Bore scope of my new old m44L

[SnakeJaw]

Hi folks, just ran across a Soviet marked m44L at a gun store (the intermediate length with locking bayonet), all serial numbers match and the exterior is in very good shape. Ran a bore scope through it and considering how good the rest of the condition is in was surprised at how little rifling was left in there. Figured I’d post the scopes for the collective hive mind and see if anyone has any feedback on it.

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Main front scope and firing pin test:


Side scope for better depth perception:


Obviously having matching serial numbers is a benefit to collectors items, so I’m going to pass on rebarreling… but will it still shoot ok with what’s left? Or is it destined to be a long term rack queen? Interested to hear other fellow collector’s thoughts! This is my first Soviet addition to my collection so any knowledge is appreciated.

[steelbuttplate]

I've had '44's like that that would still hold a 4-5 " group at 50 yd. I don't ever remember a Mosin with wild groups or key holing. I had a '20 Lithgow .303 that would keyhole with milsurp ammo, but still do pretty well with commercial soft point.

[Junk Yard Dog]

I will run a guess here and say that bore is the result of some American Bubba not knowing about corrosive primed ammo before shooting it. I have bought more than 50 Soviet refurb carbines back in the day, some had counterbores, not one had a bore looking like that. Only time I seen that was in a Chinese type 53, they were known to have been used rough. The Soviets could and did slack here and there, but not to the point of letting seriously eroded bores slip by (assuming this M44 has an import mark on it and isn't something from the Balkan wars or North Korea/Vietnam) These rifles are now 25-30 years since imports began in the early to mid 90's. Lots of USA owners could have had hands on it in that time causing all sorts of havoc. SHoot it and see how well it does, still a piece of history no matter what is in the bore.

[SnakeJaw]

Very true, I think you’re right about it just being abused, it does have import marks from CAI Georgia VT, where it’s mislabeled as just a standard ‘m44’ (from what I understand this happened with most import 44L models). bore has very little rust though, it just looks shot to hell. Lots of interesting markings on it, wonder if any of you who are better educated than myself about the Russian markings can piece some info together?

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[millman]

How long is the barrel on that?

[racerguy00]

Looks like a standard m44 to me? As far as what's called the M44L goes, (I forget the Soviet designation) last I knew there were only 2 or 3 known in the US.

[SnakeJaw]

You’re right! My bad. I knew the L was ‘more unique’ but didn’t know they were that rare! The upside down L on the receiver after 1944 was what made me assume it was an L. I watched an in depth video about the L and can now say I’d be able to spot one, if I’m ever so lucky.

So what does the upside down L after 1944 mean? Is that a symbol for carbine? Given that it’s a standard m44, is there any reason to keep it in exactly the shape it’s in now (without recutting new grooves to improve shootability etc)? I guess there’s a possibility that it saw service in ww2 given the manufacture date, and how bad the barrel is shot out. Is there a way to tell that though with these 1944 issues?

[millman]

The r looking thing after the date means "year".

[racerguy00]

Have you fired it yet? Take it out and shoot it both with the bayonet extended and folded. Try different types of ammo too, have fun with it. It may do better than you think.

[SnakeJaw]

Have you fired it yet? Take it out and shoot it both with the bayonet extended and folded. Try different types of ammo too, have fun with it. It may do better than you think.

Not yet; planning on slugging the bore this weekend to find what diameter will help hedge my bets, then I’ll be reloading some to hopefully shoot next week. even if it’s not accurate it’ll be fun to shoot

[steelbuttplate]

Have you fired it yet? Take it out and shoot it both with the bayonet extended and folded. Try different types of ammo too, have fun with it. It may do better than you think.

Not yet; planning on slugging the bore this weekend to find what diameter will help hedge my bets, then I’ll be reloading some to hopefully shoot next week. even if it’s not accurate it’ll be fun to shoot

Some guys on here shoot cast bullets in their rifles .

[SnakeJaw]

Have you fired it yet? Take it out and shoot it both with the bayonet extended and folded. Try different types of ammo too, have fun with it. It may do better than you think.

Not yet; planning on slugging the bore this weekend to find what diameter will help hedge my bets, then I’ll be reloading some to hopefully shoot next week. even if it’s not accurate it’ll be fun to shoot

Some guys on here shoot cast bullets in their rifles .

Excellent, I cast often for my 44-40s … will have to do some digging around here to see what molds people are using for these m44s. Thinking of using 4895 as powder… thankfully just got stocked up on primers!

[ko4nrbs]

When I first got my M38 I couldn't hit a barndoor with it. Finally noticed the crown was buggered up pretty good from cleaning. I bought a tool like this, and it worked well.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/130735761109?h ... XQU6tRARA8
Used lapping compound and a drill to do it. Used figure of eight pattern while using the drill.
After recrowning and using a scout scope type mount it was very accurate.

Bill

[SA1911a1]

That is a bore, described as lightly frosted on Bungroper. ;)

Yea, it is ugly, but how does it shoot? At one time I was buying T-53s three at the time from Omega Weapons System. (RIP) for around a hundred bucks. I ended up with some that were smoothbores; they would keyhole at ten yards. I have also seen some gritty looking bores that still shot better than I do.

I suspect that rebarreling a M-44 would cost about as much as buying another M-44. In that case you would have twice the money in a gun worth half as much as an original.

[SnakeJaw]

Well, I just tried slugging the bore and had a real rough time. I’ve done this hundreds of times on various rifles without incident but on this one, I started with a .318 soft lead ball and a long brass rod. The ball starts properly, but after about 8 inches the ball jams up in the barrel and the brass rod starts to punch through the ball instead of continuing to push it through the bore. After punching through the ball I tapped around the edges of the ball to get it out. Retrieved it from the receiver and tried again 2 more times with the same result. Is there like an internal barrel lug or something in this design that would cause a hang up like that? I’m stumped. And I can’t even get an accurate read on bore diameter this way.

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[millman]

Put oil on it.

[SnakeJaw]

Put oil on it.

Well, it was so simple that it worked. The ball came out showing little sign of grooves and measured at 0.313 which from what I understand is 2 thou larger than groove diameter… so somewhere down the line, 11 thou worth of lands eroded, and 2 more thou eroded after that maybe it was just rusted so deep and someone took a steel brush on a drill and got it looking ‘shiny’. Either way, it’s my problem now. should I be looking at bullets sized at 0.313”?

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[millman]

Have you ever shot that rifle?

[SnakeJaw]

Not yet, trying to get a load together so I can

[steelbuttplate]

The Finns used .311 bullets in .309 bores if I remember correctly.