First Time Shooting a Mosin Nagant M91/30

 

Shooting: First Shots With a Mosin Nagant M91/30
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The Mosin–Nagant M91/30 is a bolt-action, internal magazine military rifle, developed by the Imperial Russian Army in the late 1800s, and used by the armed forces of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and various other nations.

I bought it because it is on the ATF’s Curio and Relic list, so I can buy them direct from the wholesaler. When I bought mine, it was $110 including shipping. (due to the current politics it has increased some). The Mosin is one, if not the, least expensive military caliber rifle available.

This is a Great Budget Gun

Not only is the gun inexpensive, military surplus ammunition is also commonly available. You can normally purchase it in either 440 round cases on stripper clips, or 880 round cases without stripper clips. I find both costs nearly the same. My strategy is to buy the first case with clips, and then reuse the clips.

Sometimes the rifle comes with a bayonet, but then nearly always come with a small tool kit and magazine pouch. The tools are essential, as the triangular screwdriver is used to measure the protrusion of the bolt (that is the subject of a whole separate post).

This Rifle Holds the Sniper Kill Record

Some may think themselves poorly armed if you hand them a WWII bolt action designed back in 1892, but during WWII a Finnish soldier named Simo Häyhä earned more confirmed sniper kills than any other combatant in any major war (he killed 505 enemies with his Mosin and 200 more with his 9mm submachine gun = all in under 100 days). I think any gun will do if you have the will and the skill, but I digress.

There are several different variants of the rifle, but the most common is the 91/30. It is possible to buy the 91/30 in case quantities of 20 in a large wooden shipping crate for less than a single AR-15.
You can also buy a spam can of 880 rounds of military surplus ball ammunition for less than the cost of a couple bricks of .22long at a gun show (around 80 dollars).

Due to the fact that you can buy a rifle and close to a thousand rounds in a battle proven combination for around $200, it is my intent to buy one every couple months so that if the poo ever is flung I can outfit all those latecomers that “come to my house” – at least the ones that bring food and have sense enough not to complain…

First Time Shooting a Mosin Nagant M91/30

This is my first experience shooting this rifle, I had heard horror stories about how much it kicked, and how loud it was, and it WAS louder than other 30 caliber guns I have shot, but it did not recoil that much – especially since it is a heavy rifle.

I did get the impression that it is capable of much more accurate fire than my offhanded quick test demonstrated. I hope to have some time to really test this gun out.

The only thing I have to say as a warning to others thinking about this gun as part of a disaster armory, or just looking to get a cheap plinking gun – ALL surplus ammunition for this is corrosive. That is not a big deal as long as you clean the gun well after each range session. If you take it home and forget about it after shooting corrosive ammo, you can (and probably will) ruin the gun.

Sellier and Bellot 308 Match Ammunition Review

Gear Review: Sellier and Bellot 308 Match Ammunition
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Today I am taking some Sellier and Bellot 308 Match Ammunition to the range to try out in my CETME rifle.

Sellier and Bellot has been producing cartridge ammunition since 1825.

They produce ammunition using high quality components which is used by hunters, competition shooters, law enforcement agencies and militaries around the world.

This ammunition is new production, non-corrosive, in boxer primed, reloadable brass cases.

Here is the Technical Information on the rounds:

  • Caliber: 308 Winchester
  • Bullet Weight: 168 Grains
  • Bullet Style: Hollow Point Boat Tail
  • Case Type: Brass

Ballistics Information

  • Muzzle Velocity: 2628 fps
  • Muzzle Energy: 2577 ft. lbs.

I found this ammo to be good quality, but I had a problem with very hard primers. That is not always a problem and if you have a gun with a free floating firing pin, then it is a good thing, but if you are shooting a gun with a light firing pin spring you may have many failure to fire malfunctions with this ammo.

This .308 Math Ammunition is actually better than my ability to fire it, and after using it in other guns, I am starting to think that it may have been my gun – not for the group – that was my fault, but for the hard primers.

In the video I used a CETME but I am fond of other .308 rifles – check out this article on how to chose the best .308 rifle.

Dillon Square Deal B Reloader Review

 

Gear Review: Dillon Square Deal B Reloader
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There are a lot of very good tutorials online about reloading, and Dillon presses in particular, but I wanted to take a couple minutes to tell you about my experience with the Dillon Square Deal B press.

First off, this is a relatively inexpensive progressive press (especially when compared to other Dillon Presses), it costs more than many single stage presses, but at around $350 it gives you the ability to reload a lot of rounds in a reasonable amount of time.

However, the Square Deal B press is a pistol only press, and uses a special set of proprietary dies. This makes the press easy to use, but it prevents you from switching dies from one press to another, or reloading anything other than common pistol rounds.

Get Strong Mounts

When looking at this press, I would definitely recommend purchasing the strong mounts. I have used this press as it comes out of the box, and with the addition of the mounts, and the mounts make a much sturdier platform.

Some things I have done that are not factory standard were to bolt a set of Allen keys on the strong mount, so that when I need to make adjustments to the press, I have the tools well at hand. Dillon makes a pretty set of tools dyed to match the press, but I just used a cheap set from the hardware store.

I also found someone on ebay that uses and injection molding machine to make a plastic knob that press fits onto the bolt head that adjusts the amount of powder inserted into the casing. This makes it easy to adjust powder levels without tools, and the wings give a visual reference point. I strongly suggest looking these up.

Don’t Start with a Progressive Press.

