.338 lapua on a mosin 91/30

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Davie Sprocket

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I would like to start a conversation about a very cool project I saw on another forum. Several guys have put a .338 lapua barrel on to a mosin 91/30 action, with some work on the bolt and fitting. Unfortunatly they are all in the states, so I can not get a barrel from them.

Is there any gunsmiths willing to help me with pricing for the barrel, cost of fitting the barrel, muzzle break and the bolt work?

Anyone else interested in pricing for this kind of project, or even the viability of it?

Pm me if your interested in seeing the project that was done on the other forum.
 
That sounds like a bad idea. Just about any gunsmith is capable of doing this conversion, but I doubt any would be willing to take on the liability of such a conversion. If the rifle spontaneously deconstructs, it's their name in the work order. Installing a match grade barrel would cost between $600 and $700, and bolt work may take another $300 or so. All in for a single shot rifle would be around $1000, far more if the thing has to feed from the magazine. However, I doubt you'll find anyone willing to do the work.

Edit: add another $200 - $300 to supply and fit a muzzle break.
 
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Bad idea. Make sure your Life Insurance is paid up and you Will made out before you try it.

If you want a .338 Lapua, then spend the money and buy a factory one. You will be much happier and will have a rifle that is DESIGNED to handle the round.

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Several guys have put a .338 lapua barrel on to a mosin 91/30 action, with some work on the bolt and fitting. Unfortunatly they are all in the states...
Click to expand...
Have any pulled the trigger more than once?
To me, that just says, "Here, hold my beer, I wanna try somethin..."
 
Am I saying that its impossible for the rifle to have issues, no, we have all seen posts on the internet showing the failure of factory rifles, so there is always a risk to firearms. Hell under the same logic no one should reload or sell reloading equipment because there could be injuries if any thing goes wrong. What the guys did in the US was to sell the barrel without the extractor cut in the barrel, there for it is not a finished barrel and requires some fitting so it basically puts the liability on to the end user.

One of the biggest problems in Canada is the avaliability of barrel blanks, there are several gunsmiths who have match grade barrels but nearly none that carry budget priced barrels or are even willing to sell barrel blanks, in the states there are dozens of barrel companies, green mountain is the best example, you can buy .308 chambered barrel blanks for $80, we have no access to this up here. I have no idea why there is no access up here, part of it I would suspect is the boarder and our gun laws. Having to have gov't -cfc- approval for building firearms is likely the biggest hurdle for small home gunsmiths or inventors. This level of harrassment has led to most people curious in building there own firearms to simply walk away.

If your interested in the project or have any more comments keep posting, I would really like to hear from some of the gunsmiths or barrel makers on how they feel about the project.

For those that want to see the project it is on the weapons guild web forums, listed under home built designs, bolt actions, .338 lapua mosin/nagant build.
 
In comparing apples to apples, I found that the 7.62x54r is rated for a maximum pressure of 52,000 psi, and the Lapua is rated for nearly 61,000 psi. The barrel tenon on the Mosin is just under 1", while the Tikka is 1", and the Remington and Savage are both over 1". My gut says it would be safe enough, but I wonder why bother. One of the main drawbacks to this project is the fact that Mosins have one of the worst triggers ever, which is a definite stroke against it. Replacement stocks that would suit the end result would be problematic as well. I think the action would tend to flex a bit much, giving issues with headspace after some time, among other issues. I can't fault you for wanting something different, I once spent a good deal of time considering converting an SVT40 to .458x2". This being said, I would recommend against it.
 
One of the attractions to this project is having a bit of an odd ball rifle. The other part is to have the project aspect of it.

So far it is likely that the project is not even feasable cost wise as the barrel is going to be in the 500 range or more, add in the break and a new stock and it starts to get in to a used factory .338 lapua rifle. I really do not want to spend over a thousand dollars to have an iffy rifle, but if I can do it for half that then I would be very satisfied. Still like to see were this goes and if others are interested in it.
 
