deer hunt? with a mosin?

[fullMetalJack]

ok my mossineers,
ive been firing guns sense age 6, and the only thing ive ever bagged was paper targets and clay pigeons. my grandfather was a hunter and i guess it just didnt pass down. anywho my curiosity is if any mosineers has ever hunted with one of our beloved beautiful nagants. i know nothing about hunting, NOTHING. I want that to change. me and a few of my buddys took a oath we would learn and we plan to start by next elk season . theres to much in colorado not too. we plan on deer and mostly elk. whats a good starter rifle if the mosin dosnt work. i know that hunting an elk with a mosin may sound silly but how cool would it be to bag a elk with the ole iron sights.

[SwedeSteve]

FMJ- There was quite a few elk taken with Hawken rifles. So bagging one with a Mosin is doable. I envy you your task! I say go for it! Study up on elk and their habits. Figure out what area you want to hunt, buy a topo map and scout it in the off-season. You are going to need good ammo. If you can find someone who reloads, you have time to work up an accurate recipe for your rifle. Then you need to punch a whole lot of paper. Get a good set of binos (my preference) or a spotting scope, so you can scout, and be able to ID game as well. Would love to hear weekly updates of your progress. And as usual, we are all here to help!

[fullMetalJack]

thanks steve, i will keep everyone informed. i know my back coutry really well. i know where tons of bull elk are. just never thought to shoot them. i have a e trex gps i wander if its compatible with a topo program. never even gave it a once over. it came with a burris fullfield scope i bought awhile back.anyways thanks for the pointers. i reload steve so thats a nother good thing. if you or any other mosin gent would keep a eye out for a good load that would be swell. thanks

oh and whats a hawken rifle?

[SwedeSteve]

Your GPS will marry to a map just fine. A Hawken is a black powder rifle, beloved by the Mountain Men. Ther will be plenty here who will have loads I am sure. Which Mosin will you hunt with?

[Geo M44]

You might want to start looking for hunting guides that have a teaching program. Check with your State Fish and Game Dept. as they may also have some good info. Make sure that tags are available. Here in AZ it's done on a lottery system so you don't always get to hunt what you want, when you want to.

Like Steve said hand loaded ammo would probably be the best. For commercial ammo I have had good accuracy results with Winchester and Sellier & Bellot 180gr SP (~$22 and $17 for a box of 20). But since I don't hunt anymore, and have never hunted with an MN, I'm not sure of how good these bullets are at take-down.

For hand-loads I typically use Speer 180gr, .311 SP, pushed by 44gr of IMR4895. Seems to maintian a good grouping at 100 yards, with a little less kick. My preferred bullet is the Sierra .311 174gr HPBT but its more of a match round, and I'm not sure of the impact characterisitcs of these Hollow Points.

[Paper]

Originally Posted by fullMetalJack

oh and whats a hawken rifle?

A Hawken is pretty much the standard for typical style black powder rifles.

As far as hunting with a Mosin, I'm currently enjoying venison that was shot with a M44. A buddy of mine shot 3 Whitetails this season with his.

Powerwise, it's right there with a .308, so if you'd hunt elk with a .308, you can surely hunt with a Mosin.

[SwedeSteve]

FMJ- I asked which MN you plan to hunt with, as barrel length will dictate what weight range of bullet will best suit your need on elk.

[LefthandShooter]

I used to shoot groundhogs for target practice (and in late summer meat). I used everything from a .22, .22 mag, 12 ga., .30-30, .30-06, British .303, .357 mag. pistol, hammer, pick-up truck, knife, kicking, etc.
In other words, any way possible to get rid of them.
The reason for saying this is such: if you have a rodent or pest problem a MN would or might be a good gun to try as a way of honing your skills. (It takes a lot of practice to stalk a groundhog 400 yards away -in a flat field looking at you- until 45 minutes later you are in shotgun range. Get used to carring it out in the wood and then on to deer hunting. Also, in the summer the deer get used to seeing you and your gun and then in winter just look at you.

[fullMetalJack]

sorry fellas, had to start up the woodburner stove. i looked outside and notice 7 inches lol.i plan on using my 91/30 if i was going to use a mosin. the 9130 i plan on using i have the monte carlo stock on. im thinking maybe putting a the scope mont kit with bent bolt just so i can put a scope on. who knows though.

thanks for the advice fellas, geo do you often reload 54r? this is getting me pretty stoked! i really would like to vitalize my skills with my mosin, i can say im comfortable from 150 yards in i just need to keep practicing!

[SwedeSteve]

My overall best load for accuracy is a Sierra 165gr Spitzer Boat Tail, sitting on top of 46.9 grains of IMR-4064. Max load is 48.1 grains. My next work up will be with IMR-4895, a I have heard several good reports on this powder in a MN 91/30.

