Why “Accurate”?
I will readily concede with a tip of the hat to the collector crowd. Some rifles are so beautiful, rare, and/or collectible that it matters little whether or not they shoot, or at least whether they shoot well.
My Mosins – which number around 9 or 10 now…
(I forget, because many of them are parts units. Don’t yell at me; I DON’T dismantle them for parts, but I DO buy separate parts and or parts guns)
… are all shooters. That’s what matters most to me.
In reading a recent review on the newly introduced Savage Edge rifle, the reviewer quoted the late, great Townsend Whelen: “‘The .30-06 is never a mistake,’ and ‘Only accurate rifles are interesting.’ ”
I agree on both counts. As the 7.62X54R has been called “the Russian .30-06,” that fits well. And the statement, “Only accurate rifles are interesting,” says it all for me.
The Mosins – even most of those that are long of tooth and “rode hard and put up wet” – shoot much better than they have a right to. They defy lots of accuracy logic.
Please don’t ask me for too many details just yet (details to follow soon), but a recent project of mine, of adding a very basic 4X scope to a very unmodified M91/30, yielded 100 yard accuracy of around 1”. Seriously. And my 60+ year old eyes are not that great.
All that was with basic Wolf 7.62X54R ammo which frustrated the heck out of me because it caused the bolt to stick SOOO badly, starting after the 2nd or 3rd sighting in round (the scope was newly installed).
(Why was that? This model of Wolf ammo uses lacquered steel cases. The lacquer heats and sticks to the chamber like stink on a skunk).
I was so concerned about their being something already wrong with the chamber that I asked my gunsmith to look at it with his bore scope.
Clean as the proverbial whistle. He said it looks like new.
He also said< “Don’t use that stuff any more.”
I won’t. I have the brass and the bullets to load my own now (subject of yet another post to come) but in the meantime, next time to the range, I’ll take my factory Winchester ammo.
He did remind me to clean the chamber with acetone or MEK and get all the lacquer out.
That’s not to say your Mosin will be bothered by the Wolf. It may very well do fine. But it gave mine fits.
Anyway, accuracy matters. It is my fetish. If I am not shooting well (accurately), I am having a bad day.
I want a rifle that is capable of shooting better than I can. I believe there are many Mosins out there – especially with these old eyes and near-authentic low, fixed-power scopes – that fit that class.
And I am committed to finding how best to get there.