91/30 Stock Options

[NagantTAL]

I've changed my mind about sporterizing the Finnish M39.

 

Instead I'm going to install the Burris 3-9X40 scope w/Rock Solid mount & bent bolt handle, and Huber trigger to a Russian M91/30.

It's a Tula arsenal-refurbished dated 1932/50, a pretty nice piece, but not a 98% Finnish M39.

 

Here's my question for the forum...Stock Options.

 

1) Refinish the M91/30 stock, with just enough modifications to fit the bent bolt handle and Rock Solid mount.

 

2) Cut the M91/30 stock off at the hand guard (upper & lower), fit for bent bold handle & Rock Solid mount, and refinish.

 

3) Replace the M91/30 stock with an ATI stock.

 

I'm interested in opinions and experiences using the above.

 

Thanks,

Tim

[ronploude]

Tim,

 

In the long run, I think that you will be happier with a new stock. No matter what you do with the military stock, it will still look like bubba's work. I built a Scout rifle using a M44 action and an ATI stock.

 

The ATI plastic stock is not well made in my opinion. There is a noticeable seam where the two halves of the mold met to form the stock and mine had a slight bend in the forearm. This made is push on the left side of the barrel. I had to open up the barrel channel on the left side so that the barrel could be free floated. I also went ahead and glass bedded the action because the inletting did not fit the M44 very well.

 

If I were to do it again, I would go with a Bold wooden stock. Bold has classic looking laminated and Walnut sporter stocks for Nagant rifles. The cost of the Bold stock is maybe 25% more than the ATI, but it is a nice looking classic stock. I've used several Bold stocks on Mauser builds and have been very happy with the inletting and final look of the stock after its finished.

 

Ron

 

I've changed my mind about sporterizing the Finnish M39.

 

Instead I'm going to install the Burris 3-9X40 scope w/Rock Solid mount & bent bolt handle, and Huber trigger to a Russian M91/30.

It's a Tula arsenal-refurbished dated 1932/50, a pretty nice piece, but not a 98% Finnish M39.

 

Here's my question for the forum...Stock Options.

 

1) Refinish the M91/30 stock, with just enough modifications to fit the bent bolt handle and Rock Solid mount.

 

2) Cut the M91/30 stock off at the hand guard (upper & lower), fit for bent bold handle & Rock Solid mount, and refinish.

 

3) Replace the M91/30 stock with an ATI stock.

 

I'm interested in opinions and experiences using the above.

 

Thanks,

Tim

[8point3]

