M44 @ 100

Like it sez. 6 oclock hold. The lower half of the stock is free floated. If the upper half of the stock is left off, it still shoots right 2". With it on, it hits like below. This is with East German 123 grain ammo. All 60 I've shot so far went off without a hitch.

Also learned a lesson: do not reload while distractred. I spent Friday reloading 6.8 while listening to the Squirrel Report. Stupid ass me was laughing so hard at one point that I forgot to fill a case with powder. Lucky me the bullet came out easy.

I did practice zombie shooting; even clipped her phone with the Mosin.

On paper, at least

Range time with the M44.

This is at 50 yards, S&B 180 grain, with the sight picture at full 6 o'clock hold.

Same target, same ammo, center hold, 2 more rounds.

6.8 SPC, 90 grain Speer TNT, 30 grains H322, CCI450 primer, Hornaday brass. 100 yards. I'm going to make more like these. Of course, this was the first group of the day I shot.

9 shots of the surplus 7.62x54R. 100 yards. All were on paper. Why not 10? Because I forgot one on the bench! (Same target as the 6.8) 6 o'clock hold.

I shot the 10th round, then more 6.8- upper left and left center aim points, different load . Also some Hornaday 75 grain steel match through the 11.5. After that, I loaded the M44 to capacity twice and blasted away.

5 more 7.62 shots fired mag dump style (as fast as I can run the bolt) 50 yards. P.O.A. centered. Sighted in some steel match on this target, then shot 25 rounds at the four outer targets, alternating each shot to a corner

 31 7.62 holes on the targets. 31 7.62 rounds fired today. Okay, that is not MOA accuracy. Yep, its more a pattern than a group. But compared to Monday's berm fest, this is better than I expected.

The front sight on the m44 looks like someone drifted it to the right at some point in the past. Might need to go a little more right  (F.O.R.S.) to at least line up the pattern on the center of the target. Seems to be 2-3" right at 50,  6" right at 100 yards. (Slow fire, anyway)
Cleaned the rifle's bore with windex, then hot waterwashed it out at home, then Hoppes patches, brush, then oily patches.

More Mosin Nagant stuff

Stopped by Rhine Group to buy some mil-surplus 7.62x54R, and when I told them it was for an M44, Tom almost tripped over himself going to get something from the back room. He came back with a 1955 Polish M44- it looks like it has never been out of the original cosmoline since leaving the factory. The bluing is perfect, the bore is shiny (other than the slime), the bolt is smooth- no catching, and the cosmoline is still grease, not dried at all. I asked how much, he shot me a price then laughed- that one he is keeping. Dang, because the price he shot me was too low to resist.....