Collecting and Shooting the Military Surplus Rifle (2006)

Article by Jamie Mangrum

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Recently I was reading our message forum and came upon a post that caught my interest. The post showed a picture of a simple scope mount that attached to the left side of the receiver ring of a Mauser. It is a drill and tap style mount that requires permanent modification to the firearm. The kicker is that the mount allows for the attachment of a side mounted Russian military POSP style scope. POSP scopes come in many configurations and from what I have read and seen offer clear and very bright optics at a bargain price. They come typically in either fixed or variable magnification and have battery powered (lit) reticules. All these features are bundled into a very military non-commercial looking package. Using the POSP style scope and base combination you can easily remove the scope for transit and reinstall on the rifle with minimal sight-in, if any. The forum poster asked if anyone had ever installed this mount on a Mauser and I toyed with the idea for an article because of the minimal cost and novelty. I found a good candidate for the project in a Yugo m48 that I had already previously made modifications to. I went ahead and ordered the mount from InterOrdnance for only $19.95.

Around the same time John Huber contacted me and stated the following:

Jamie, I have been busy inventing new model triggers. Lately, I have been working on the 1891 Argentine Mauser and 30-40 Krag model triggers. And today I finished, at the request of a customer, the design of a true Two-Stage Mauser trigger with my patented features. The first stage pull is around 1.5 lbs and the second stage breaks at around 2.5 to 4 lbs depending on how adjusted. Like my other triggers it has full creep & over-travel adjustments. This is going to be a real gem for service rifle match shooters. I will have to look at adapting the 2-ball concept to the other rifles. - John

Note the new two-stage trigger on the left with two anti-friction balls. The trigger on the right is an original design, single stage, single ball trigger.

I figured a good sniper rifle needs a good trigger so I asked John to send me a prototype for the article. The great thing is that I could install the trigger in the rifle I chose for the project with minimal effort because it already had a Huber trigger installed from a prior project. In the prior article I had to inlet the inside of the trigger area of the stock so the trigger would fit properly and move without obstruction. I would not have to repeat this step with this project.

Note: For detailed instructions for installing a Huber trigger in a Mauser please click here.

Huber Concepts
514 Thorp St
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin 54935
PH# 920-921-9641
Email: johnf@huberconcepts.com
Web Page: http://www.huberconcepts.com/

Product Featured:
http://www.huberconcepts.com/Mauser_Trigger_Replacement.htm

Price: $84 + S&H

A week later the mount arrived in the mail and after examining it I concluded that it is a very basic and sturdy piece of hardware. To install the mount does require some basic gunsmithing skills. You will need to disassemble the rifle and then drill and tap three holes on the left side of the receiver ring. Also, if your Mauser has some sort of venting hole in the location where the mount is supposed to be attached then using this mount is not a good or safe idea. The mount came without any instructions and I had a dickens of a time figuring out the size of the screws and the thread pitch.

Mauser POSP Scope Mount Base

InterOrdnance of America
3305 Westwood Industrial Dr
Monroe, NC 28110
PH# (704) 225-8843
Email: research@interordnance.com
Web Page: http://www.interordnance.com/

Product Featured: http://www.interordnance.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=INTERORDNANCE.com&Product_Code=M48SCM

Price: $19.95 + S&H

Note - 01/12/2006

As of 01/12/2006 I have noticed that Interordnance increased the price on the mount to $49.95.

Now that I had a POSP scope mount I found I needed a POSP scope. I was not really sure as to what to get so I spoke with Jeffrey at Kalinka Optics. I ended up selecting a basic fixed POSP 4x24 with a 1000 meter rangefinder. As pictured in figure 3 it is a very military looking scope that sells for around $109 + S&H. I read there are several types of POSP scope bases so after looking at the picture of my mount Jeffrey recommended the SKS/SVD version. He was correct as it fit my new mount base perfectly.

POSP 4x24 w/ 1000 Meter Rangefinder Rifle Scope, SKS/SVD Version

For POSP scopes there is an AK mount and an SVD mount. The difference:

They will fit as follows:

The AK �V� clamp can easily be mounted to any of these rifles with the standard side rail: AK-47, AK-74, Vepr, Saiga, K-var, KBI, Hesse, Century and Arsenal USA copies, Romak1/2, SLR-93, SLR-95, SLR-101, MK-11, SAR, WUM, SA85M, WASR (check for installed rail), Maddi, Norinco and Poly-Tech copies.

The SVD/SKS clamp will fit any of these rifles with the standard side rail: SVD, SKS, NDM-96, Russian Tigr, Romak-3, SSG-97 and PSL rifles. Additionally, both versions will fit any of our universal side rails sold in the Side Rails section.

Kalinka Enterprises, LLC
254 Junco Circle
Longs, SC 29568, USA
Email: info@kalinkaoptics.com
Web Page: http://www.kalinkaoptics.com

Product Featured:
http://www.kalinkaoptics.com/cgi-bin/kowstore.cgi?user_action=detail&catalogno=GSPOSP424SVD1

Price: $109 + S&H

The reticule on the scope I chose is easy enough to use and the range finder works pretty well for such a simple system. If you look at figure 4 in the lower left hand corner you will see a curved measurement scale. At the bottom of the scale you will see a graduated flat line with the number 1.8 to the far right. The number represents 1.8 meters. 1.8 meters (5 foot 10/11 inches) is the height of an average man. If you were looking through the scope at an average height man at a distance of 200 meters and positioned the range finder scale over him, his feet should touch the bottom flat line and the top of his head will touch the number 2 on the curved scale.

