It was a bolt-action kind of day

[c33m0n3y]

Went to AGC this afternoon with my 7-year old son. I had not shot my newly-acquired Finn M39, and wanted to compare it to its contemporaries - my RC dou 42 K98k and my Tula 1935 Hex 91/30.

We first shot my son's air rifle at 25 yards to get him some range time but then we transitioned to serious business. Here were the results:

K98k:

I've now come to the sad realization that despite its gorgeous looks this rifle will never be a tack driver. at 25 yds i was grouping low and to the right about 2-1/2" groups. at 50 yds (as far as we went because of time) the groups grew to about 4". I used some Romanian 150gr ammo, and also some really nice Czech nickel-plated 174gr. No big difference between the two. The fliers you see in the attached pics were the result of my Mauser "patterning" all over both targets (top and bottom)

Tula M91/30:

At 25 Yds it shot an excellent group, under 1":

At 50 Yds it opened up a bit, to about 2" or so.

Still not bad IMO for the ammo I was using and the awful open sights on the M-N's

Finn M39

25 Yards, about 1/2" group -you can see it on the target above with the M-N. I was aiming about 4" above the bullseye so POI was right at POA.
50 yards - still just over a 1" group. POI was about 4" above POA, so I think it was zeroed by the Finns at a 25m - 300m kind of setup.

I think if I had kept shooting I would have just made a big hole the size of a silver dollar

On my next outing I'll keep the Mauser in the safe (for fondling purposes only), but I can't wait to take out the two cousins to 100yds and then 200yds.

 

[j8064]

First, spending the time with your son is outstanding! Hitting the target is secondary. Like you, I had an opp to teach and reinforce fundamental firearm safety with some kids today. They got to shoot some toys they'd never seen and will remember. If we don't teach them, who will?

Second, if you're expecting pinpoint accuracy from an old Mauser or Mosin, you could likely be disappointed. Keep in mind they, like so many other old battle rifles, were built under hurried conditions with often limited attention paid to fit and finish. Hitting a man-size target "somewhere" at 300M was often good enough.

My modern AR's give me accuracy. My old battle rifles provide shoulder bruising fun. And sometimes the older guns surprise me with their accuracy too.

Don't give up on your mauser...AND... keep teaching your son!

 

[damifinowfish]

When your son is able to shoot a .22 at 100 yards have him ask one of the RSO's if he can borrow one of their clanger frames. They try to keep a few metal targets available for the kids. It's up to the kids to allow their parents to shoot at the clangers as well. But they better not forget whose taking them to the range.

 

[psoyring]

Try some heavy ball in the M39 and you will get better results.

 

[h2u]

It's awesome to hear about a day shooting with your son! My seven year old isn't quite up to anything over a .22lr right now. Hopefully this summer

The results of this particular range session seem to prove the old adage: To win, you need a Finn
Glad to see the Mosin perform - and yes, the Mauser is quite the looker

 

[jimbobborg]

I'd start reloading for that Mauser before giving up on it. And did you check the muzzle for nicks?

 

[KMK1862]

Try shooting some 8mm heavy ball with your Mauser. The 150 gr Romanian is much closer to the WW1 round used. The sights on the K98k work better with the 197-198 gr heavy ball rounds. Yugo surplus is pretty close to the WW2 loading.

 

[cjroman]

You might be very surprised at the accuracy of the M39 compared to other Mosins. I have a 1941 straight stocked SAKO M39 that is a joy to shoot.