Clemson

I got in a Model 38 carbine from SOG yesterday. It is dated 1943. It has a plain walnut stock as opposed to the laminates on some M38's. This one is rather crudely machined with heavy tool marks on the receiver, but the Russian reblue is very good, the stock is in excellent shape, and the gun is all-matching. It's an interesting piece of history. Clemson

I use method 1 unless I have an awful lot of metal to cut out. I don't own a floating reamer holder, so I avoid cutting with the lathe unless I have to. I have had to lathe-ream a stainless steel barrel when I used a rental reamer that was not quite as sharp as it should have been, but I usually don't need to. Actually, a hand-cut chamber, particularly in a barrel with a short-chamber already cut (as most of the barrels I buy have), will run very true if you take care to hold the barrel vertically while reaming. A reamer naturally centers itself in a hole. As Z1r points out, you must allow .002" of crush in your fitting. I just cinch the barrel up, cut until the bolt closes with light pressure on a "Go" gauge, then remove the barrel and use a deburring tool to cut a 1/64" chamfer on the inside rim of the chamber. I reinstall the barrel, check with the "Go" gauge, and I am good to go. Beware of chips when checking the headspace. Also, know that a sharp reamer will cut a thousandth or so per turn and can cut a chamber too deep in a heartbeat. Go slow, check often, use lots of Rapid Tap, and clean the tapping fluid off your reamer after you use it. Oil it up with RemOil for storage. Clemson

My formula for removing tight barrels is rosin on the vise blocks, Kroil on the joint, both inside the action around the primary shoulder and on the outside barrel-action joint, and a large ball pein hammer to strike the action wrench handle with. The impact does a better job of breaking the joint than a long cheater on the wrench. Clemson

Well, a followup is due on the M44 issue. Thanks to all who contributed opinions. I did not disregard them, but I had extenuating circumstances that led me back to InterOrdnance. I did order two rifles from InterOrdnance. I tried to fax my C&R license to them, but found that you can't do that. They were good enough to email me about the problem the same day. I mailed the signed copy of the license on a Friday, and on Wednesday had two M44 carbines delivered. The guns were both absolutely pristine. I got laminated stocks and 1945 dates (aceptable to me) for $59 per rifle. The bores look new. The stocks are like new. Bluing in the rearsenaled rifles is pretty much 100%. There is very little cosmoline except in a few recesses on the stocks. Realizing that this is only one point of reference, but InterOrdnance delivered just what they advertised for me on this particular order. Clemson

A potential fly in the ointment is using a large ring barrel thread on what is normally a small ring thread receiver. What threads does your turk have? If the thread issue is not a problem, I think the safe thing to do would be to chamber for 30-06 using 30-06 headspace gauges, and then load .311-.312 bullets. Clemson

Thanks, Stan. Have you ever dealt with Interordinance in Monroe, NC? Clemson

Kuhnhausen recommends firing pin protrusion between .055 and .065 inches. before you do anything, clean the interior of the bolt body exceedingly well. The "slots" where the pin fits in the "fired" position could be impacted with grease, cosmo, corn flakes, or whatever. If the bolt body is clean and the pin still doesn't protrude far enough, try more firing pins until you find one that fits. Clemson

Folks, I am a Mosin-ignoramus. Please point me toward sources for WWII dated M44 carbines and rifles. I specifically want a 1943 or 44 gun. I know Mausers fairly well, and I can hold my own with Arisakas and US rifles, but I have no experience with the Ruskies. Thanks, Clemson

I just disassembled the bolt. The bolt handle, safety, firing pin, and the extractor match with the same 3-digit assembly number. That number does not match the receiver number, however. Where else would you expect to find that assembly number? Clemson

These folks sell what is supposed to be the original Winchester formula finish: www.winrest.com Good luck! Clemson

I'm proud of you, Flaco! Clemson

Excellent work on a fine piece of history!! Bravo! Clemson

I am still learning this new board. I thought I was logged in..........

I have always just lubed the threads lightly with High Pressure lube. Chassis lube will work fine. You just want the threads to be able to pull up tight without galling. I snug the threads up and then lean on the wrench handle without a cheater or hammer. That is probably about 100 ft-lbs, but my torque wrench calibration varies with the amount of Bud Light I consume whilst doing this installation. Clemson

I don't have a book to tell me the series number, but maybe you can tell from the receiver markings, riceone......... This rifle is externally crude in several areas where it doesn't really matter. The bore, as mentioned above, is pristine. Check out the bolt handle: Clemson

I shot my Late-war Type 99 yesterday for what I suspect was the first time in the rifle's history. I am relatively certain that this gun saw zero rounds during the war. It was surrendered and brought back by some vet. The screws on the rifle are all staked -- the action has never been out of the stock. I cleaned what appeared to be a sewer pipe bore, but it was grease in the bore that I saw. It cleaned up absolutely like a new barrel. At any rate, I bought some reloaded ammunition loaded with softpoints at the last gun show I attended, and this weekend I got the opportunity to touch it off. Here is a pic of the action. Other than the surface rust, the gun is in good shape. The non-adjustable peep sight shows one of the screws with the staking in place. This example is sometimes called (probably incorrectly) a "Last Ditch" Arisaka. It was made at the Hiroshima arsenal late in the war, probably about 3-4 months before that arsenal suffered a sudden work stoppage. By late in the war, there were some shortcuts being made. This particular gun has a wooden buttplate. The range results were pretty good considering my old eyes and the sorry sights. I was able to shoot a 4" group off a bench rest at 100 yards. The wooden buttplate still came back with authority with the 7.7x58 mm rounds! Clemson