Mosin Magic Part 3 - Professional Work

Action Blueprinting

This is a simplified explanation.
Action Blueprinting is simply truing the barrel to the action, then lapping the bolt lugs to fit properly.  It is actually a little more complex than that, as it involves removing the barrel an placing it in a lathe to true up the mating face where the barrel threads into the action and meets the reciever. A corresponding amount is machined off of the threads, and once the barrel is mounted properly in the action, a chamber reamer is used to create the proper sized chamber. On non-rimmed cartridges, headspace can be adjusted at this time.

While the barrel is removed, the action has a mandrel mounted in it and it is chucked up in a lathe to have the barrel mating surface trued up. The final step to this process is lapping the lugs of the bolt to their new position in the action. This amount should be very minor. Depending on the condition of the barrel, it may need to be replaced at this time.

This is my understanding of the Action Blueprinting process. It is not a cheap process, but it will give you a very accurate firearm, if the proceeding modifications have been completed.

Here is a link to a more in depth Action Blueprinting process by a custom firearms manufacturer.
http://www.aquilafirearms.com/RifleOptionsAndComponents/AccurizingProcess.htm

Muzzle Brake/Porting

A muzzle brake will help with recoil abatement and muzzle rise, but the report of the rifle is actually louder due to being deflected to the left and right sides as well as up instead of being projected to the front of the barrel. There are various styles of muzzle brakes out there, but most will require cutting and threading the barrel, unless you wish to add up to four more inches to the overall length of your rifle. Not something I would like to do with a 91/30.  Select or search for a service provider near you, or to ship to. Be sure to call ahead and discuss what options are available to you for the Mosin-Nagant. This would be a perfect time to have that barrel shortened to a more manageable length. A partial list of companies providing these services follows.

Sources:

Accurizing
Lots of good info on Mauser's and Mosin's - Action Blueprinting
http://www272.pair.com/stevewag/

accurizing a mosin nagant M91/30 part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcITHYnRiSs&feature=related

accurizing a mosin nagant M91/30 part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58rLbsG_mso&feature=relmfu

accurizing a mosin nagant M91/30 part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQvcs58gHKg&feature=relmfu

accurizing a mosin nagant M91/30 part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz6e3HYkhlU&feature=relmfu

Muzzle Breaks
Vais Arms Inc.
http://www.muzzlebrakes.com/Prices.aspx

E. Arthur Brown Company, Inc.
http://www.eabco.com/cssmb.html

Aquila Precision Firearms
http://www.aquilafirearms.com/index.htm

There are more, just do a keyword search on muzzle breaks!

BOV Update

Well, the Yeep is in the shop having some work done on it. It went in to have its new front tires mounted and has been in there over a week, as I have been adding new work requests. The Yeep wandered just a bit as you drove it, and I wanted it checked out.
Ooopps!

$$$

So far, new battery cables have been installed as well as a new starter (warrentee). There was an extensive leak from the valve cover and it was missing several bolts. A new valve cover gasket was installed and the bolts replaced. They pressure washed the engine for me so I could check for leaks after driving it, as there was a lot of oil in the engine bay..

It also needed some new steering components so I had v8 ZJ (Grand Cherokee) steering components installed because they were heavier duty, and also added a new track bar. Some where along the way, a tie rod end had stripped the threads, and instead of replacing it, they drilled a hole through the assembly and bolted it together. Not very safe!

The bolts for the steering box were a bit loose because the Uni-body frame was cracked in several places. Cherokees are famous for this issue when they have over-sized tires installed. This was welded up and a Box Brace installed, along with a JKS XJ Steering Box Brace System, added to reinforce the uni-body frame.

The young man working on the Yeep (a 20 year veteran of Cherokee ownership) pointed out that the u-joints in the front axle needed to be replaced (visually verified).

$$$$

Last, but not least this go-around I am having a new muffler and tail pipe installed, as the previous owner had put on a Cherry Bomb glass-pack and no tailpipe. I no longer like really loud cars and prefer to be able to listen to my stereo in peace 'n quiet.

I still have a list a mile long of to-dos, but most of them are not safety related, just general maintenance and improvements. Stuff I can accomplish myself as the weather improves. I hate not having a shop to work in, it really limits my wintertime options!

