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Coolio on the Camel Corps- Ya gotta know that those guys lived a rough life out on the Eurasian steppe and deserts! Wonder it they ever got to use them sabers?
Ive got a 91-30, in decent shape.. not near the "buck and roar" I was led to expect, compared to my M38 it's just a <POOT> while the M38 registers on seismographs from here to Canada... in the evening it's like an A-bomb flash... The mosins have their issues- they feel "clunky", very unhandy safety, barrel too long (or too short), Ive handled smoother bolts- still they go bang on command and can be as accurate as any common hunting rifle..
Ive pondered on cutting down a 91-30 to 25", perhaps mounting a flash suppressor and scope (or not).. and finding or making a sporter stock for it... Just to be tinkering with it...Then again I don't want to ruin a good original military rifle! - i'd never do that to a Mauser or Lee-Enfield... Might be just as good buying a hunting rife used or off the rack at Wally... <sigh> So many guns, so little time!

Mosin accuracy is a relative term
I built a Mosin PEM sniper clone off a 1936 Hex receiver that I'm quite happy with
but inside the belly is a Timney 2.5 lbs single stage trigger, a full floated barrel with a bedded shim only at the muzzle and Finn style shimmed and torqued action
chamber was honed with a .308 Flex hone to clean it up
and I cycled the bolt in the receiver 1000 times with J-B compound to lap the bolt to the receiver
literally - took weeks in the front yard - click-click click-click - my wife got tired of the sound in the house and made me go outside
also match grade Russian ammo helps
that's a 100 yrd target off sand bags

Vasili Zastav only wishes he had one of these

P1030863.JPG Mosin sniper ammo.jpg Mosin Accuracy.JPG _Герой_Советского_Союза_Василий_Зайцев_объясняет_новичкам_предстоящую_задачу._Сталинград._Дека...jpg
 
and before someone challenges me, that was slow fire - one round every minute
the barrel of Russian Mosins tend to heat up and strings vertically when hot

not so my M28 Finn Mosin with a heavy Sig barrel
 
does your '38 Tula have a c n stamp on the receiver?
did you find shims under the receiver?
in that time period, Tula marked their "sniper select" rifles with the c n
many were never used as sniper rifles, but were still very accurate with reworked triggers
here is the photo of one with the markings

P1030654.JPG P1030653.JPG
 
Mosin M38s are often more accurate than the 91/30s
they have shorter barrels and thus is thicker along a longer percentage than a 91/30
less harmonics
but I would stick with 54R light ball ammo (149 gn)
an M38 is brutal with a 200 gn bullet
even the 174 gn gives you impressive recoil
 
I have a 1938 Tula 91/30 that is accurate. The action and the trigger are not bad at all. It's not as smooth as a Mauser or an Enfield, but I can shoot good scores with that rifle. I certainly wouldn't want to be downrange of it.
Jerry Miculek took a 1946 M44 carbine and hit 3 for 3 at 300 yards standing. But that's Jerry.


I ended up with a 1946 Russian, a 1955 Romanian and a Finnish M28/30. With it, I hope to shoot like Simo.
 
many consider the M28/30 to be the most accurate of the Mosin variants , Simo did

even post War, the Fins used the 28/30 as a base for sniper and border guard rifles

as late as 1948, the Fin's were still using their M28/30s in the World Shooting Competitions
 
Mosin M38s are often more accurate than the 91/30s
they have shorter barrels and thus is thicker along a longer percentage than a 91/30
less harmonics
but I would stick with 54R light ball ammo (149 gn)
an M38 is brutal with a 200 gn bullet
even the 174 gn gives you impressive recoil

There's also no concern about M38's having been sighted in with bayonets affixed.
 
I put short post sights on most of my Mosins - the bayonets and original sights sit in a box in the closet

my Tula sniper select 91/30 came with a short post front sight since it was not intended for bayonet use
 
There's also no concern about M38's having been sighted in with bayonets affixed.
sighting in a Russian 91/30 can be difficult, all but one of mine came with sights set for the bayonet mounted
out of the box, they all shot high and right, off the paper at 100 yrds
I purchased short post front sights and a front sight tool
I kept just one in original configuration with the bayonet still attached
you will note in the early scene of Enemy at the Gates, Visali is using a 91/30 without a bayonet and with a short post front sight
I don't think such a configuration was issued during Stalingrad
the Russian's didn't even issue a bayonet frog to carry their bayonet when dismounted
 
Mosin M38s are often more accurate than the 91/30s
they have shorter barrels and thus is thicker along a longer percentage than a 91/30
less harmonics
but I would stick with 54R light ball ammo (149 gn)
an M38 is brutal with a 200 gn bullet
even the 174 gn gives you impressive recoil
I will second that. The PPU ammo they sell at Cabela's will darn near pop your shoulder out of it's socket!
 
Mosins are great guns, and have the highest smile to dollar ratio in my book! You will love your M38, no advice beyond what you can find here. When cocked, you can pull back and rotate the rearmost pull tab thingy on the bolt for a true "Soviet" safety, haha. I never use it though. Just don't be too gentle on your M38, they are tough, and will take a beating! I have had this one for 20 years, and put thousands of rounds down it. Great gun, and my go to when I just want to have fun! 1954 Romanian M44. Bottom photo is with a watermelon on the bayonet.

M441.jpg m442.jpg m443.JPG
 
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1) "we have to respect the skill of such a master wood worker
I know I could never accomplish such a task"
Both sides accomplished miracles of manufacture under attack.
The Reich managed to keep producing airplanes (for which they didn't have enough fuel) with the sky full of allied bombers and until the very last maintained excellent build quality.
e.g the He-162 went from choosing the design to flying prototype in < 90 days. BTW - the production version was as capable as the jets used in Korea.
1606407771436.png
Stalin's relocation of Soviet industry to the East was an amazing feat that saved his bacon.

2) "the Russian's didn't even issue a bayonet frog to carry their bayonet when dismounted"
Russian/Soviet doctrine called for fixed bayonet as the default state except when riding in a vehicle, so even if you're outa boolits you still have a pike.

3) The Krauts had a 15 to 1 kill ratio and still lost. Of course, the fact that from about '41 on Schicklgruber was getting shot up daily with Eukodal and Pervitin (equivalent of Oxy and Meth respectively, a drug combo not known for promoting clear thought) didn't help. The Brits had a viable plan for a sniper team to whack him @ the Berghof and decided not to because they didn't him replaced by somebody competent.
 
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Mosins are great guns, and have the highest smile to dollar ratio in my book! You will love your M38, no advice beyond what you can find here. When cocked, you can pull back and rotate the rearmost pull tab thingy on the bolt for a true "Soviet" safety, haha. I never use it though. Just don't be too gentle on your M38, they are tough, and will take a beating! I have had this one for 20 years, and put thousands of rounds down it. Great gun, and my go to when I just want to have fun! 1954 Romanian M44. Bottom photo is with a watermelon on the bayonet.

View attachment 782989 View attachment 782990 View attachment 782991
watermelon bayoneting?
I find cabbage bayonetting is more impressive

making colsaw.JPG making coleslaw 2.JPG
 
2) "the Russian's didn't even issue a bayonet frog to carry their bayonet when dismounted"
Russian/Soviet doctrine called for fixed bayonet as the default state except when riding in a vehicle, so even if you're outa boolits you still have a pike.

[/QUOTE]
I just watched the new Russian WW2 movie "The Last Frontier"
I didn't see a single bayonet on any of the Mosins
since I'm in self isolation, I'm watching a lot of Russian WW2 movies
'White Tiger" is one of my favorites
 

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