Brownells will send you a cheap blank. Not worth it for most importers since the margin on an 80$ bbl is pretty low. That being said, find the one you want and I will bring it in at cost lol ;)


These look economical:

.338 Heavy Barrel Blank 25" x 1.25"

Item Number: 338-BLANK
VIEW LARGER IMAGE
​

Price: $51.95
Qty.
ADD TO CART
ADD TO WISHLIST



.338 Gunsmith Edition Heavy Barrel Blank 25" x 1.25", 41V50 milspec vanadium steel, button rifled, stress relieved, air gaged, 1:10 twist..
 
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Excuse my bad analogy, but it sounds a bit like dropping a blown big block in a ford fiesta or a firefly, and then sitting on the bellhousing, because someone else said it had been done. Only that would put your groin in danger instead of your face.

If your dumping $1K plus into a barrel/chambering/threads and the other gunsmithing, I would suggest looking at the savage lineup of rifles in thsi caliber first.
 
You're missing the point, Cody. The guy wants something different because it's different. He wasn't asking if it was the right thing to do, or the best plan, just wether or not it would work and be safe. There is no accounting for taste, we all like what we like.
 
gabrielguitars said:
You're missing the point, Cody. The guy wants something different because it's different. He wasn't asking if it was the right thing to do, or the best plan, just wether or not it would work and be safe. There is no accounting for taste, we all like what we like.
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Ok, I missed the point. Maybe it works, and I can understand doing something while everyone else thinks its ugly, my comment may have come off negatively but it was just a thought, and the direction it was intended was to be concerned with safety and not cosmetics.

I seem to be going against the current on a daily basis with my perspectives on what looks good for a rifle as well.

If the OP intends to build this, and has his mind made up there is nothing some knob on the internet is going to do to persuade him, and I can respect that, I dont know that that action is capable or incabale for that round, I hope that in making a 338 LM, mosin caution and calculation are two of the ingredients used though.

If he does make one, right on, I hope to hear what comes of it either way.
 
Cody its all good. I know a guy that put a 460 big block ford with dual tunnel rams in a ford pinto, to each his own. I am not going to pull the trigger on a time bomb, but if it is possible to build a budget based .338 lapua then I will be happy. I am looking for everyones input.
 
I was considering a .338 project. I was going through my odds and ends the other day. Found an aluminum sleeve for a long 700 Remington, a rough receiver, and a magnum faced bolt. Thought about reworking the bolt for LM. Been done, but there can be issues. Then I thought that .338RUM or .338 Edge would be better, because no alterations to the bolt would be needed. Bought a sheet of Baltic birch plywood to laminate up a stock. Saw that barrel in the EE.
Then I remembered that I already have a couple of .30 barrels/blanks, and a .300 WinMag reamer.
So if I do go ahead with this project, it will be a .300WM.
I do my own smithing, so the only costs are for materials, and that is pretty much already covered.
 
Tiriaq keep this thread updated and go with it. Can you post some pics of what you have?

Keep the input coming guys this thread is getting be great.
 
Davie Sprocket said:
Am I saying that its impossible for the rifle to have issues, no, we have all seen posts on the internet showing the failure of factory rifles, so there is always a risk to firearms. Hell under the same logic no one should reload or sell reloading equipment because there could be injuries if any thing goes wrong. What the guys did in the US was to sell the barrel without the extractor cut in the barrel, there for it is not a finished barrel and requires some fitting so it basically puts the liability on to the end user.

One of the biggest problems in Canada is the avaliability of barrel blanks, there are several gunsmiths who have match grade barrels but nearly none that carry budget priced barrels or are even willing to sell barrel blanks, in the states there are dozens of barrel companies, green mountain is the best example, you can buy .308 chambered barrel blanks for $80, we have no access to this up here. I have no idea why there is no access up here, part of it I would suspect is the boarder and our gun laws. Having to have gov't -cfc- approval for building firearms is likely the biggest hurdle for small home gunsmiths or inventors. This level of harrassment has led to most people curious in building there own firearms to simply walk away.

If your interested in the project or have any more comments keep posting, I would really like to hear from some of the gunsmiths or barrel makers on how they feel about the project.

For those that want to see the project it is on the weapons guild web forums, listed under home built designs, bolt actions, .338 lapua mosin/nagant build.
Click to expand...


Bits of Pieces in Delta will bring in those Green Mountain barrels for you at a very reasonable price. It takes about 6 weeks which is a lot faster than ordering a Canadian manufacturers barrel.

