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 Bolt
The bolt head:
The most obvious change for the bolt head is the extractor, which has a distinctive burgundy-red color. My research into the color’s significance was mostly inconclusive, but it was mentioned by several folks that when dealing with Finnish Mosin-Nagants, the reddish color indicates parts made of extremely hard steel. Others mentioned it indicated steel with unusually high chromium content, just short of stainless steel. Either way, this makes sense (to me, anyway), as the Finns are known for shooting the hell out of their rifles and a beefier extractor is an upgrade common to many types of heavy-duty rifle.
The most obvious change for the bolt head is the extractor, which has a distinctive burgundy-red color. My research into the color’s significance was mostly inconclusive, but it was mentioned by several folks that when dealing with Finnish Mosin-Nagants, the reddish color indicates parts made of extremely hard steel. Others mentioned it indicated steel with unusually high chromium content, just short of stainless steel. Either way, this makes sense (to me, anyway), as the Finns are known for shooting the hell out of their rifles and a beefier extractor is an upgrade common to many types of heavy-duty rifle.
The second, less obvious change on the M28-76 bolt head is a wider bolt face with notches to provide clearance for the extractor and ejector. The bolt face of the Type 53 is small enough that it does not require the notches, simplifying manufacture, but the smaller bolt face will not support the base of cartridge as firmly as the wider bolt face of the M28-76, allowing more play and ultimately less accuracy. After examining several Mosin-Nagants, including pre-war hex receiver rifles, only the M28-76 was found with the wider, notched bolt face. This indicates that the wider bolt face was a design feature included only on the very earliest Russian Mosin-Nagants, or is perhaps a design feature completely unique to the Finnish Mosin-Nagants. If the latter is true, it also means that the entire M28-76 bolt head is a completely new part, machined in Finland to a unique set of Finnish specifications.
The lugs of the M28-76 have also been lapped to optimally distribute locking forces. When installed on the bolt body, the lugs of the M28-76 appear flat and even, while the Type 53’s lugs demonstrate an uneven slope. I confirmed this when I first received the rifle by applying marking fluid to the lugs and sure enough, the fluid was rubbed off cleanly and evenly on both lugs. I did not think to take pictures at the time, and do not want to clean out the chamber and lug recesses again, so take my word for it or go buy a M28-76 for yourself (you won’t regret it).
The bolt body, cocking piece, and other bits:
The most obvious feature of the bolt body is the turned-down bolt handle, which accommodates the large and delicate rear sight assembly. Some M28-76s have the turned-down handle bolted to the body with an ugly phillips head bolt, but mine is welded, thankfully.
The most obvious feature of the bolt body is the turned-down bolt handle, which accommodates the large and delicate rear sight assembly. Some M28-76s have the turned-down handle bolted to the body with an ugly phillips head bolt, but mine is welded, thankfully.
Immediately upon removing the bolt and flipping it over, I saw that the M28-76’s bolt guide channel had been polished, removing the circular tool marks common to every other Mosin-Nagant bolt I’ve seen.
The M28-76's locking and camming surfaces are smooth and polished, unlike the Type 53, but not noticeably more so than a pre-war Russian Mosin-Nagant. However, some magic has definitely been worked on the bolt, because it has the smoothest bolt throw I’ve ever felt on a Mosin-Nagant. The bolt throw is still somewhat heavy by modern standards, but outside of the weight, the bolt travel itself feels almost velvety. Locking, unlocking, and decocking operations all report success with a confident, assertive clicks, rather than the dejected thocks of the Type 53.
NOTE: The majority of pre-war hex receiver rifles also have the careful machining displayed above on the M28-76. Mid-war round receivers generally share the fast, cheap machining of the Type 53.
Bolt play in the fully open position is similar to the Type 53, but all other travel is much tighter, and the overall “feel” of the bolt is difficult to describe. “Slick” is perhaps the best word, but underrates the experience. The bolt is smooth, tight, a well-oiled machine tuned for performance. It’s an absolute joy to dry-fire, and although loading the rifle with ammunition adds a bit of weight to the closing and opening strokes, the smoothness never fades.
The safety on the cocking piece has been milled to provide clearance for the rear sight assembly. Other than that, I cannot see any obvious changes from the Type 53’s cocking piece.
The safety on the cocking piece has been milled to provide clearance for the rear sight assembly. Other than that, I cannot see any obvious changes from the Type 53’s cocking piece.
Some may have noticed that the bolt assembly appears well-worn. This is a common trait for Finnish rifles and appears for two reasons:
1) The Finns grabbed Mosin-Nagants (and any other weapon) wherever and whenever they could find them. That included pulling them from recent battlefields, where the rifles were often left out in the weather for weeks or months on end.
2) Finns shoot their rifles, a lot. The Mosin-Nagant bolt is largely unprotected steel, so after being exposed to the elements for a long time, they start to get beat up. Internal function is not affected as long as the rifle is maintained, but the exterior does shown signs of wear.
I think of it as a good thing. It means the rifle has history.
1) The Finns grabbed Mosin-Nagants (and any other weapon) wherever and whenever they could find them. That included pulling them from recent battlefields, where the rifles were often left out in the weather for weeks or months on end.
2) Finns shoot their rifles, a lot. The Mosin-Nagant bolt is largely unprotected steel, so after being exposed to the elements for a long time, they start to get beat up. Internal function is not affected as long as the rifle is maintained, but the exterior does shown signs of wear.
I think of it as a good thing. It means the rifle has history.
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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