Jim Taylor
It All Started With The Covid Lockdown
Friday, September 16, 2022, 17:46

No one was going anyplace or doing anything and I was getting bored and wanted to work on something. In desperation I dug out an old Mosin Nagant that a long-departed friend had given me. I had shot it enough to know that the barrel was pretty well gone. But it was something I could mess with!

I started by removing the bayonet and cutting the lugs off the barrel. Then I polished the barrel until it didn't look like it formerly had a bayonet. I took the wood off the top of the gun and tried shooting it. The first few shots at 50 yards went close to where I was aiming. After the barrel warmed up it began walking the shots all over the paper.

The barrel after I removed the bayonet and lugs. I turned it down and polished it.

I figured the barrel was resting on the stock and thought that may contribute to the barrel doing a walk-about. So I relieved the stock and floated the barrel. And it did not help. So I cut off the end of the barrel figuring the rifling in the forward part of the bore potentially was worst. I shortened the forend. And I cut a dovetail in the barrel and mounted white bead front sight by Marbles.

After than the gun shot some better. It was not a real accurate rifle but it would do. However I had a real problem with the rear sight. It was mounted on the barrel ahead of the receiver, which in the Mosin is very long. The sight radius was only 13" ... way too close together for my old eyes.

I messed around and finally gave up on it and put it away. I could not figure out how to mount a peep sight on the gun without bending the bolt handle. And this thing was not worth putting that kind of money in. So I left it. For about a year and a half.

Then in August of this year I was thinking about it, wondering how a person could mount a peep sight on it. And I had a thought. Why not ask God? So I said out loud, "Papa, how would you mount a peep sight on the Mosin?" and immediately the thought popped in my mind, "On the cocking handle."

I wondered, "Would that work?" So I dug out the rifle and took it to the shop. I got out my calipers and straight edge and began measuring and by golly it would work!

Now I am NOT saying I heard the voice of God. All I am saying is that I asked and immediately the idea came to me. You can attribute that to whatever you wish.

So I went to work and made a blank rear sight. I also milled off part of the bolt so the sight would sit on it OK.

Once I had the sight made and fitted I drilled the bolt hole through the cocking piece, then clamped the sight onto it and drilled the bolt hole through the sight. Then I drilled the sight hole where my straight edge said the 50 yard mark should be. The mounting bolt hole in the sight is slotted so the sight can be adjusted for elevation.

The first shots I fired were at 25 yards and showed me I was really close. I adjusted the windage on the front sight and got it hitting center, then I moved to the 50 yard range and started shooting. The target below was fired after I had run 25 rounds or so downrange. The barrel was hot but it did not walk the shot.

I don't think it will ever be really super accurate, but it will shoot minute of Whitetail. I need to work up some loads with some different bullets and see what it will do. But I am tickled for now!