I would also suggest two things:

  • Don’t buy a progressive press as your first press. There is just too much going on at the same time. Learn on a single stage press so you get a good feel for the process. I did not do this, and as my story in the beginning of the video illustrates, I made a mistake (and blew up two revolvers).
  • Work slow.  Dillon recommends weighing every 10th round for consistency. This is important.

The powder measure on the Dillon press is very good, but it is finicky with some powders. It does not work as well with flake type powders as it does with other powder types. When I use power pistol powder, I get inconsistent powder charges and have to weigh much more often than every 10.

Lastly I would recommend anyone new to reloading (especially those new to Dillion presses) to visit Brian Enos’s forums  in addition to being a top tier shooter, Brian is a Dillion dealer, and has some really top shelf advice about Dillion presses – especially in the area of choosing the right press for your specific need.

Dillon Precision Warranty Review

 

Gear Review: Dillon Precision Warranty
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Gear Review: Dillon Precision WarrantyThe other day while reloading, I broke a part in my press, I knew better, but I was in a hurry and pulled the lever down to force my way past an obstruction.

What I did was break off a spacer pin and rounded out the hole in the press so that a new pin would not fit.

I called Dillon precision, and they responded just as they promised on their site.  They have a no “BS” policy, and simply gave me a return authorization number and I sent them the machine – this lived up to the famous Dillon Precision Warranty.

Dillon presses may be more expensive than other companies, but they have the best customer service.
I have used their warranty twice on the same machine, both times they worked with me to solve my problems, while they can be a little slow, I have to say they do honor their word – at least in my experience.

I have cheaper presses like the lee brand, and am happy with them, but nothing beats the Dillon progressives for pure joy of kicking out a lot of rounds in a short amount of time.  Add in the dillion precision warranty and they can’t be beat.

Survival Still Review

 

Gear Review: Survival Still
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The survival still I am reviewing today is a lightweight, portable water purification still that can purify almost any water source from any heat source.

That makes it flexible.  Which is a vital, but often overlooked feature of survival products.

As soon as I saw this still I knew I had to have one, so far this has been the ONLY piece of survival equipment I purchased without needing to do any research.   Understood the science behind the product, and the second I was introduced to the product I knew it was a keeper.

As a matter of fact, my first question was, how many do I need to buy to become a dealer?  The only other question I asked concerned the makeup of the drip tube (the only non stainless steel part in the product).  By the way, the tube is medical grade silicon so it won’t degrade or release dangerous chemicals if it is accidentally exposed to solvents.

I am a true believer in this product, and as time passes I will show videos where we distill various contaminates, and using a variety of heat sources so you can see the versatility.

The Survival Still is a non-electric appliance that uses the science of distillation to purify water by boiling the water and collecting the pure steam leaving any contaminates behind.

Because of the process, distillation allows you to have consistently pure water from virtually any water source, without the use of filters.   There are no moving parts, no filters to clog or replace, and no complicated steps to remember.

The survival still lets you purify water from your swimming pool, a stream or even the ocean, for as long as is needed.  When the disaster (or camping trip) is over, simply wash out the bottom pot and pack away.

The Survival Still…

  • Permanently supplies high-purity, sterile drinking water.
  • Extremely effective against all types of contaminants.
  • Kills and removes bacteria, viruses and parasites.
  • Is a permanent solution for purifying sea water.
  • Does not need filters, maintenance, infrastructure or a supply chain.
  • Distillation is recommended by FEMA and the Red Cross!

The power of distillation

As we said earlier, the Survival Still uses the process of distillation.  This process scaled down from nature’s process to purify water.

Nature purifies water through the three-step process of

  1. Evaporation
  2. Condensation
  3. Precipitation.

When water evaporates it cannot hold onto the particulates such as dirt, debris, or heavy metals so these contaminants stay behind while the vapor is pure.

The pure vapor then rises and condenses into clouds. The clouds move inland and release the water as rain. Rain is very pure water and is the source of all fresh water on the planet.

In the same way, distillation produces high-purity water without the need for filters.

How it works

The Survival Still is designed to be used with standard cooking pots that you already have.

  • To use the Survival Still simply fill a standard soup pot with about a gallon of water and put it on a heat source such as a propane grill, stove top, or campfire.
  • Bringing the water to a boil kills any bacteria and parasites.
  • Contaminants are left in the lower pot, while the pure steam rises and is captured by the Survival Still.
  • The Survival Still rests on top of the bottom pot.
  • A second pot of water sits on top of the Survival Still, for the purpose of cooling the steam back into liquid water.
  • Droplets of pure distilled water then drip down and they flow into a storage container.

Once again, the Survival Still® is a wonderful addition to your preparedness plan, it is rugged enough, effective enough, simple enough, and effective enough to be one of your primary water purification methods, and unlike filters there is nothing to replace or clog.

As an added benefit, the action of condensing the pure steam heats the water in the top pot so that as you purify your drinking water on your campfire you are heating water for hygiene needs – so you are getting multiple benefits from the same device.

How does the Survival Still® compare to filters?

Survival Still®

All Filters
Meets Red Cross Recommendations

Yes

No
Converts Ocean Water into Drinkable Water

Yes

No
Fail Safe Protection (air gap that separates contaminated water from purified water)

Yes

No
Kills AND Removes Bacteria and Viruses

Yes

No
Lifetime Warranty

Yes

No
Lifetime Performance Guarantee

Yes

No
Made in the USA

Yes

No
Effective on Radioactive Contaminants

Yes

No
Effective on Toxic Metals

Yes

No
Excellent Value

$279

$139-399