I need to enlist the assistance of several taller folk to help me put my roof rack on! I also intend to mount some special purpose lighting and am toying with the idea of putting a solar panel up top also to charge a battery system for camping uses. This will eliminate a dead starting battery and keep a deep cycle charged up for general purpose uses.

$$$

So many ideas, so little money...

Mosin Magic Part 2 - Free Improvements!

Well Almost Free.

Free-floating the barrel

Free-floating the barrel is something you can do yourself at little to no cost, depending on what materials you have in your possesion. A roll of dimes, some 220 grit sandpaper and you can have it done in a short amount of time. Some boiled linseed oil should be rubbbed into the barrel channel once you have finished removing the proper amount of material so that it does not absorb moisture and cause it to warp. A dollar bill should be able to slide up and down the barrel without binding to have an adequate clearance.

Action Bedding and Pillar Bedding

This is something else you can do yourself. If you don't already know, pillar bedding is done to bolt-action rifles to help improve accuracy when shooting. Two or more metal pillars are embedded in the stock using a resin or epoxy compound. The pillars form a solid connection from the trigger guard to the receiver. Basically, to pillar bed a bolt-action rifle you remove the trigger guard screws, drill out the screw holes in the stock oversize enough to accept the pillars with some space around them, then epoxy the pillars in place and screw the rifle back together.

Aluminum pillars are most commonly used, but steel pillars are stronger. The metal pillars are resistant to weather changes, but the steel may rust if the gun isn't properly cared for. Pillar bedding also creates a uniform screw torque, which also contributes to consistency and accuracy.

Action bedding is similar to pillar bedding, as an epoxy can be used to create a perfect "bed" for the action to rest in. Often a fiberglass resin is used (hence glass bedding), but compounds such as epoxy steels can also be used.

Now, if you pillar bed, do you need to bed the action? Maybe not, but it can't hurt. Plus you can do the work yourself if you so choose. You may also want to consult with a gunsmith before undertaking this path. It may not be necessary.

There is also a method called Pressure Bedding which consists of putting an X amount of pressure at X location on the the barrel. It is something that needs to be worked out for each individual rifle and will take some time and patience. Some manufacturers use this method by putting it near the muzzle. It has been shown that sometimes they add too much pressure and can actually decrease accuracy.

I have included links to some great articles to help you do your own work, or decide to leave it to a Pro!

Sources:

Action and Pillar Bedding: The Art of Stock Bedding
http://www.6mmbr.com/pillarbedding.html

Floating and Bedding: Accurizing Your Rifle
http://hunting.about.com/cs/guns/a/float_bed.htm

Pillar Bedding
http://erniethegunsmith.com/catalog/c41_p1.html

Smoothing the Action of the Mosin Nagant and Final Assembly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvVsCMrsg3k&feature=related

Mosin Magic Part 1 - Intro

I have been filling up my gray matter with info on the MN 91/30 of late.

This rifle has to be the buy of the decade, if not longer. A time tested full power battle rifle, arsenal refurbished for around $100 dollars on sale! The price is going up as the dollar sinks, so buy now!
This is an incredible amount of rifle for the money, able to take down any game on the North American continent with the proper configuration and grain bullet.

An awesome investment!

This rifle is currently so affordable, every one interested in being prepared could buy one along with 880 rounds of ammo and put it away in your closet for when it may be needed, for less than $360.00!

Cabela's currently list's the 91/30 for $149.00, but I am sure you can find it for less if you look around. Big 5 sporting goods stores in my area usually have them on sale every month or two.

Sportsman's Guide currently has 880 rounds of 7.62x54r in the steel tins for $166 plus shipping (less if you are a member). Add a few boxes of hunting ammo and you are doing pretty well. Those with Mosin's would do well to stock up while you can get it this cheap. It may not be available in the future, say after Nov. 3rd 2012!

In my pursuit of this knowledge, I came across a video from Nutnfancy showcasing his Mosin-Nagant 91/30's, of which he says he (now) owns four samples of. It was was an interesting video, if not a bit long ("Mosin-Nagant: The $100 .30-06" by Nutnfancy). If you are familiar with him, you know he can be a bit long winded on some subjects; thorough, but long winded. The link is provided at the end of this post.

Nutnfancy likes the MN 91/30 (obvoiusly, since he now owns 4) and calls it a fun gun to shoot. He has one which he has Dura-coated the entire gun, including the Red Dot scope he has on it, and the stock.

