Recently I purchased a Mosin-Nagant 91/30 with the intention of “sporterizing” it (modernizing), but when I got it home and looked more closely at the rifle, I realized that it was in way too nice of a condition to modify, so I decided to sport my M44 instead. From a collector standpoint, my 91/30 has actual WW2 pedigree, being made in 1942, all of the major parts have matching serial numbers, and the stock is in very good condition, whereas my M44 was made in 1946, has mismatched bolt, receiver and internal magazine cover plate numbers and the stock is beat to hell. I have some big plans for this M44 sporterization but the first step was disassembly of the rifle and checking the fit of the aftermarket stock. The stock is a black “Monte Carlo” style stock made by ATI and available at most online firearms accessory stores. I prefer J & G Sales out of Arizona (www.jgsales.com) because they’ve always been very good to me, have great customer service, good prices (especially on milsurp stuff), and fast shipping to Southern California.
Here’s a “before” shot…
Mostly disassembled…
And after the installation in the new stock…
The ATI stock actually has a pretty nice fit, considering that it’s a generic, mold-injected, “drop-in” stock that will accept every Mosin variant. I had to just barely file one or two small areas for clearance, but then I was able to get it to pop right in by squeezing it gently with my vise (and rubber vise jaws, of course). With the Monte Carlo handgrip and integrated cheekrest, it certainly makes the Mosin a more comfortable and ergonomic rifle. The most drastic change is actually to the overall “personality” of the rifle. It feels completely different- less chunky and utilitarian, more sleek and mean…or as my fiancee Kim said, “it looks like some kind of badass cyberninja gun or something now!”
OK, that’s all for now. More soon.
-~D~-