Modding Surplus For A Hog Rifle

[Stonepointer]

On my 16th birthday many, many years ago, my father gave me a surplus Radom Mauser 8MM rifle that was manufactured almost a decade before WW2 had started and it probably had one of the best and strongest receivers ever made for that type of rifle in Europe during that period.

Over the years, he had always tried to get me to modify it for a deer rifle or general big game rifle, by using a sporterized stock, tapping it for a scope, bedding the barrel, and altering the bolt, etc.

I had always been resistant to do so, because of the historical value of this rifle and I was primarily a paper puncher at the time. This rifle was extremely smooth in operation and was well taken care of.

I really wouldn't have dreamed of altering the weapon much in any way.

However, something like a Mosin/Nagant, I think lends it self better to modification for a good hog gun.

I love the 7.62 x 54 mm round ballistically, but I have always been a little bit weary of the rifle itself.

The receiver does not really inspire me with confidence as far as IP strengths, especially if running surplus rounds which I would not even consider to use for hunting and even modern factory loads make me a little nervous. I can't say I much like the twisting pinball plunger safety on the rifle either.

So much for the mechanical characteristics of the weapon.

The rounds I would want to use would probably be loaded down a bit from factory, and since here in California we have to follow no-lead geekbird laws in some large areas, I am not sure what kind of bullets I would want to use for hogs. I would want something with good penetration, good expansion and use it between 80 and 250 yards but not much more than 350 yards.

I would want a No-Tap scope mount, because of the reasons stated about the rifle above, but would still want some type of scope mount that would be rugged enough not to need much adjustment on a 3x9 scope mounted to it.

The stock could change, but I really do not want it look like a military rifle.

I remember in a previous post elsewhere in this forum DirtyDave had posted a picture of his Mosin/Nagant modification which I believe had a pistol grip and front stock bipod, and although a really neat modification job, for me personally, I would like the rifle to look like a deer rifle as much as possible.

Any suggestions?

Perhaps some people here would like to post ideas for modifications to any surplus rifles specifcally suited for wild pigs and similar animals.

This would include not only physical mods to the rifle itself, but also what kind of loads and projectiles you would want to use.

 

[thisdogwonthunt]

I have a 7.62x54 that my father sporterized back in the '60s. This one was manufactured by Remington under a Russian military contract. I have no reservations about the action on this gun. One thing to keep in mind about this round is, if you are reloading for it, .308 may be a little small. Many, if not most of the originals were barrelled somewhere around .311 and some as much as .312. It would pay to have your barrel slugged to verify what you are working with so that you can get the most accuracy out of it. They are very accurate when set up properly and were used as sniper rifles during WWII. More than adequate for hog hunting.

 

[Stonepointer]

Thanks for the reply TDWH.

Well, I have given thought to what I want to do with this kind of rifle and since there are so many out there I do not really feel all that bad about altering one just a little bit.

The rifle in mind is a Finnish M27 Mosin Nagant (If it was a carbine I would leave it alone) with a Hex receiver and with a Tikkakoska barrel marked with the D, so it designed to use the Soviet ammunition.

The rifle has proven its worth both performance-wise.

I am considering using the ATI Monte Carlo stock, changing whole the bolt body to a bent Sporter rather then modify the current bolt, because I do not want to hack the bolt up like some people are beginning to do with their rifles; I want to the option change it back into it's old original form.

As far as the scope mount, from what I have read some people have used a scout scope on the rear sight assembly.

I am more used to a regular scope, but this would require drilling and tapping on the rifle, which I am not keen to do.

If I do opt for a scout scope, I would want a different mounting system than the ones I have seen, aside from that, most of the scout scope mounts for sale out there have been regarded as total junk.

I can think of a couple of ways to get a scout scope mount more secure with a better brace than alot of the other setups I have seen without having to change much of anything on the current rear sight.

This might be an alright setup for wild pigs at short to moderate ranges, but I would still like better glass upon it to have more range capability.

If I opt for closer to a PU scope setup and get some quality glass to put upon it, I guess I will bring it into a smith to have it drilled and tapped for the mount. If I do this, I cannot change it back completely to it original form.

Other surplus bolt action rifles I could think of as good candidates for modification to sporterize for general purpose hunting rifles as well as a dedicated hog getter would be the Springfield 30'06 '03/A3 (I would be reluctant to change this one more than that Polish Mauser), M 1917 Enfield, British .303 Lee-Enfield, most other Mausers could be altered with just a few exceptions, and the 30-40 Krag.

BTW, If anyone has used the ATI stocks under a Finnish M/N with hex receiver did they have to do any extra carving out of the stock so that it would accept the hex receiver?

 

[Caninelaw]

I've got a .303 british that I got a synthetic stock for to use as a backup when I go hunting. I used to have a scope on it but the scope mount wasn't the greatest and eventually came loose. Unless you're going to drill and tap it for scope mounts I wouldn't use one. I did, after that, drill and tap it for a peep sight and its good for 100 yards at least. It uses .311 bullets instead of .308 as most 30 caliber rounds use. I haven't loaded up any copper rounds for it yet so I can't say what they would do. Barnes does make a .311 copper bullet but, as far as I know there isn't any factory loaded copper .303 british rounds so, if you'd be hunting the condor area you'd have to load your own.

 

[Stonepointer]

I have no problem with loading my own at all, I just need to find the proper copper bullets.

