The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

Thursdays are a day off for me, so I made it up on the snowy mountain to the state forest to the range. It wasn't really too cold, hovering around 30* and a chance of rain later in the day. I wanted to get out of there before any rain fell on the snow covered road back in there, so I tried to go early.

Anyways, this test wasn't my main focus on the trip, my newly built M16A1 build was, but I figured while I was there I'd try this out. This rifle is my "been there done that rifle" from zeebill, it's a 43' Izhevsk, without a lick of bluing left on it, and a bore that isn't the greatest. It won't shoot Russian surp for crap, but it'll shoot bulgy pretty good, so bulgy was the test ammo.



Both targets were placed at 50yds, left target was fired at 10rnds without bayonet attached, right was with bayonet fixed 10rnds. Now mind you this rifles bore isn't the best, and the front site needs adjusted again after i staked it a while back, but other than that, this is what I got.




So as you can see the bayonet improved my grouping, and moved the point of impact. I'll let you make your own mind about which is better, but in my opinion FIX BAYONETS!

What was your point of aim?


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FineRedMist wrote:What was your point of aim?


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Orange dot

See! See! What'd I say?? It works, it really does!

Well heck, I like it. Considering how cold it is, I would like to see a third test, ten more rounds with the bayonet taken back off. I can honestly say I have never been out shooting in snow like that. We just don't get it here in Texas, and if we did everything would come to a screeching halt! Nice shooting, and I sure would like to see some good pics of your rifle. I really like them when they look like what you described.

bunkysdad wrote:Well heck, I like it. Considering how cold it is, I would like to see a third test, ten more rounds with the bayonet taken back off. I can honestly say I have never been out shooting in snow like that. We just don't get it here in Texas, and if we did everything would come to a screeching halt! Nice shooting, and I sure would like to see some good pics of your rifle. I really like them when they look like what you described.

It's on here in some of my posts. If you can search them you'll find them

joe7170 wrote:

bunkysdad wrote:Well heck, I like it. Considering how cold it is, I would like to see a third test, ten more rounds with the bayonet taken back off. I can honestly say I have never been out shooting in snow like that. We just don't get it here in Texas, and if we did everything would come to a screeching halt! Nice shooting, and I sure would like to see some good pics of your rifle. I really like them when they look like what you described?

Actually when I did this I fired 5 off, 5 on, 5 off, 5 on. So as you can see that bayonet is doing something

Very good patterns for a worn rifle even at 50 yards... The background reminds me of home. What am I saying, that is home.

I never wanted to believe it, but its true. They shoot better as designed, with fixed bayonets.

Dang I am getting colder just looking at your pictures! I was going to suggest doing the bayonet on tests first then with the bayonet off but I see you went 5 and 5 with the tests. Anything on the barrel will effect barrel harmonics but the bayonet is the most likely thing to be affixed to it. Want to try something different shoot with a locking pliers attached (real Hard) to the barrel. That may or may not tighten your groups. I have found mixed results at 100 yards years ago from the bench. Certain rifles like it and others don't. Maybe bore wear may have something to do with it I never found that out. By the way I used a piece of leather in the jaws of the locking pliers to keep from making marks in the barrel and the vise grips were off to the side so I could still see the sights.

All these leather pads in the barrel channel, corking the barrel, shooting with the bayonet in place do actually work on some rifles but not all so I find it much easier and much more acceptable in range decorum to just adjust the sights and go with that alone. I kind of feel it reflects better on Milsurp shooters when I don't fix my bayonet in a group of deer hunters sighting in for the season but that could just be me? By the way I have found over the years many times in veteran guns I have cleaned and checked pads or spacers of some sort in the barrel channel or in some way affecting the barrel and yes I have left them in place. Taking something like that out is not my call I feel. Bill

I need to adjust that front site some more, and try a few different types of ammo, but this test will be revisited, just on a better day. Like I said this was kind of a second fiddle to what I was really up there in that snow testing, my new m16a1 build.

See, now, I just did this test too! With four different rifles and got your results with one of them. The other three made no difference at all.
The one that made a difference has a matched bayonet. The others didn't, and they did not fit as well.
Oh, it wasn't near as cold either.

Must be something to that European nonsense of matching everything, huh?
Impressive to have a matched bayonet, that's probably nothing huge, but hey, simple pleasures for simple minds right?

rayjd2 wrote:Must be something to that European nonsense of matching everything, huh?
Impressive to have a matched bayonet, that's probably nothing huge, but hey, simple pleasures for simple minds right?

absolutely!! Especially as it was my first Mosin! And a red letter. I love them red letters.

I know one thing about this rifle and bayonet, there's not one part that matches on mine, explain that!

joe7170 wrote:I know one thing about this rifle and bayonet, there's not one part that matches on mine, explain that!

easy............. it's Russian.

My other guns the bayonets don't seem to fit as they do on my '42 /25\ Neither will even go on my other 91/30s, too tight.

jimpierce7 wrote:

joe7170 wrote:I know one thing about this rifle and bayonet, there's not one part that matches on mine, explain that!

easy............. it's Russian.

My other guns the bayonets don't seem to fit as they do on my '42 /25\ Neither will even go on my other 91/30s, too tight.

Well see this rifle I bought from zeebill, he also tracked down the bayo later, I took the rifle to his place, and we test fitted it, easy as can be

Please, allow me to be the O Reilly Factor.

Zeebill's rifle doesn't match?
You can't explain that!

rayjd2 wrote:Please, allow me to be the O Reilly Factor.

Zeebill's rifle doesn't match?
You can't explain that!

Oh come now, everything bill has isn't perfect, why do you think he sells some of it