Need to know what my grampa's rifle is
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northern
Need to know what my grampa's rifle is
Revitalizing my grandfathers 30-06 for use as a family heirloom for my daughter. Does anyone know anything about this rifle?
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fgd135
Re: Need to know what my grampa's rifle is
Hello,
That rifle started out as a pattern 1891 Russian Mosin Nagant, caliber 7.62x54r, manufactured during WW1 for the Russians. The contracts were cancelled after the Bolsheviki took over in Russia, and some 300,000 Mosins were purchased as training rifles by the US government.
After WW1, the US sold off the rifles as surplus. Francis Bannerman purchased thousands of them for resale. His company converted some of those rifles to .30-06 and cut them down to resemble Krag carbines; that is exactly what you have there.
The conversion was done by removing the barrel, cutting back the chamber and then reaming it for a .30-06 cartridge. The extractor, magazine and bolt head were also modified to accept the .30-06. It was necessary to cut back the chamber because the diameter of the 7.62x54r case is larger near it's base than the 06.
Most people consider these rifles unsafe to shoot, as the .30-06 potentially develops much more chamber pressure than the original round. By cutting back the barrel threads, Bannerman reduced chamber strength somewhat, as the .30-06 chamber now extends into the thinner barrel area.
IF you wanted to shoot this thing, I'd stick with mild cast bullet handloads only and NEVER shoot military or commercial factory ammunition!
That rifle started out as a pattern 1891 Russian Mosin Nagant, caliber 7.62x54r, manufactured during WW1 for the Russians. The contracts were cancelled after the Bolsheviki took over in Russia, and some 300,000 Mosins were purchased as training rifles by the US government.
After WW1, the US sold off the rifles as surplus. Francis Bannerman purchased thousands of them for resale. His company converted some of those rifles to .30-06 and cut them down to resemble Krag carbines; that is exactly what you have there.
The conversion was done by removing the barrel, cutting back the chamber and then reaming it for a .30-06 cartridge. The extractor, magazine and bolt head were also modified to accept the .30-06. It was necessary to cut back the chamber because the diameter of the 7.62x54r case is larger near it's base than the 06.
Most people consider these rifles unsafe to shoot, as the .30-06 potentially develops much more chamber pressure than the original round. By cutting back the barrel threads, Bannerman reduced chamber strength somewhat, as the .30-06 chamber now extends into the thinner barrel area.
IF you wanted to shoot this thing, I'd stick with mild cast bullet handloads only and NEVER shoot military or commercial factory ammunition!