So after getting my Mauser, my first bolt action, I thought I'd see what a Mosin Nagant was like. Originally designed in 1891 as Russia's answer to the bolt action military revolution after the introduction of smokeless powder, it remained in production in Russia and the Soviet Union in one form or another into the 1950s, and in Communist Bloc nations and China for some time after. I found a 1936 Tula 91/30 (Model 1891,1930 design changes), bought some ammo (7.62x54 rimmed), and took it out to the range.
Now, there's two things about Mosins that give them a bad reputation, albeit somewhat deserved. First is they cock on opening, whereas Mausers and most other bolts cock on closing. It can take a lot of awkward effort to get that bolt handle up. (I find it best to smack it.) The other thing is the trigger, which can be as stiff as he!l and all over the map on pull weight. It's that trigger that gave me grief. Here's the results of my attempt to sight in at 50 yards. That trigger was so tough I was jerking the gun and pulling my shots all over the place. Sometimes it was so bad, I wasn't even hitting the paper
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So I did some research... Mosins weren't exacthy made to high standards. Turns out the sears were often left with very rough surfaces. This one was no exception! A little work with a needle file and 600 grit sandpaper went a loooong way to smoothing the trigger and lightening the pull. Below is before and after.
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I attempted another sight-in. I noticed the trigger was a lot smoother and easier. I was actually able to adjust the front sight as I went and hit reasonably close to my point of aim after a couple rounds, despite the front sight post being huge. Here's the results, which was only 10 rounds total since my time was limited.
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Sometimes we really can blame the gun for our bad shooting!
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