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I typed up this post for the International Truck forum I am on, so some of the information in it may seem a little basic for this forum. Since this is a gun forum, I figured I'd cross post it here as well. The build isn't going to go that quickly, as funds will also be going to rebuilding my Scout as well.
Background:
I have always liked the idea of a Scout Rifle, as described by Jeff Cooper, a general purpose rifle, light, handy and "that will do a great many things equally well..." With the exception of light, I feel the IH Scout embodies this for a vehicle as well, so it's natural they share the same name sake.
The general excepted definition of a Scout Rile is a rifle fitting the following.
What brought me to building my own Scout rifle was getting married! Yes, really getting married. My wife bought me a rifle as a gift for our wedding. She bought me a Stevens model 200 in .22-250. The reason I like the Stevens is it's the same as a Savage bolt action and I can do a barrel swap in my garage. I got very excited and started planning a varmint rifle. Quickly I realized I don't have the skills yet to build what I want, and learning them with a 300 dollar wedding gift didn't seem like the best idea.
So I started to look for candidates, something relatively inexpensive, that I could enjoy shooting and learn some gunsmihting skills. I wanted something that if I really messed up I wouldn't be ruining a beautiful rifle or throwing away a huge chunk of cash.
With this in mind, there was really only one choice, the Mosin-Nagant. For those of you who don't know, the Mosin-Nagant was adopted by Russia in 1891 as their main battle rifle. The version I wanted was the 91/30, or the version revised in 1930. If anyone has ever read of seen Enemy at the Gates, the rifle used by famed Russian sniper Vasily Zaytsen was a Mosin-Nagant. A Mosin-Nagant was also used by the Finish sniper Simo Hayha, the most successful sniper ever with over 500 confirmed kills. So, the rifle has a very interesting history.
Also of interest is the cartridge it shoots, the 7.62x54R. The 7.62x54R is a rimmed cartridge, and uses a .311 bullet, which is a little larger then a .308 diameter bullet used in American 30 caliber rifles. The cartridge has the distinction of being the longest used military caliber of all time. The cartridge first saw use in 1891, with the introduction of the Mosin-Nagant rifle and still being used today by both the Dragunov and PSL sniper rifles and the RPK machine gun.
The Mosin-Nagant has many variations, and if you interested, I suggest the following.
Wikipedia has a great write up on the rifle.
Wiki Mosin-Nagant
And by far the best resource for owners and enthusiasts.
7.62x54r.net
The last reason I choose a Mosin-Nagant was price. They can easily found and purchased for around 100 bucks!! A working, bolt action rifle for 100 dollars, I cannot pass up. Better yet, you can get surplus military ammunition for it on the cheap as well. Online you can find cans of 440 rounds for 80 dollars. The military ammunition is corrosive, so you need to clean the rifle with water to dissolve the salts left behind after shooting it. There is non-corrosive ammunition available, both Winchester and Sellier & Bellot make brass cased reusable ammunition for it and boxes of 20 can be purchased for around 20 bucks.
If you are interested in picking up a Mosin, follow the link to 7.62x54R.net and start reading. The Russians made millions of them, so the quality varies and learning what to look for will help you pick out a nice rifle. There are many different variations, and the site will help you decided which you want and hopefully will show you what to look for.
Background:
I have always liked the idea of a Scout Rifle, as described by Jeff Cooper, a general purpose rifle, light, handy and "that will do a great many things equally well..." With the exception of light, I feel the IH Scout embodies this for a vehicle as well, so it's natural they share the same name sake.
The general excepted definition of a Scout Rile is a rifle fitting the following.
These bolt action carbines are typically .308 caliber (7.62mm), less than 1 meter in length, and less than 3 kilograms (6.6 lbs.) in weight, with iron and optical sights and fitted with practical slings for shooting and carrying, and capable of hitting man-sized targets out to 450 meters without the aid of a scope.
What brought me to building my own Scout rifle was getting married! Yes, really getting married. My wife bought me a rifle as a gift for our wedding. She bought me a Stevens model 200 in .22-250. The reason I like the Stevens is it's the same as a Savage bolt action and I can do a barrel swap in my garage. I got very excited and started planning a varmint rifle. Quickly I realized I don't have the skills yet to build what I want, and learning them with a 300 dollar wedding gift didn't seem like the best idea.
So I started to look for candidates, something relatively inexpensive, that I could enjoy shooting and learn some gunsmihting skills. I wanted something that if I really messed up I wouldn't be ruining a beautiful rifle or throwing away a huge chunk of cash.
With this in mind, there was really only one choice, the Mosin-Nagant. For those of you who don't know, the Mosin-Nagant was adopted by Russia in 1891 as their main battle rifle. The version I wanted was the 91/30, or the version revised in 1930. If anyone has ever read of seen Enemy at the Gates, the rifle used by famed Russian sniper Vasily Zaytsen was a Mosin-Nagant. A Mosin-Nagant was also used by the Finish sniper Simo Hayha, the most successful sniper ever with over 500 confirmed kills. So, the rifle has a very interesting history.
Also of interest is the cartridge it shoots, the 7.62x54R. The 7.62x54R is a rimmed cartridge, and uses a .311 bullet, which is a little larger then a .308 diameter bullet used in American 30 caliber rifles. The cartridge has the distinction of being the longest used military caliber of all time. The cartridge first saw use in 1891, with the introduction of the Mosin-Nagant rifle and still being used today by both the Dragunov and PSL sniper rifles and the RPK machine gun.
The Mosin-Nagant has many variations, and if you interested, I suggest the following.
Wikipedia has a great write up on the rifle.
Wiki Mosin-Nagant
And by far the best resource for owners and enthusiasts.
7.62x54r.net
The last reason I choose a Mosin-Nagant was price. They can easily found and purchased for around 100 bucks!! A working, bolt action rifle for 100 dollars, I cannot pass up. Better yet, you can get surplus military ammunition for it on the cheap as well. Online you can find cans of 440 rounds for 80 dollars. The military ammunition is corrosive, so you need to clean the rifle with water to dissolve the salts left behind after shooting it. There is non-corrosive ammunition available, both Winchester and Sellier & Bellot make brass cased reusable ammunition for it and boxes of 20 can be purchased for around 20 bucks.
If you are interested in picking up a Mosin, follow the link to 7.62x54R.net and start reading. The Russians made millions of them, so the quality varies and learning what to look for will help you pick out a nice rifle. There are many different variations, and the site will help you decided which you want and hopefully will show you what to look for.