Mosin Nagant M44 7.62X39 conversion.

Supreme One

Hello, I am going to convert a Mosin Nagant M44 from 7.62X54R to 7.62X39 and was wondering if anyone has done this or seen one or heard about it or whatever. My biggest worry is getting the shells to stay in and come out of the mag. The rest of the stuff seems pretty easy, just a lot of little work fitting and sanding and filing. I am getting a chamber adapter so that isn't even going to be a problem. I have talked to the gunsmith's son (also a certified gunsmith, just not in that line of work right now) and he has said he knew some guy who did it, back in Colorado. I am also going to redo the safety and convert that to the SKS safety ( http://badone07.freeservers.com/M44sporter/M44sporter.html ). I am already getting another bolt assembly (or two) but I will see what else I need when I really get started. I know I have to redo the bolt head so it will center and extract the 7.62X39 and customize the ejector and bolt so it sits in deeper do to the smaller head on the 7.62X39 case. This is all machining work except for the mag. That is where I am a little confused right now. I am not sure if putting a sleeve in or just redoing the whole thing almost from scratch would be the way to go. I am pretty sure I will have to put a block in the front part with a ramp to aid the shorter shell into the chamber, but again not sure until I get started. Right now I am just working out the design bugs in my head so I don't screw something up when I get all the parts. Any suggestions or comments would be a great help and I will keep whoever wants to know how it turns out posted but it may take a while to get it done.

Thank you,

Michael

Paranoid keeps you alive, worry just gives you stomach problems.Politics- From the words poly, meaning many, and tics, which are just little blood suckers.

If "con" is the opposite of "pro," then what is the opposite of progress?

rldowns3

With all the work and stuff going into the gun to do this why not just pick up a cheap SKS if you want a cheap shooter? Just outta curiosity.

Mobuck

Are you sure the extractor will catch the rim of the 7.62x39? The difference between the large rimmed round and the smaller rimless might exceed the lip of the extractor. I used a 7.62x39 chamber insert in a .308 mauser and half the time it would just pull the fired case out and drop it in the action. Even after lots of tinkering with the magazine it would only feed with one round in the mag.

Mobuck

Henry0Reilly

What a coincidence, we were just talking about this in the gun shop today. Please let me know when you are finished with the project. henryreilly@netscape.net

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Supreme One

Hello, I have an SKS, but you don't see too many bolt action 7.62X39s around, although they are made, so I see this as a fun winter profect and something I can still use. 20 round box of 7.62X54R= $5.00 (really cheap stuff, FMJ), 20 round box of 7.62X39= $1.99. That is only one reason I am doing this though. I just think the gun would be really cool in the 7.62X39 and not very common. I just think it would be something fun to do and if it turns out good I can share it with others so everyone can have some cheap fun. With the SKS (two 30 round detachable mags) 300 rounds goes by really fast with little to nothing to show for it. This way I can shoot the bolt action 5 rounds at a time and consentrate more on the skill part. I may even like it so much I'll use it hunting, where I hunt long shots aren't an option so the 39 will do even better than the 54. As for the SKS safety, who wouldn't want that as opposed to the usually Mosin Nagant safety? But I'll have to do some more research to see if that is the best alternative. Maybe there is a better option than even that. We'll see. The bolt head will have to be built up around the edges and the extractor will have to be welded up and filed down to grab the smaller head but it should work, with some work. I can use the SKS I have as a guide. Like I said, it has been done so it is not impossible, just takes time. In Wisconsin, in the winter, there is lots of time.

Thank you all,

Michael

Paranoid keeps you alive, worry just gives you stomach problems.Politics- From the words poly, meaning many, and tics, which are just little blood suckers.

If "con" is the opposite of "pro," then what is the opposite of progress?

rldowns3

Ah, ok, was just curious.

richbug

What about machining a new triggerguard assembly to take ak style mags? or modify the old one, swell it out and put a latch on it to take them. have a 30 round bolt action m44.

A man with a gun is a CITIZEN, a man without a gun is a subject.

rldowns3

Now that would be interesting! You could shoot all day long with a 75 round AK drum on an M44 bolt action LOL.

Python

Supreme one;
This is a conversion that will be FAR more diffecult than you think. The 7.62x54R is a bell head cartridge the 7.62x39 is rimless. The bolt face and extractor will have to be completely redesigned to work with the 7.62x39 cartridge. This will require an experienced machinist and it will require heat treating. Another problem is bore diameters can vary several thousands in the older Nagants. Chamber adapters, unless properly fitted and welded can be dangerous. The extractor notch will have to carefully measured and cut before installing.The math will have to be PRECISE in order to maintian tolerences and head space. The magazine will have to fabricated, I'm not aware of one that will without much alteration. This to me seems an awful lot of work on this old gun, espiecially for a reduction in power and range.
Converting any old rimmed rifle to a more modern rimless type can be far more trouble than its worth. If this is going to be done as a means of broading one's horizons as far as skill, then perhaps it would be worth while. But, don't kid yourself, it won't be easy. I once converted a pattern 14 Enfield from 303 to 30-06. This amounts to the same convertion you are talking about. I took the approach of shortening, rethreading and rechambering the barrel, rather than using a chamber adapter. In hind sight, it was a lot of fun, but it was a hell of a lot of work. And, the old 14 is a much better rifle for it.

snake-eyes

Kind of like buying a .50 cal and deciding you want a 30-30 instead.
Change guns. I will gladly get a SKS, remove the gas tube and gas port from the barrel and place a sleeve over the ports. Whalla, you have a single action 7.62x39. With alot of accessories available for it and she is legal to hunt with...until you put the 30 round clip on it.

*In 1909 Henry Ford created the Model T and it got around 30mpg..today's Ford's may be safer and more luxurious but in 100 years we've not really gotten further on a gallon of gasoline have we?*

snake-eyes

Kind of like buying a .50 cal and deciding you want a 30-30 instead.
Change guns. I would get a SKS ($100-140), remove the gas tube and gas port from the barrel and place a sleeve over the ports(make the sleeve from the original gas port sleeve by grinding it -down welding-and re-install. Whalla, you have a single action 7.62x39. With alot of accessories available for it and she is legal to hunt with...until you put the 30 round clip on it.

*In 1909 Henry Ford created the Model T and it got around 30mpg..today's Ford's may be safer and more luxurious but in 100 years we've not really gotten further on a gallon of gasoline have we?*

Iroquois Scout

For all the money that this is going to cost and all the headaches involved,it is my opinion that you would be better off buying a CZ in 7.62X39 for less then $450 brand new or one of the mini-Mausers in the same caliber. You would have to shoot a tremendous number of cartridges at $1.99 a box to justify the cost of this conversion. The chamber sleeve that you plan to use doesn't work very well and the proper way to do it would be to set the barrel back and rechamber it.