This article is part of a series on the M28-76 Mosin-Nagant, with comparisons to Chinese Type 53 Mosin-Nagant. Click the link to return to the full article: M28-76 Review
The M28-76 Barrel and Chamber
For sheer accuracy, the M28-76 has few rivals. This is due in large part to the barrel, which is a heavy-profile tube very similar (if not identical) to the barrel originally found on the M28-30. The barrel is free floated in the stock along its entire length, passing the “dollar bill test” with flying colors. The barrel manufacturer is unknown as this rifle is a “total sneak”, a feature uncommon on Finnish Mosin-Nagants. Deciphering a Finnish Mosin-Nagant’s history via its various stamps and rollmarks is a hobby unto itself, but my particular M28-76 (and many others) lacks almost any identification codes. It doesn’t bother me much, though, because the rifling is mirror bright and pristine, and has never known corrosive ammunition (at least under my care). The barrel is 26” long, measuring 1.16” at the receiver and tapering to .63” at the muzzle.
My M28-76 appears to be chambered in 7.62x54R, whereas many others are chambered in the somewhat unique Finnish 7.62x53R. I say “appears” because there is no indication of chambering stamped anywhere on my rifle, but the common theory is that if the bolt does not want to close on a x54R round, then the rifle is chambered for x53R. The bore could also be slugged to determine if the rifling is intended for the .312” x54R bullet, or the .309” x53R bullet, but it’s easier to simply fit-test. Thus, I know from experience that my particular rifle will chamber and shoot x54R (with exceptional accuracy, by the way), but it is a tight fit, particularly on extraction. This is to be expected, however, as the M28-76 was developed for precision shooting and features an extremely tight chamber. The tightly-toleranced parts provide good accuracy, but make you work a bit harder on chambering and extraction. Steel-cased ammunition is particularly stubborn, usually requiring two hands to open the bolt, so I rarely shoot anything but good brass.
There is a witness mark on the bottom of the barrel and receiver, suggesting that the barrel was removed and re-installed, or perhaps replaced entirely.
This article is part of a series on the M28-76 Mosin-Nagant, with comparisons to Chinese Type 53 Mosin-Nagant. Click the link to return to the full article: M28-76 Review
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