Muzzle gauge

[mebailj]

I went to a shop to look at several refurbs today. I have two questions. Two of the rifle barrels and receivers were parkerized. The floor plates were blued. Was this part of the refurbishment process? Second is the guy there had a gauge that he put into the muzzle. He said it would tell how much the rifle had been shot, I.e., the condition of the bore. It looked like a throat erosion gauge for a Garand to me. He even stated that it was "for a Garand." Seemed strange to me. Am I right in that the Mosin has a .311 bore whereas the "Garand tool" he was supposedly using was for a .308 bore? The tool would go completely flush with several of the rifles and would actually stop about halfway out on others.

[jm190]

Here's the link to a good drawing of Mosin bore dimensions... http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/Bore.jpg, courtesy of 7.62x54.net

The most common test of a Mosin bore is to insert a 7.62x54r bullet, tip first, into the muzzle. Mosin bullets should be around .311' in diameter so using a .308" bullet or gage for another rifle will give you inaccurate results. On a rifle, even with moderate wear, the bullet should not go in to the case, unless it's been counter-bored.

[WeldonHunter]

Using a bore gauge on a lot of Mosin Nagants is not going to tell you how much it was shot. Most were cleaned from the muzzle and have cleaning rod wear if they weren't counterbored. That's been my experience anyway.

[qz2026]

Parkerizing was not part of the Russian refurb process. It was part of the Bubba refurbishment process.

[mebailj]

Yea, I thoroughly agree. I looked up the thread from last December, and I agree about the aging of the parkerizing. Our local DCM rifle club had a buddy at Anniston Depot in the 1990s. I called him and asked him if he would pick out a nice Garand for me. He sent my $165.00 rebuilt Garand with a 1965 barrel. It was like new in every possible way. Still looks that way today. But... It had that aged look anyway. These Mosins I saw were fresh parkerized. Bubba is definitely at work out there.

[shoto2758]

Parkerize,Duracoat,Cerakote..All Bubba's evil work..
Sounds like the guy at the shop,uses his "Garand tool" for everything..
I don't think you should be asking him Mosin questions..

[mebailj]

You're right. He doesn't deserve to even handle this respected piece of history. He seems like a plastic guy anyway.

[Ctrelok-2ID]

I can't seem to find a local gunsmith who even has the proper headspace gauges, etc. for a Mosin (but after looking at their labor charges, i could buy the gauges myself for the same price or less! :-D

[WeldonHunter]

I can't seem to find a local gunsmith who even has the proper headspace gauges, etc. for a Mosin (but after looking at their labor charges, i could buy the gauges myself for the same price or less! :-D

That's right. Headspace should be checked from time to time anyway, not just once when you buy the rifle. To pay a gunsmith every time is cost prohibitive compared $25 for a single Field or No-Go and $40 for the Field and No-Go set. One of our friends here on the forum, Todd at Okie Headspace Gauges, makes them too. http://www.okiegauges.com/sales.html