Moving Musical Mosins Around Maryland

I was asked to post photos of the M44 I bought.
I bought it from Bertfish. I'm not sure if this was part of the Yellowsled collection or not. Someone used it for hunting (not Bertfish) so I have to clean some tape adhesive from the stock.

It's a '48 Izhevsk which seems to be dirt common and not so much a collectible but I like the carbine length, the wood and the markings. I wanted a shooter more than a collectible.

I'm going to buy an accurizing kit from this place: https://www.milsurpaccuracyinc.com/shop

I'm going to embark on the journey of tuning this thing to make it as accurate as possible while making as few aesthetic changes as possible. I would be interested in getting some help from a local "Mosin Whisperer."

I put 10 rounds through it yesterday (non-corrosive). My observations:
The trigger pull is a mile long. I exhale and sqeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze for what seems like an eternity!

I shot at 25 yards using a target that simulated something longer distance (but I forget how far). It shoots quite high and to the left. I was able to walk it down and over and achieve a decent grouping.

The muzzle flash is um...not subtle. I like that. Not very discreet for sniping though, lol.

Oh- I'd like a surplus ammo tuna can as a conversation piece to go with the rifle (unopened). If anyone can hook me up with that, I'd be grateful.

while not uncommon they did make a lot less in 48 than they did in 44

https://www.m9130.info/manufacturers-and-production-number

I've forgotten what the difference was but when accurizing my M44 it was different than the 91/30. Something to do with relieving the interior wood and corking front and back maybe.
I think the shim is fine and I did do some things different I recall like putting a vertical shim on the front lug on my 44.
The 38 I purchased recently here from an MDS member did not need much to it and I think I just shimmed the front lug and one piece of cork up front.

My PU sniper, Someone gifted me a finn trigger for it, but some people sell a spring and a washer to help with the 2 stage, trigger pull and creep.
There is an old story of a Russian working as QC at the US Remington factory that made Mosins where the guy would put in a live round then bang the butt of the gun on a wood floor to make sure it would not go off.

It looks good except for the tape you mention. Just make sure if you try to take it off, you don't use something that will soften the shellac .

I have a muzzle gauge but you can insert a Surplus round or what ever you have into the muzzle and take a pic.
How deep it goes will show muzzle wear. People say that throat erosion is more important but to some extent, muzzle wear tends to be proportional to that from what I've found with Mosins.


Ebay has sellers with front sight drifting tools. Make sure you get the M44, its different than the 91/30. I have enough mosins that it paid off for me to get one of each. One trick I do is shrink wrap the front sight pin and then clip it off to get the right vertical point of impact.

What were the groups like at 25 yards?

Was not a Yellowsled original

Bought it from another member here a while back. Was missing the bayonet. Needed the money to buy my new jointer so now it lives with you!

I have seen eBay sellers selling Finnish triggers and sears. Now it appears that someone is selling US made aluminum triggers built to the Finn design and sells them on eBay for $50.

I’ve seen some Russian accurizing directions for the mosin. I’ll see if I can find a copy.

http://www.guns.kz/materials/SportShooting/pdf/Sport0.pdf

Mosin stuff starts around page 20

That accurizing kit will come with all the instructions you should need. I’ve used it successfully on a PU and a 91/30, and some of my Finnish used M91s have the shims but no barrel wrap and shoot great, each one is an individual. Some M44s shoot better with the bayonet out vs in so don’t forget to try that

Red1917 said:

That accurizing kit will come with all the instructions you should need. I’ve used it successfully on a PU and a 91/30, and some of my Finnish used M91s have the shims but no barrel wrap and shoot great, each one is an individual. Some M44s shoot better with the bayonet out vs in so don’t forget to try that

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I was wondering if the bayonet had to be extended or not.

I've read that it helps and I've read that its meaningless. Suppose the only way to know is to try. It's been a long time since I shot mine

You should be able to make a solid shooter with that carbine. Congrats!
After a few trips to the range, you’ll get a feel for how much trigger take up to apply before it trips the sear. Then the pull won’t seem so long.

For those of you who have accurized your Mosin, did the process actually correct the aim or did it merely make the shot group tighter?
My understanding is that the rifles were ranged at a particular distance when they were made. I was shooting at 25 yards which is not very far. What happens if you're shooting at longer ranges?

It'll probably change your POI slightly but it won't correct it on its own to match the sights. Save yourself the headache and get a front sight adjustment tool https://www.ebay.com/c/1231703689, I've zeroed enough rifles with a punch and hammer now I own these for a few different types of rifles. I'd zero it at 50 yards next time you're out and then confirm at 100. No matter what you do it might still hit high, in which case you'll just have to learn to use a 6 o'clock hold or get some more height on your front sight. Try with and without the bayonet extended

I was fortunate that the M-44 I took in trade a few years back has a very nice trigger. On the first several range trips using different ammo, it shot groups instead of patterns.

When I inspected the fit of the stock, it was obvious that the barrel was contacting the stock in several spots. I first tried relieving the barrel channel and shimming the barrel near the muzzle and there was some improvement, but the grouping was still poor.

I found a video on the YouTube where a guy did something different to a 91/30 that produced great results so I decided to try it.

What I ended up doing was to use some self adhesive cork and cut some strips to run the length of the barrel channel in both the top and bottom of the channel. When the rifle was reassembled, the barrel was fully supported within the fore grip and acts much like a bull barrel. The harmonic vibration of the barrel is dampened and has resulted in some very nice groups using PPU factory ammunition.

I went one step further and developed a load for this M-44. This is what it does now. One shot was a flier likely because of my old and diseased eyes, but did not go far from the rest. 50 yards from the shooting bags.