Nutnfancy made one statement in this video regarding the 91/30 that I don't agree with. When talking about the sometimes awful trigger pull, he says:
"I could throw a Timney trigger in there, but I don't want to spend $100 on a Mosin." (25:05 min)

I have priced some of the other newly manufactured retail guns out there he recommended that are on a par with the MN, and you are looking to drop [$500 to $1100] for a Savage or the Rem 700 in .308 or .30-06. Since the 7.62x54r is within this performance range, somewhere between the two, I selected these calibers for price comparisons. These prices are for just the bare rifles, no upgrades. Pretty big price spread, and prices are going up all the time! Add to this the current price of .308 and .30-06 and shooting your rifle gets rather spendy, fast! This is also for a bone stock rifle, possibly needing some tweaks for better performance. You may be able to find them cheaper, but this is what I found with a quick search.

Now, the MN was not produced as a 1 MOA rifle, and was not intended to be. But that does not mean that it can't be improved upon. It is an affordable alternative to modern, high priced rifles, leaving money on the table to improve it's performance, cheaply.

So let's see what we can do to improve the accuracy by investing up to the cost of one of the newer rifles.

Sources:

Mosin-Nagant 91/30 ($149)
http://www.cabelas.com/bolt-action-mosin-nagant-model-91-30-rifle-bayonet-2.shtml

Sportsmans Guide 880 rnds 7.62x54r, 147gr FMJ ($165.97)
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/880-rds-762x54r-147-gr-fmj-ammo.aspx?a=865012

Nutnfancy's Videos
"Mosin-Nagant: The $100 .30-06" by Nutnfancy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PQUDmINoPM&feature=relmfu

"Arctic Ops: Mosin-Nagant 91/30" by Nutnfancy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eqG5GJRies&feature=relmfu

YouTube
Becoming "Tactical" Doesn't Require Becoming "Tacticool"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cf_j2YnLhw&feature=related

Some Good Reading

I stumbled across a blog recently that is posting a story, journal style that has been very good reading. If you like post apocalyptic storys head on over to The Union Creek Journal and be prepared to spend some time.

You have been warned!

Changes

Comments moderation is on, Captcha is gone!

Anyone who spends any amount of time reading blogs is familiar with word verification, that security method implemented to defeat robo-spammers. You hate it, I hate it. It keeps many from commenting including me, due to the frustration of trying to read that damn, messed up picture that is supposed to represent words.
Uhhggg.

Well, it is gone now from my site. I am around a computer most of the day, so approving comments should not be that big of deal, just having to deal with the spam gets frustrating.

What was really said:

Brewer: "And furthermore, you can suck my dick!"
Obama: "Really? Promise? I knew you had balls but..."

Apologies

Sorry for the long silence since my last post. I have been researching some subjects and will soon have a decent post for you, hopefully a helpful one.

SpaceWeather.com has an interesting post up today. great picture also!

One part that's of interest is:
"This event confirms suspicions that an active region of significance is rotating onto the Earth-facing side of the sun."
Oooppsss... not what we want to hear.

Lot's going on here on the Interwebs, as well as in flyover country. Not much of it good. It seems that the nation, and the world in general is coming to a slow boil which threatens to overflow the pot.

It also seems that the establishment GOP has had their 2008 2nd choice groomed to take the stage against the Demoncrap party's choice. Neither is fit to govern this nation.

We could vote for a third party candidate, but unless "Everyone" to the right of center did so, we would end up with four more years of the FSA's (Free Shit Army) choice of  Evil. So throw away your vote, or hopefully prolong the agony of collapse by voting in the other Evil. What a dilemma. At least prolonging the collapse gives us a chance to improve our lot against the gathering darkness.

Scam, Spam or Service?

A short time ago I received an email from a young lady who described herself as a freelance writer, wondering if I accepted guest posts on my blog. I answered yes, and soon I was sent the following which I posted on Wednesday, December 7, 2011:

Guest Post: Dirty Bombs – Future Survival Test
http://selousscouts.blogspot.com/2011/12/guest-post-dirty-bombs-future-survival.html

The one stipulation was that I include a hyperlink to a "business" that she "Freelanced" for. I did not have a problem with that and included it.
Here is that letter, I have highlight portions for your specific attention, the reason for which will become clear further on:

Wednesday, December 7, 2011 9:07 AM

Hi there,
Hope keeping well. I'm just getting in touch to ask if you're open to reviewing content from freelance writers at Something Wicked Comes - if so, I'd love to put together a high-quality article written specifically for the site. I'm 29 and have been working as a professional writer and researcher for five years now, and in that time there isn't a lot I haven't already covered (there are a few samples below for you to check out).

