Hungarian M52 91/30 PU

[mjac]

Hi,
New here.
I have decided to learn about the rifle I brought back from Vietnam. Can anyone point me to info on it? I am not looking to part with it I just want to learn more about it. Also, it has been keep clean and spent the last 45 years in various closets, is there any special requirements/precautions I should observe if I decide to shoot it? That is if I can find some ammo?
TIA

[WeldonHunter]

Hi,
New here.
I have decided to learn about the rifle I brought back from Vietnam. Can anyone point me to info on it? I am not looking to part with it I just want to learn more about it. Also, it has been keep clean and spent the last 45 years in various closets, is there any special requirements/precautions I should observe if I decide to shoot it? That is if I can find some ammo?
TIA

Welcome to the forum. What a great way to start out here. That's a fairly rare rifle and depending on what the condition is very valuable too especially considering the history and that you brought it back. Junk Yard Dog has one and it has a similar history. First thing would be to post some pictures of it so we can see what condition it's in. Plus we just want to see it.
At a minimum it probably needs to be cleaned thoroughly inside and out. The firing pin protrusion should be checked and the headspace should also be checked. Okie Headspace Gauges has them http://www.okiegauges.com/sales.html and you'll need the field gauge at a minimum but the No Go and Field are what a lot of guys have. I have all three but the Go gauge is mainly for intial setup and not really needed. These gauges come with instructions and are easy to use. Takes about 2 minutes.
The firing pin protrusion can be checked with a multi-tool that Liberty Tree Collectors has and it's a Hungarian marked tool. https://www.libertytreecollectors.com/p ... ategory=41 To disassemble the bolt and check firing pin protrusion see the video below. When the tool is on the 75 mark it should rock from side to side slightly. When on the 95 mark it should clear the tip of the firing pin. Below is some reading about disassembly of the base rifle (not the scope) and some cleaning tips. You don't need to remove the lower scope base but the upper scope base should be removed for cleaning. Do not remove the scope from the upper mount. It's been set where it needs to be and witness marked.

As far as shooting the rifle as I said it's a fairly rare and valuable rifle. Be carefull if you do decide to shoot it. There's plenty of ammo available. Look here http://gun-deals.com/ammo.php?caliber=7.62x54R and you'll see plenty of choices. SGAmmo is probably going to be the best deal where you're located once you consider shipping. Great rifle and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

Links to check out:
http://www.russian-mosin-nagant-forum.com/information/
http://www.russian-mosin-nagant-forum.c ... index.html
http://www.russian-mosin-nagant-forum.c ... f=5&t=6932

[WeldonHunter]

Here's some additional info.

Sighting a PU Sniper.
http://mosinnagant.net/sniper%20section ... ghting.asp

Hungarian M91/30. There's info. here that applies to Hungarian PU snipers. This is also a good site to look around on. Lots of info. here.
http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinM9130H.htm

[mjac]

WeldonHunter,
Thanks so much for your input! It looks like I'll be reading for awhile. Actually the rifle is residing in a closet at my son's home in OK. I used to travel a good bit and he has been it's guardian for quite a while now. Perhaps I'll need a road trip to repo it!
I have attached some ID pictures he has sent me. All I have for now. Hope they help.
The last time it was fired in anger was at me and it's previous owner did not survive our meeting. When I was transporting it back to CONUS I had to remove the bolt and scope. It's all back in one piece now but who knows about the scope's alignment.
Thanks again,
Mike

[Junk Yard Dog]

Welcome to the Forum, I have a similar Hungarian PU, I purchased it from the man who captured and brought it home in 1971. From what I can tell the only way these Hungarian PU's seem to show up in the US is if they were captured and brought here rather than imported like the Hungarian M44's as surplus. The Hungarians didn't make all that many, and they sold them to their North Vietnamese socialist brothers in the 1960's. It's a basic PU sniper just like the Soviet markings. Maybe nicer made than the wartime produced Soviet rifles, and with differing markings of course. Check the headspace in the rifle, when I checked mine I found it failed the No/Go, and field headspace gauges, the headspace in this rifle was serious crap. How the North Vietnamese let it out in the field like that is beyond me, it would have effected accuracy, and likely produced bulged cases when fired. I have corrected the problem with a proper Hungarian marked bolt head swapped into it, but have retained the original with the rifle. It would be a good idea to safeguard the weapon in a gun vault, it has a dollar value several times that of the regular Soviet PU , I have seen them trade in the $1500-$2000 price range, as well as the $3000 plus range. If you plan to shoot it with surplus ammo remember that the commie crap is corrosively primed and deposits salts in the bore when fired. A quart of boiling water washed down the bore before regular cleaning with bore solvent will get the job done.
Here are pics of mine

[mjac]

Thanks for the cleaning tips. I use similar methods with my BP rifles after shooting substitute power when I can't get the the real thing.
Nice pics. I think I'll forward them to my son to check out the other markings I see. Shoot, I'll ask him to come to this forum!
Was the sling intact when you got it? Mine had a piece of rope and was discarded long ago. Where would one find a period correct sling?

[Junk Yard Dog]

The sling on it is the one that came with it. The man who captured it never fired the weapon, he did what you did and put it away until a nasty divorce forced it's sale, he still has the option to buy it back 16 years later. There are signs of use on the rifle, but it's in nice enough shape that it was unlikely in the field long. Unfortunately it was there long enough to account for at least one American life that the last owner knew of, it isn't a rifle that I use for casual plinking knowing that.
The substitute powders work fine in caplock ML's, but not in flinters. These days you can order real black powder through the mail from Grafs, or Powder inc among other places, they can now legally ship up to 50 pounds without any special licenses, you just pay UPS a Haz-Mat charge of $25 a shipment over regular shipping cost. When you buy bulk it's not that bad, and the only way to get real black in most places.

[mjac]

The NVA shooter must have been poorly trained as he had been shooting at me and my buddy most of a day without success that day. On the preceding day he had been successful. When we got to him he was trying to escape in a small boat with two others, I fired and he fell mortally wounded into the water. When I retrieved his rifle from the water and got back up on the bank, I instinctively opened the bolt and out came a round. Later after searching the body and gear, I realized that was the last round he had. I had gotten on my trigger before he could use his last bullet. Yeah, the rifle is special to me.
Fortunately my club buys BP in bulk and we split the Hazmat shipping fee. Unfortunately I always seem to run out of the real stuff and have to use a sub before we can order more.
I'll hunt for an appropriate sling.
Thanks

[Junk Yard Dog]

There were a large number of Hungarian M44 carbines imported a few years back, slings probably came with them. Keep an eye on Gunbroker.com for them, but any Soviet sling will fit it. I can see why the rifle would be special to you, it would have been interesting to see how he had that scope adjusted.

[mjac]

There is one on GB now. Can I post a live link here?

[Junk Yard Dog]

Please no live links, but I would like to see it myself if you could PM it to me, that will be the third one I have seen on there in the last six years.

[mjac]

Its a M44 sling plus accessories. Not the rifle.

[mjac]

JYD,
Correction, I found a M44 rifle there too.
You have two pm's

[Junk Yard Dog]

Oh, OK, I thought you had found another PU sniper on there for sale The sling set is priced right, it's a basic Soviet manufactured kit as is currently offered with the refurbished 91/30 rifles. It has everything you need to complete the rifle. The M44 at $275 is on the high side, this is a Soviet post WW2 refurbished carbine, right now they can be found in the $200-$250 price range, it will have been made at the USSR's Izhevsk arsenal sometime between 1944-1948, 1943 being a special low production trials year and highly unlikely to find at that price.

[Blueliner]

mjac, thank you for your service and for sharing your story.