Still need to adjust the sights a little, but it is enjoyable to shoot now.

Red1917 said:

It'll probably change your POI slightly but it won't correct it on its own to match the sights. Save yourself the headache and get a front sight adjustment tool https://www.ebay.com/c/1231703689, I've zeroed enough rifles with a punch and hammer now I own these for a few different types of rifles. I'd zero it at 50 yards next time you're out and then confirm at 100. No matter what you do it might still hit high, in which case you'll just have to learn to use a 6 o'clock hold or get some more height on your front sight. Try with and without the bayonet extended

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Ah, ok. So there is a way to adjust the sights.

I have a box with 3 different manufacturers of ammo. There's bound to be some inconsistency there.

Mosin follows pretty close to 30-06 for bullet drop when you are talking 100 yards or less. If you are say were at zero for 25 yards, its going to climb 0.5-1.5 inches at 50 and 100
If it were zero at 100 yards it would be 1/4"-1/2" low at 25 and then 1/4-1/2" high at 50. This is going by a ballistics drop calculator and pretty much hits close to what I recall.
I used to shoot the Mosin at 50 yards onto paper, but now 100 at steel plates. (I can't shoot bimetal tulamo or surplus though at steel at my range).

Each Mosin can be different and doing different things for one guy may work out different for the other. Tight lugs are a big deal though for every gun and you don't want the wood at the lugs moving around.

$16.50 and free shipping is cheap for a sight adjuster and worth it. Accurizing may affect the POI some, but don't expect more than an inch or two @ 50 yards with the M44. the longer 91/30 has more harmonics going on though than the M44.
The accurizing kit takes out some of the effects of harmonics that are plagued by the barrel heating up and the wood. What it can get rid of is stringing as you keep shooting (ie the POI walking away in one direction).
Even after accurizing, my 91/30 sniper, I give it 30 seconds to a minute between shots for best accuracy. With the M44 or 38, not at all. But I do say take 5 shots then pause for a little bit to let it cool down and stretch out the ammo usage.

If you want to see what kind of accuracy I was getting from my M38, here is a post in my reloading thread.
https://www.mdshooters.com/showpost.php?p=6131781&postcount=23
Don't let my talk about how the sights are adjusted. The reloads are reduced velocity, these are all pics with my forearm on a bag and the stock Mosin 38 sights @ 100 yards. The gun is likely more accurate cause that is the best shooting I can do with any iron sight gun at that distance.
Back in the post #1 of that thread, my accurized Scoped mosin was touching holes @50 yards with my reloads.

Ammo selection affects POI too. Can be a number of inches at 100 yards. I know my PU sniper custom load shoots lower by I think 3-4" at 100 yards compared to Surplus ammo. Its lower velocity but tuned to the gun.

I find Tulamo or surplus shoots better than say standard PPU. I've pulled bullets and PPU tends to be slightly smaller diameter than Tulammo or Surplus. PPU match will shoot slightly better than Tulamo


GuitarmanNick, that's some good work there!

Red1917 said:

It'll probably change your POI slightly but it won't correct it on its own to match the sights. Save yourself the headache and get a front sight adjustment tool https://www.ebay.com/c/1231703689, I've zeroed enough rifles with a punch and hammer now I own these for a few different types of rifles. I'd zero it at 50 yards next time you're out and then confirm at 100. No matter what you do it might still hit high, in which case you'll just have to learn to use a 6 o'clock hold or get some more height on your front sight. Try with and without the bayonet extended

Click to expand...

I just snagged the last one on that auction.

Ponder_MD said:

I just snagged the last one on that auction.

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Nice, they're good tools.

Lots of good info from GuitarmanNick and Melnic. Good work with those carbines. You guys all got me wanting to take my M38 out this weekend and see what it can do, I've only ever really blasted steel with it but now I'm curious. I think the one time I put it on paper it was around a 4" group at 100 yards.

The First 10 Rounds

Oh Lord...I was shooting at a 50 yard target at only 25 yards? I'm terrible.

These are the only 10 rounds I've shot with the M44 so far. The first 5, are the ones that wander high and left. The next 5 rounds are the tighter, lower group as I figured out what the rifle was doing.

My POA to achieve that lower group is the #7 ring on the center target!

Uh, let's also keep in mind that this was the first thing I've shot in over 10 years. Looks like I have a lot of work to do on the rifle and myself. I used to be one of the top shooters in my unit.

This is all before you did the accurizing?
That is not a bad start if not your already there. Until you get a sight adjustment tool, no shame in just aiming in one spot, then shooting for groups.
Adjusting front sight to the left will cure the windage then adding a shrink wrap to the front sight post and clipping it down will take care of it going high.
You would just need to use the same ammo each time.
Mosin hitting 5-10 rounds all in a 3" circle at 50 yards is pretty good IMO.

Are you shooting from the bench with more than just the front supported? Rear Bag?

When doing load testing, I try to use front and rear support (but not always).
But when adjusting a sight for later shooting offhand, I just rest my front forearm on a bag and support the gun with my arms and shoulder. I just feel that is the closest to shooting offhand.

I have currently 4 Russian 91/30, a Fin M39 and a Sniper along with an M44 &M38. I have had other M44 Mosins and Generically speaking just from shooting all of those, the Carbines seemed to shoot on average better. The Sniper and one 91/30 have near mint bores and they are just the exception. I had to go through many 91/30s before I got to that one minty one that is not the sniper. I did a mental count and in the first 3 years of C&R I went through a total of 10 91/30s selling off the more common ones or the ones that were not the perfect bore.