both bullet diameters very well, even with my aging eyes and iron sights.
Thankfully, I don't believe the rifle was issued after the FTR.
I hand load and shoot factory ammo through it, both surplus and Privi.
I would also go for a different cartridge, like the 303 British, simply because it will fit in the magazine well and feed reliably. Easier to find a gunsmith with a reamer as well.
I would also get it drilled and tapped for a scope mount of a type that suits your build and will accept a modern scope, unless you're trying to keep it period correct.
I like Mosins, especially accurate Mosins. Some of them shoot far better than the capabilities of their shooters.
I think you're getting into an interesting project
There aren't any pressure signs at all, with any of the factory rounds or my handloads which were loaded with 165 grain boat tail hollow points to around 2750 fps.
I tried faster loads but 2750 was where it shot best.
Your call, if you have lots of good brass for reloading 7.62x54R and can find a smith with a reamer, go for it. If you have to buy a reamer, add a couple of hundred to the build.
It will be cheaper than a special order .310 barrel and you might actually get it this year.
I have a 1942 date, 91/30 with a .3085 Soviet factory bore. To bad it's a refurbed mixmaster but the darn thing shoots both bullet diameters very well, even with my aging eyes and iron sights.
Thankfully, I don't believe the rifle was issued after the FTR.
I hand load and shoot factory ammo through it, both surplus and Privi.
I would also go for a different cartridge, like the 303 British, simply because it will fit in the magazine well and feed reliably. Easier to find a gunsmith with a reamer as well.
I would also get it drilled and tapped for a scope mount of a type that suits your build and will accept a modern scope, unless you're trying to keep it period correct.
I like Mosins, especially accurate Mosins. Some of them shoot far better than the capabilities of their shooters.
I think you're getting into an interesting project
There aren't any pressure signs at all, with any of the factory rounds or my handloads which were loaded with 165 grain boat tail hollow points to around 2750 fps.
I tried faster loads but 2750 was where it shot best.
Your call, if you have lots of good brass for reloading 7.62x54R and can find a smith with a reamer, go for it. If you have to buy a reamer, add a couple of hundred to the build.
- Location
- West Quebec
I would look for something more modern,,as well
Thanks for the info, Bearhunter, now I'm really considering a 308 barrel for it.. I thought that shooting factory 7.62x54R ammo through a 308 diameter is not going to work but your experience shows that is possible. I'm thinking of sourcing a McGowen Mosin prefit barrel, they make match grade bull barrels for Mosins, and a 308 option is also available. That'll probably take a long waiting time but I'm not in a rush, I still have a 6.5CM to do load development for and play with
As for the scope mount, I'm planning to use a Kodiak Defence picatinny rail with a PU side mount, that'll allow me to use both modern scopes and replica PU setups if need be:
I totally agree with those people that suggest a more modern action but I already have modern precision rifles chambered for modern cartridges, this build is purely for fun and also to scratch my Mosin itch
I just like these rifles and the caliber too.
I played with one of those once. Had a 1942 Izzy with a bad barrel for $50. Found an M27 Finn barrel in .308 bore and excellent rifling. Had to cutoff a thread, rechamber to get it to time right and recrown the muzzle. Installed a RSI mount and bolt handle. Rebushed firing pin hole, pillar bedded original stock to keep cost down and used M27 rear barrel band to float the handguard. Total cost was $300 for me as I did all the smithing, but I put more work into it than a modern rifle. In the end, it will shoot as good as a modern factory bolt varmint gun and still shoot cheap surplus without any problem.
Would I do it again? No, but I proved that the action was capable of good accuracy.
My advise is to use a modern action for a new match barrel.
https://youtu.be/jaGAaA7Ghl0
Would I do it again? No, but I proved that the action was capable of good accuracy.
My advise is to use a modern action for a new match barrel.
https://youtu.be/jaGAaA7Ghl0
Any long action with a magnum bolt face that could be opened up slightly and has a capable extractor. Rim diameter is .570", magnum rim is .532".
It will end up being a single shot affair though. Any way you do this will cost more to have a smith do. Most guys I know that have done it are all hobby smiths like me and have tried just about every wildcat with them too. There's some youtube vids on them.
I thought about doing one up with a match barrel, but have since moved on. It's one of those things where it's purpose is limited.
I'm not licensed or insured as a smith so I don't offer any services.
It will end up being a single shot affair though. Any way you do this will cost more to have a smith do. Most guys I know that have done it are all hobby smiths like me and have tried just about every wildcat with them too. There's some youtube vids on them.
I thought about doing one up with a match barrel, but have since moved on. It's one of those things where it's purpose is limited.
I'm not licensed or insured as a smith so I don't offer any services.
Fuzzy Wool Hat
Regular
- Location
- Ontario, Canada
Sounds like an interesting project! I've got a K98 with a completely shot out bore that I will be installing a brand new Shilen match grade 8mm barrel on and I'm excited to see how it goes.
As for the inevitable folks who will show up to criticize...sure the Mosin action is not conducive to accuracy or tolerance or whatever, but your earlier response of "frig off, I like mosins" (I might be paraphrasing) trumps all the arguments. Rock on, and good luck!
As for the inevitable folks who will show up to criticize...sure the Mosin action is not conducive to accuracy or tolerance or whatever, but your earlier response of "frig off, I like mosins" (I might be paraphrasing) trumps all the arguments. Rock on, and good luck!
Thanks, man! I'm going to share progress in this thread as I go, join me as well with your K98, it's going to be fun
Speaking of actions, I still don't quite understand why people don't like original MN actions. Those MN rifles that are not accurate usually have crappy shot out barrels and quite often they also have pretty lousy triggers. Finns solved both problems in their MN rifles and everyone praises how good and accurate they are, but that's what they did - they rebarelled original actions and came up with a better trigger. I've never found any root cause of bad accuracy that can be traced to the action itself.. If there's anything that I don't like in the MN rifle then it's a lousy safety (well, a lack of it for any practical reason) and a 5-round magazine, but it's ergos not accuracy.Some years ago, the Finns were casting about for a new sniper rifle. They tested the various commercial options, and then decided to build their own. They based the rifle on the MN action. They used old Czarist dated receivers, believing that these were the best quality.
Do a search for the Finn 28-76 target rifle.
A project along these lines would be interesting.
It would really help if the stocks could be obtained.
Do a search for the Finn 28-76 target rifle.
A project along these lines would be interesting.
It would really help if the stocks could be obtained.
That looks like an interesting rifle for sure. I actually have 2 potential options in mind - with a bull barrel and no iron sights OR with a Finn M28 profile barrel and some kind of iron sights as well. That 28-76 rifle definitely makes me consider the second option now, I really like the aperture sights setup:
Do you know if there any similar aperture sights that would fit a MN in a similar fashion that can I buy in Canada?