[fullMetalJack]

as soon as i get some decent brass i will have to se what i can do. all i have right now is some brown bear surplus stuff.ive shot the remington rounds before and it isnt bad. on the scouting part of ths project. i have a couple of different buddys that scout that said i could always tag along so i think that where ill touch base with that. steve do you know any place i can get unshot 54r brass

[SwedeSteve]

Miidway has Norma brass for $28 a box of 20.
Huntington's shows Graf/Hornady at $38 for 100. Item #GH30!!
Also try Cheaper Than Dirt. Others will have more suggesions.

[Ellsworth]

FMJ,
See my thread on how to mount a scout scope on a mosin, you can use the scope mount without having to tap the reciever or damage the 91/30.

http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/mosin-nagant/48410-scout-m44-transformation.html

Also I use the Norma brass soft points that swede was talking about, I went to a closeout of gander mt, and picked up 25 rounds for 19, they run usually about 35 bucks, they're 180 gr, and will hunt well.

Also any soft point round you can find and pattern will work great.

I'm going to search for feral pigs around april with the M44 as it stands right now my mosin will be my primary big game rifle, plus i'm moving out to eastern washington in a few months and I plan to hunt elk with it, .311 will drop anything with the right hit. Shoot, anything will drop anything with the right shot.

Ellsworth

[fullMetalJack]

thanks alot man but i already have seen the scout mount setup. my brother has one. im not against it but i just think that a scope mount in back is more for me. but i have thought about it. i might put iton my m44.

[SwedeSteve]

FMJ- While I have a M91/30PU Sniper, I think a GREAT setup for you would be the PE steel mount set up with 1" rings! I do believe you can still use the iron sights, but would have to go with a bent bolt, and would lose the ability to use stripper clips
(neither of which would bother me).

[fullMetalJack]

thats a genius setep. your the man steve. so how exactly does that mount to my rifle. if im correct i see a peep hole for my irons, right?

will this work fro a monte carlo stock?

[Geo M44]

The Advantage of the LER scout scope is that you can get a decent zoom (2x to 7x) although at 7x the focus is not great, but backed off to about 6.5... perfect, and you can use the standard bolt and stripper clips. In addition the latest iteration has an illuminated reticle. Having the scope 8" -10" in front of your eye also gives you some peripheral vision (to see that 12 point moving up to the same graze as the 2 prong you were about to shoot).

As for ammo:

I have always used IMR4895 as it gives the best bang for the buck. A pound of powder is about $22 no matter which one you use. With a max load of 45gr (for a 175-180 gr bullet) for IMR4895 vs. 48-49gr. for IMR4064 you will get more quality reloads from 4895.

I have tried every load from 40gr. to 45.5gr. (in .5gr increments) and generally use 44gr. loads for 170-190gr bullets as at 100-200 yards the extra powder doesn't seem to enhance accuracy (for me), but does add to the recoil. YMMV.

The best way I have found to aquire reloadable brass is buy a few boxes of Sellier & Bellot, or Winchester 180gr SP, or better yet Wolf Gold 150gr FMJ (usually much cheaper but seems to be very good brass). These are running anywhere from $12.99 to $21.95 for a box of 20, and going up almost daily, so buy as much as you can afford. I found 60 to 100 rounds is a good starter quantity. If you see decent Boxer primed brass ammo cheap, then buy it up (mainly at gun shows).

Use those store-bought rounds for practice and then reload them using the bullet of your liking. Althoiugh I suppose that the Winchester soft points are fairly decent hunting rounds.

I prefer .311 bullets as they stay in place without crimping, and seem to be more consistant accuracy than .308 especially in a moderately worn bore like you would find in the average 91/30.

Speaking of prices going up... along with finished ammo, bullets and powder are on the rise, and every time I walk into Sportsmans or Cabellas it costs an extra buck or two. Sierra 174gr. .311 match HP that I bought for $24.95 4 months ago are now at $32.95. Luckily I bought 400 rounds of Speer 180gr. SP for $9.99 when Sportsmans closed them out.

It also seems to be getting harder to find Large Rifle Primers, first Winchesters were hard to find and now CCI's have disappeared as well. I may resort to buying 1000 at a time on line just so I have some.

Anyway hope this helps.

[kalashnikov47]

2006, 75yards, mojo sight. one shot 200 grain wolf ammo

[SwedeSteve]

FMJ- The base screws into the receiver with six screws Very steady! You are supposed to be able to still use your iron sights. I believe your stock will be fine. With the addition of the bent bolt it should be a sweet setup!

Just so you know, They make the bases for hex and round receivers. The rings can be had in 1" or 26,5mm. I am assuming you'd want round base, with 1" rings?

[Cyrano]

Originally Posted by SwedeSteve

FMJ- The base screws into the receiver with six screws Very steady! You are supposed to be able to still use your iron sights. I believe your stock will be fine. With the addition of the bent bolt it should be a sweet setup!

Steve, you have to drill and tap to install that setup, right?