Norinco JW103 Bush Ranger - 7.62x39

x2, I've found a couple on the internet other places, but they were priced at about $150 more than a Stevens 200, so I passed. If Marstar gets them in, I'll be game again however.
 
Saw one at the gunshow here in Edmonton the other weekend.

Personally, I'm not interested. The Nork bolt-actions are just appalling. The stocks are made out of some sort of stained softwood - REALLY soft, like balsa almost. Metalwork is miserable, finish is bad and nothing really fits together all that well. Accuracy is crap (guys who've owned these say they're no better accuracy-wise than an SKS). I've found that bedding most nork rifles results in a massive accuracy boost. And, oddly, the triggers on most norks I've shot have been excellent.

But, I built a .308-39 bolt rifle out of a Stevens 200. The barrel was originally a Winchester 70 30-06 10" twist that had been set back and chambered with a 7.62x39 reamer with a 308 pilot. This thing is STUPID accurate with 110 VMAX bullets, and handles surplus .311 dia bullets with no ill effects. Though I should note that the Stevens action is built to handle cartridges producing at least 10,000 more PSI than the SKS is designed to handle.

While this gun puts 5 VMAX bullets into a single 1/2" hole at 100 yards, the czech surplus doesn't do much better than 4".

The conversion isn't particularly expensive. The cost of the Stevens 200, minus the resale value of the barrel, plus the cost of a new barrel and a PPC extractor (or PPC bolt head if you want extraction AND ejection). Works out to ~$400 give or take
 
bush ranger

I've got one. Like others have said the wood is real soft and the metal work is poor. The barrel is real light and heats up quickly. That being said, I didn't buy it to be a high class rifle and I do enjoy shooting it. It shot really poor when I first got it, but I did bed the recoil lug and it came around nicely. I would say 2" at 100 with surplus ammo. The trigger was light from the hop (2lbs) with a bit of creep. Myself, I would never use the action as a custom rifle build. The bolt locks up at the rear, and general construction is poor. Use it for what it is made for, a cheap rifle with cheap ammo to shoot. I did make some subsonic loads for it that made it a little interesting though. 180 gr. boattails at 1000 fps. Good luck, Eric
 
UG17533
NON-RESTRICTED MAUSER SPORTER BOLT 7.62MM X 39 WITH 28" OCTAGON BBL, EXPRESS SIGHTS.custom project guns GOOD $499
 
Had one and it functioned ie feed, made noise, and ejected the case. I bedded it, adj the trigger and handloaded for it. Still was no tack driver - sub 2" type of accuracy. Surplus ammo was not good either.

overall machine work is the poorest of any Norinco firearm I have used and that includes HG, SG, and rifles.

I think a Stevens is the best project action to base off and prosper, can you PM me with details on who did your work, etc.

If you rebuild, getting a 0.310" barrel is a royal pain in the butt. I think the big reason for surplus shooting worse in 308 pipes then in most SKS is the increased pressure of swagging down the bullet.

Many 303Brit barrels are up to 0.312" so that isn't much better.

Cheapest ammo available and no decent economy rifle to shoot them.

Jerry
 
I've given up on the ideal of trying to do the conversion onteh Norinco. I'll be keeping my eyes open for a Marlin 92.

Other then that I really don't see too many other suitable rifles. Perhaps if I find another CIL bolt action 30-30 that may be a good candidate.

Well another project to put on the shelf till I find the right parts.
 
I *just* saw a Stevens 325 30-30 bolt hit the EE

:D I'll take a look :D


saw that one earlier, thought well its still too pretty for this cheap bastard :D


gun and sporting junk auction comming up in Clyde soon, I suspect that I will find something craptacular enough for my liking. Or the Calgary gunshow next month. :D
 
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