I used the ATI bolt and scope mount on a 91/30 with no problems.Once you cut off the original bolt handle.tap a new hole in the cut for the ATI bolt,I also added some J.B. weld as I screwed the replacement bolt down. Make sure it fits evenly flush before you screw and glue it down. I had a ATI stock on it but I went back to the original wooden stock. I used a dremel to cut out a slot for the bolt to go fully down and stained the cut out to match the wood. It looks good and the longer wood stock gives the long barreled 91/30 better support than the shorter plastic stock. I put the receiver in a drill press and centered the scope mount holes on top of the receiver,marked them,then drilled and tapped the holes.Make sure you don't drill into the chamber area. You have plenty of room to drill behind it. I added some blue locktite on the bolt and scope mount screws when I installed them. I've never had any problems of any screws coming loose.The ATI plastic stock can also be installed on a M39 with cuts on the stock where the barrel sight is.Their website shows how to do that.I put a Simmons 3x9x40 scope on mine.I use the original triggers but polish the contact points,lighten the spring pull to about 3 pounds,and use a teflon type grease there.If your not sure of how to do that or not comfortable working on triggers then leave as be,have someone service the trigger who has experience on them, or go with your Hubber replacement. The safety design isn't the best on Mosin and Jap surplus rifles so you don't need to add bump/slam fire problems from too light of a pull or poor sear contact.For me the triggers perform great but I have no idea of your ability to work on firearms. That's why I included the statement.I used Brown Bear SP ammo to sight in the scope at 100 yards off a bench rest and the 3 shot groups averaged about 1 1/2 inch at 100 yards. The problem I found was after 3 or 4 shots the barrel warmed up and the groups started to wander a bit on the long thin 91/30 barrel. I've read where the Russian snipers placed a felt pad in the barrel channel on the stock near the muzzle to help with this problem. The M39 barrel is shorter and thicker so this isn't as big of a problem with warm barrels. I use metal shims on all my M39's to float the barrels basically the same way the Finns did. If your going to use your 91/30 to deer hunt then once it's sighted in the warm barrel movement won't matter since one or two shots is all you'll probably make and that's in the winter cold.I've taken my M39 with the scout mount scope on it deer hunting a few times but I hunt mainly out of tree stands and it's too heavy and bulky to take up a tree.I have most of the models of the M39 except for the Tikka which is a little pricy for me.I've tried several brands of ammo in the M39's I own and the Barnaul Hunter 200 grain soft point is the most accurate. The Barnaul bullet diameter in about .001 larger than the Brown Bear ammo so it fits the slightly larger bore diameter of the M39 better. I save all my 54R brass I've shot in the M39's so hopefully I'll find some time to reload them one of these days for even tighter M39 shot groups.When I buy a M39 the first thing I do is completely clean it,check the headspace,replace any worn parts,adjust the trigger,reblue as needed,and float the barrel if needed.You can buy a easy to use go/no go headspace guage for a reasonable price. I prefer the type where you can just insert it in front of the bolt.The headspace can be easily adjusted on rifles that fire rimmed shells but again that's not something the novice shooter might want to do.All of my M39's checked out good on the headspace when I got them except one. It was good when I got it but I put a brand new bolt in and then it was too tight.I had that fixed in about 30 minutes.Again that's a whole different topic.After I check the M39 out,I take it to my range and test fire at 25 yards from a bench rest using the open sights.I then move on out to 100 yards. From my experience I've found that the M39's that will shoot under a 3/4 inch 3 shot groups at 25 yards will do good on beyond. The ones that shoot a wider group than that at 25 yards are only going to be so so at 100 yards or beyond.I have a 1969 M39 with a scout type scope mount on it I can take off and return the rifle to original condition.There was less than 600 of those made that year so I'm not going to ruin the rifle value by drilling holes in the receiver. With the 4x32 pistol scope on it I can get about 1 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards whether the barrel is cold or warm. I plan on making a M39 sniper rifle reproduction model one of these days but I havn't decided if I want the drilled mount that uses a modern scope or the one that uses a WW2 reproduction scope. I'm leaning towards the modern scope mount but either way installing it on a hex receiver will be easy and give it a tight fit. I didn't want to ruin my collection so I bought an extra 44 Sako and a extra 1968 No Name. Either one will shoot 3 shot groups at 25 yards at 1/2 inch or under. I'm leaning towards the 44 Sako since it has the original wartime stock in good shape.Avoid buying barreled actions without the stock unless you get a good deal. There might be a reason it's not stocked. I have a Sako like that. The bore looks almost new but the shot groups were terrible when I stocked it and went to the range. I think the problem is the crown.I took some lapping compound and used a round object to reface the crown. It helped but I need to cut off about 1/2 inch of the barrel end and buy the proper recrowning tool to redo it.The tool will cost about $150 so that's too much to have tied up in the barreled action.The receiver/bolt are in good shape so I might rebarrel it someday with a different M39 or 91/30 barrel or just have spare M39 parts on hand. The sights of Mosin and M39 rifles are in meters so they won't,as a rule,won,t shot dead on at 100 yards. They sell extra tall front sights for the M39 that you can file down till the sights are dead on at 100 yards or just compensate with your aim once you are familiar with the rifle. I havn't slugged any of my barrels to check the bore diameter but the Russian made Mosin can vary a bit. The Finns had a better quality control but you have to realize the Russians were more concerned with mass production to get as many rifles in the field as possible to fight the Germans.The first time the Russians fought the Finns in 1941 the Germans were helping the Finns. When the Finns fought them again in 1943/44 the Finns were on their own. I had no idea they even fought each other till I bought my first M39 and starting reading up on the history of it. Interesting reading when you have the time.My 1943 SKY M39 has a second number on it. I traced the number down to a Finn army unit down in the lower part of Finland and the commanding officer's name. Unlike the Swiss K-31,I can't access the soldiers name who the rifle was actually issued to,but still neat. One of my M39 receivers shows the date it was made in a Russian plant,then a German stamp,and finely the Finn stamp.That receiver had done some traveling. I'm thinking that the Germans captured the rifle from the Russians,stamped it,and then gave it to the Finns during the first Russian/Finn war,and then the Finns rebarreled it and restamped it again.A lot of the Russians died in the Finland harsh winter snow and a lot were killed by the Finns but either way,the Finns would take the captured rifles,remake them into M39's or use them as is,and then go kill more Russian invaders with the rifles.The Finns never made rifle receivers back then. They either captured them or imported Russian Mosin rifles and used them basically as is or redone them to their own design.I hope all this long post info was some help.If someone else has some better info or I'm mistaken on something,please feel free to chime in.Good luck and good and safe shooting.

[Milsurp Bob]

Richards Microfit also makes stocks for the Mosin Nagant.

As a matter of fact the sporter thumbhole stock you see when you go to the Mosin area of Rock Solid Ind. is a Richards.

[NagantTAL]

I think I might go with a Boyds' Classic in Pepper Laminate.

It's $92.00, but it sure is a sharp looking stock.