Anything I send over would be written with the site's readership in mind - as long as you're happy with the resulting material, you'd be welcome to publish it as you see fit and the content will be owned by you entirely (in that I won't send it to anyone else, either before or after publication).

There is absolutely no charge for this and no strings attached; the only thing I would ask in return is that I'm able to include a link to a site within the article - nothing shady or unethical, just one of the professional businesses I freelance for.

Do let me know if you're interested, and if so I can get something written for you over the course of the next few days. Needless to say, the offer is open to any other sites you might own as well as selousscouts.blogspot.com. I appreciate that this kind of arrangement is not for everyone however, so if I don't hear from you, no offense taken and I won't trouble you again.

Very best,
Izzy Woods
 
Some varied examples for your delectation:
http://usdailyreview.com/should-inventors-and-innovators-be-compared
http://organichealthadviser.com/archives/superfoods-to-the-rescue
http://www.wiki-bee.com/intarticle.htm
http://www.capmac.org/?p=1724

Up until recently, that link was still active. Then I removed it.
Here is why:

Monday, February 13, 2012 9:13 PM

Howdy there,

I hope you had a great weekend. I'm just getting in touch to ask if you're in need of any freelance writing at Something Wicked Comes - if so, it'd be an honor to help out and I would love to get involved if you have any need for me.

I'm 29, newly located to London and have been working full-time as a professional writer and researcher for five years now; in that time there isn't a lot I haven't already covered (there are a few samples below for you to check out). Anything I send over would be written with the site's readership in mind - as long as you're happy with the resulting material, you'd be welcome to publish it as you see fit and the content will be owned by you entirely (in that I won't send it to anyone else, either before or after publication).

The good news is that I'd be able to offer my services at no charge; the only thing I would ask in return is that I'm able to include a link to a site within the article - nothing shady or unethical, just one of the professional businesses I freelance on behalf of. Otherwise I'd be happy to chat about alternative arrangements.
Do let me know if you're interested, and if so I can get something written for you over the course of the next few days. Needless to say, the offer is open to any other sites you might own as well as selousscouts.blogspot.com. I appreciate that this kind of offer is not for everyone however, so if I don't hear from you, no offense taken and I won't trouble you again.

Very best,
Imogen (Reed)

Some samples for your delectation:
http://www.blackpresence.co.uk/2012/01/remembering-a-legend-gil-scott-heron/
http://www.shaanhaider.com/2012/01/urine-controlled-video-games.html
http://britmovietours.com/movie-tv-news/doctor-who-%E2%80%93-where-are-the-lost-episodes/
http://www.cs36.com/the-four-horsemen-of-online-marketing-in-2012/

Seems to be a scripted email soliciting free advertising for clients by agreeing to provide a "generically" written article. What do I mean by generic? How much depth is there to the article? What new information presented, or was there any? Was it just "rehashed" from other sources?

My take is, that if you wish to advertise on someones blog, do it in an honest manner, not posing as someone you may not be.

Now, I had mostly forgot about this incident until I saw the following on someone else's blog:

(This is a guest post by a budding preparedness writer named Liz Becker.  Liz is an blogger, freelance writer and recent college graduate. She currently performs market research for an online marketing firm when she is not contributing her own thoughts and observations to the online community.  Like Liz, many preparedness folk have information to offer; therefore, we offer our readers the opportunity to submit an article for possible publication on our website.  Check out the toolbar item “Submit an Article” above for more details)

The 3 Absolute Essentials for your Bomb Shelter
http://www.doomandbloom.net/2012/03/the-3-absolute-essentials-for-your-bomb-shelter.html

Now, on the surface this is nothing to really be suspicious of, is it? Then upon reading the article, I found the hyperlinks to several businesses that were not paid advertisers on the blog.

So what is your take on this?
Is it:
Underhanded?
Unethical?
Dishonest?

Have you been approached in this manner?

Or am I being too thin skinned in this situation?