I have not reloaded for this round in years, but I have the dies and prefer reloads over factory, because I believe it allows for safer and better performances as long as I am careful about what I decide to load for.

As far as drilling or tapping anything thing on the rifle, I have decided against it.

I just took a look around the web at what some people call 'Bubba' modifications and a bit of what I saw helped me to decide not to do any cutting, drilling, or tapping of any kind.

I want it completely reversible if I do any sport mods on it.

Using the rear sight for a scout scope mount does not really change too much other than appearance, but as I already wrote in the last post, many of these mounts placed in this area are considered junk.

Leupold makes a fairly good scout scope, and if I can find a decent mount, I might feel better about the use of a scope. Other than that, I might continue to use the open sights.

Looking at an earlier post, DirtyDave regarded the ATI stocks as less than stellar, but it is about the only one I can find made for the Mosin Nagant.

So far, the only plan that seems solid is to continue to look for a suitable hunting rifle stock.

Like I said, I would want any changes to be completely reversible.

 

[freezer]

Lets talk about the safety and trigger. Mauser Arisaka, and Springfield have good aftermarket tirigers you can install without modifing the action. The Nagant has a worse safety than the Arisaka. Personally I'd look for a "Bubbaized" Mauser and start from there. The Fin Nagant is the pinical of the Nagant production. The Russians made them, The Chineese screw them up and the Fins make them right.

 

[527varmint]

With the cost of a brand new bolt gun that will shoot MOA or better I don't see the appeal of sporterizing an old classic?

 

[Stonepointer]

My motivation to sporterize is to cut down on potential interaction with game wardens if I decide to use it at any time for hunting.

I have not really had any interactions with game wardens other than two times.

Once during a a fishing trip, where he was very pleasant and polite while inspecting my license and tackle box, and another while hunting jackrabbits, where they glassed me from about 400 yards away, I saw them, recognized their truck and then just held up my license in the air sort of mildly waving it and after that they took off.

If they see me with a surplus rifle in a condor zone, they are more likely to check to see if I am using compliant ammo.

25 to 30 years ago, I did not have to worry about such things, and having a surplus rifle while in the field in any open designated shooting areas, there was no reason for such concerns.

If this were the Soviet 91/30 I would not feel all that bad about sporterizing the arm, since there are so many of those out there and the rifle was made more for trying to produce usable rifles in mass numbers.

Being a weapon from Finland, the +/- tolerances in fitting the rifle together were much more strict.

It is not just the historical significance of the weapon having fought the Soviets against overwhelming odds, but also that the weapon is put together well for a weapon of it's day makes me reluctant to change it.

Still for the reasons stated above, is the only real reason I would want to change it's appearance. I do not want change anything on it that I could not change completely back.

I do not like the idea of only using this rifle at a range alone.

If I only change the stock, I could preserve the original military stock and keep it from potential damage. Boyds look to be fairly nice looking stocks, and I am not entirely sure I would get an new bolt body in the bent configuration, but I would leave the original bolt body alone.

I am still undecided about any temporary changes, but I am completely decided if any changes are made they will not be permanent.

Most other rifles, particularly good Mausers and Springfields, for the same reasons that I have read objections elsewhere to any kind of permanently changing modifications, I would not dream of changing.

Still, I would rather have a useable rifle than a wall hanger or something to be dragged from a locker to only just tell stories about; the same as I would rather have a classic car that I could drive around for fun, rather than having a trailer queen to only show on weekends.

 

[527varmint]

Oh I got you. I would never hunt with an AR style gun in CA because I fear being harassed by hippies calling the cops and LE. Sort of similar I guess.

Hope you can find some lead free ammo it can really be hard for calibers that are not popular. There basicaly is no suitable hunting ammo available for my 10mm pistol for example.

 

[DirtyDave]

My ears were burning hahaha
Here is the low-down on the mosins for building a sporty. Big5 $100 guns are perfect for doing this. I bought the gun specifically to build a sporty, so I had no problems going past the point-of-no-return.
Most of the aftermarket stuff for mosins is junk. The ATI stock is a POS, dont fit right, no recoil pad, and just an all around cheap look and feel. (my Dad has one)
I opted to cut and modify the OG wood stock, better fit and feel, and more personal.
Cut the barrel to 22" and re-crowned, Used the ATI scope mount and bolt handle. Modified/shortened the scope mount and added grooves for the rings where I wanted them to be. (I'm a machinist). I am going to make my own weld-on bolt handle, the ati is ok and it works for now.
Rock solid has much better parts if you want to spend the money http://www.rocksolidind.com/

My gun shoots 1 MOA with my handloads. Handloading is the way to go with the 762x54. I'm still working on it but PM me for load info. There are some decent choices in bullets out there, especially if your gun will shoot .308's. Mine shoots .308 and .310 pretty well.
Although DoubleTap does have ammo loaded with Barnes bullets if you want to spend the cash.

I have under $400 in this thing TOTAL.
Future upgrades will be a Redfield scope, weld-on bolt handle, and TALLER bipod (for shooting from the sitting position)

Here are some pics of my gun for the heck of it

 

[Fugaloo]

Dave.....Ryobi....Really?

 

[DirtyDave]

Dave.....Ryobi....Really?

It was a gift and it works for stuff around the house. Wouldnt be my choice for every day use though, but I'm no carpenter anyways. Metal is my forte, not wood

 

[Live2hunt]

Nice gun Dave, but I like the background pics more......hehe.


L2H