Accuracy from a Russian M44?

I also have a sweet polish M44 and found with the bayonet out, it consistantly shot to the left. I took the bayonet off, and the rounds came back to center. Because I wanted to use it for moose, I left the bayonet off, and handloaded privi brass with 45 gr of IMR4064, and .303 british 180gr sierra bullet. Works well at 100yrds, but the iron sights and my eyes tend to limit any high level of accuracy. Strange thing, I get better consistancy with the frontier FMJ Flat point game getters from Marstar. My gun seems to luv them.

Newmer
 
bigedp51 said:
Remember, old dry stocks are loose which makes your groups "loose".

How is your bedding and is your barrel free floating?

http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=529
Click to expand...

My appologies for being away from this still (then) open thread: Ken

Yes my bedding is good. I added a pad of epoxy around the recoil lug and bottom of the receiver in the same area. I also made a similar pad in the rear attachment lug area and it also fills the gap around the back of the stock and the rear off the lug/receiver area up to the trigger asy.
I cleaned of the cosmoline from the fore stocks barrel channel as well as the upper hand guards barrel channel. I then sanded with 60 grit paper around a dowel. I trial fitted the barreled action in the stock after applying a thin putty snake wound helically around the barrel. I then measured the putty and adjusted the stock again. I then reapplied the cosmoline. it has a 1/16" free float.
This seemed to help as did the trigger job which took some time to adjust to safe limits. A front site adjustment was also made.
I also re slugged my barrel and found my first ones to be askew! The bore does actually mic out at .312" and NOT .315"!

I have tried the 180gn. RN Speer core loc in .311" now as well.
they don't seem any different than the 150s which I have been getting 4" groups with @100yds
I know they are moving @ 2567fps in the 180;s and 2678 fps in the 150s with.......... (Ill fill you in with the powder charges I c
dont have the full load info in front this is memory here.)
I did notice that the variation is less in the 180s with the crony readings.
I don't know about them as they pack quite a bunch for whitetails however.
I was told by a friend of mine I should actually try about 12gns of red dot as a powder. Im not sure about a shotgun powder in a rifle as the initial pressure spike concerns me,as does the consistancy of measuring out such low weight powder charges
my big problem now is powder speed. Im not using the burn efficiently with this short barrel as there is an ample muzzle flash.
Admittedly Im still using 3031.
and a hearing aid lol

I just looked at the thread you sent me bigedp51.
The epoxy putty I used was in the same places as the brass shims were however my putty also encompassed the sides of the lug and the rear and sides of the rear attachment lug pocket. I used my polishing wheel I use in knife making to do my bolt and a new trigger was made from 5160 steel both are mirror polished.
I will considder making a new front sight post.
I have also been thinking of how my gun chambers the rounds. It seems to me that the oversize military way of chambering a rifle may also be at play. How do I check the chamber size? I've thought about annealing an entire case and trying to fire form it. I would like a casting perhaps but want a DIY solution for that.
 
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In a previous post

I said that my (now my friends) M44 got fist size groups at 100 yds and that I wanted it back.
No longer
I now have an M38 that does (at least once) 1 3/4" group at 100.
Probably a fluke but I am happy again
 
Mojo sights. It replaces your open leaf sight with a apeture one that gives you 0.7moa adjustment.

As for a chamber casting, I've heard about using candle wax. I don't remember the exact process but its something like this. Plug the barrel just infront of the chamber, I can't remember if it should be very clean, or if you want a little lubrication. Then drip candle wax into the chamber. Careful not to get the lug area. Let it get cold, maybe even stick it outside for a couple of minutes and pop it out using a dowel shoved down from the muzzle. I know the wax isn't very hard, and you could do it with epoxy or molten lead, but those could be hard to get out if you screw up, whereas the wax could just be melted out.
 
I tested some homeloads in .312/150grain bullets with my East German m44, and getting half inch groups at 50 yards. Bayonet on, off, or extended makes little difference of POI. It shoots better than most of my Mosin 91/30s with an equal bore condition.
 
Cdn303 said:
Mojo sights. It replaces your open leaf sight with a apeture one that gives you 0.7moa adjustment.

As for a chamber casting, I've heard about using candle wax. I don't remember the exact process but its something like this. Plug the barrel just infront of the chamber, I can't remember if it should be very clean, or if you want a little lubrication. Then drip candle wax into the chamber. Careful not to get the lug area. Let it get cold, maybe even stick it outside for a couple of minutes and pop it out using a dowel shoved down from the muzzle. I know the wax isn't very hard, and you could do it with epoxy or molten lead, but those could be hard to get out if you screw up, whereas the wax could just be melted out.
Click to expand...

You've really got a hard on for those sights now, don't you? They are supposed to be the slickest thing since sliced bread came in paper bags.

In relation to chamber casting, there's a product out there on the interwebs called "Cerrosafe". Both Brownells and Track Of The Wolf sell it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood%27s_metal


It's supposed to shrink once it solidifies, and then expands back to original dimensions when cool. I'd try finding some of this before dicking around with candle wax. Sounds like a good way to make a mess. If you do end up trying candle wax, by all means let us know how it turns out.
 
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