It's easy to understand why there aren't more commercial barrel makers in Canada. There just isn't enough demand for any of them to tool up and mass produce.

The cheap, already chambered Green Mountain barrels you mention are nice barrels. Their bores measure out .308, right on the money.

The problem with them is they are only 22 inches long. They are not contoured either.

The chambers in them match the Palm Match Grade reamer I have. Very nice for a budget priced barrel that is built for Mini Guns

Green Mountain also has a lot of other barrels for sale.
 
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I don't know if I agree with the people saying the Mosin 91/30 receivers not being strong enough for the 338LM.

They are very strong and the bolts have large locking lugs with a lot of metal in the head of the bolt.

I saw one that was converted to a 458 Win Mag. It had been done as a fun project with a rifle that had a corroded bore that was not shootable.

It was one of the early ones to come into Canada, back in the seventies and had a laminated stock.

As mentioned, it was only viable as a single shot. The Mag would easily contain the round lengthwise and without much trouble the mag well could have been altered to accept the round. I think the 338 LM would be a tight fit, if it would fit at all.

I don't even think the feed lips would have to be altered to make it a repeater.

The 458WM rounds that were first put through the Mosin were in the range of pressures normally associated with Trap Door rifles.

Of course, we only had about $20 into the whole assembly and a bit of time, so we thought we would push the envelope a bit.

We knew the 7.62x54 round was loaded to around 48,000 CUPs with the heavier loads and honestly, I never heard of a Mosin 91/30 receiver letting go at those pressures.

So, like the novices we were, we bumped up a few rounds to maximum pressures with 500 grain bullets. We used BLC powder and started with around 70 grains. It kicked like a mule and after a couple of rounds, I couldn't be convinced to shoot it again. That stock design on the Mosin isn't exactly ideal for directing recoil. We did tie it to a tire for about a dozen rounds before we tried it offhand.

We kept loading it hotter and hotter, until we had 85grains of powder in the case. That is about 12% more powder than is consider max for those long round nose Speer bullets.

We weren't worried about OAL and there was enough room in the case for the extra powder, although it was crushed a bit and we used magnum primers as with the other loads.

The barrel on this rifle was 30 inches long. It had no contour and was rough on the outside. The rifle weighed in at around 14 pounds. Even with that much weight, it was extremely uncomfortable to shoot with low end loads, listed for the 458WM.

The over max loads were brutal. Neither of us would shoot it from the shoulder. We attached it to our tire (filled with concrete) and let off 20 rounds. It roared like a small cannon. It pushed that tire back about a foot with every shot. It was a monster. IMHO.

The stock stood up very well. No cracks the bedding wasn't pounded at all. In fact it looked just as good as it did when we installed it on the rifle.

The receiver looked great as well. The bolt handle lifted easily and the extractor pulled out the case without any problems. The only alteration done to the bolt, was made to the extractor.

The lugs on the bolt were fine, no cracks or set back. Same for the locking recesses in the receiver, no set back at all. We even spun the barrel off to make sure. Then we magnafluxed it to make sure.

We were pretty confident about the strength of the action by then so we screwed the barrel back in and installed some decent sights on it.

Then, we loaded it with a charge somewhere between the min/max, with the same bullets and shot a few groups.

It's pretty difficult to find a bad load for a long 45 calibre bullet. The rifle didn't disappoint us. It shot better than either of us could hold it.

My comrade in arms, left the rifle as it was, with the long heavy barrel. To my knowledge, he is still shooting it. He loves big bore rifles with powerful cartridges. Whether he left the barrel the same length or not, I don't know. He moved away to find work and I haven't seen him for over 30 years.

I need to give him a call. It's been far to long since we've spoken. The last time was when I helped him load up his lathe and milling machine into the moving van. Funny how those things happen??? Not really.
 
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Actually, the MAP pressure of the .338 Lapua, from the CIP specs, is 4 700 bar. 4 700 bar is 68 200 PSI. The proof pressure, because, if you do such a remodelling, you will need to proof it, is 5 875 bar, means 85 210 PSI proofing.
To my opinion, there are better choices out there to contain that fury.
 
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