POSP 4x24 Reticule

You get 200 meters by taking the number 2 from the scale and multiplying it by 100. As the man moves away from you and the distance increases, his image will become smaller. Where ever the top of his head intersects the curved line that is the number you take and multiply by 100. So if the top of his head touched between the 6 and the 4 then he would be standing about 500 (5 x 100) meters away from you. You would then be able to choose what inverted "V" to place on the target depending on the ammo and load you are shooting. A good sniper knows the capabilities and characteristics of his ammo. I have become a lazy shooter and pretty much shoot what ever is the cheapest of late. So, I am not a good sniper.

Figure 5 shows that the supplied screws only extend a short distance so it is not necessary to drill very deep holes in the receiver.

Aligning the mount

After disassembling my m48 I placed the mount against the ring to make initial alignments. I is very important to make certain you do not position any of the screw holes to be over the chamber of the rifle. If you position the mount as pictured where it is centered on the ring then you should be all right.

Before proceeding I cleaned both the back of the mount as well as the area of the receiver I was going to install the mount.

In figure 8 I have the mount held in position by a quick clamp to illustrate the position and alignment of the mount with the receiver. The base of the mount will sit outside the rifle stock running parallel to the stock's side.

Prepping to drill

I was unable to leave the quick clamped mount in place while I drilled in my press so I tried wrapping large rubber bands and found the mount still moved around quite a bit. I ended up placing several drops of Super Glue on the area where the back of the mount touched the receiver. Once I let this set up, the mount was temporarily secured enough for me to complete my drilling. It came loose again as I was drilling the last hole.

CAUTION: Before proceeding chamber clearance must be checked. Drilling into the chamber area (incorrect mount positioning) may result in injury or death

I slowly drilled each hole with a Number 16 drill bit (.177) to a shallow depth that was somewhat deeper than the length of the extended screw at the back of the mount.

The MIT machinist reference describes tapping as:

A tap has cutting edges to cut the threads and straight flutes to allow chips to be expelled. The end of the tap is tapered slightly to help the tap get started. Taps are hard and brittle so you should be careful working with them (try not to drop them or force them into a hole when stuck). Be sure that the hole you drilled is the correct size for the tap you're using or it may break inside.

Put the tap in place and apply moderate pressure as you turn the tap. It's good practice to back the tap up a bit for every quarter turn of thread you cut.

Tapping!

I used a 12/24 tap because it mates with Number 16 drill bit and it was the closest thing I had that looked like it matched the threads of the screws. Next I placed a small amount of machine oil into each of the three holes. This helps the tap turn more easily in the hole while making threads. Halfway through the tapping process of each hole you will want to apply more oil. If the tap hangs do not force it and back out the tap some and oil before proceeding. Otherwise you will potentially break off the tap in the hole and you will have a nightmare of a time attempting to remove it. Once you are finished tapping, clean the area around the holes and remove burrs and filings from the tapped holes.

Warning!

It is possible that the screws you receive with your mount may be a different size than what I encountered in my project. Please do not just drill and tap to my specifications because you may find that your screws do not fit properly. My suggestion is to measure your screws and if you are still uncertain then take them to the hardware store and ask for help. A reader reminded me of an old saying: Measure twice, drill once.

I applied a permanent thread locking compound (Loctite) to hold the screws in place.

Loctite Threadlockers

Invented by Henkel Loctite as a revolutionary method to lock and seal threaded fasteners, Loctite� Liquid Threadlockers have found wide acceptance in a range of applications - from delicate electronic components to heavy construction equipment. Loctite� Threadlockers are available in varying viscosities and strengths for virtually any application, including exposure to extreme environments

I screwed in each of the screws. It was a very tight fit, but I am certain it will hold.

Prepping the stock

Once the mount was installed I found I had to make two minor modifications to the stock. The small section of the mount that attaches to the receiver will require you to inlet a small section on the left side of the forearm of the stock. I took a utility blade and marked on both sides of the block.

Next I cut down into the stock about 3/8's where I had made my marks.

Then taking the same blade I carved out a little bit at a time while constantly checking for fit so I did not have to remove too much.

Figure 17 shows the completed modification and the stock in place.

With a Mauser that has a hand guard that extends behind the rear sight you will also need to cut out a very small amount of wood as shown in figure 18.

Figure 19 shows the completed mount installation.

I lined up the scope with the rear of the rails and slid it all the way forward.

Once I locked the scope in place I found it is a very stable platform indeed. Figure 21 shows what the mount looks like installed, from the left hand vantage point.

Figure 22 shows what the mount looks like installed, from the right hand vantage point.

Safety clears the scope.

A couple of great features you will find with a side mounted scope installed on a Mauser is that you can work the Mauser safety easily so no modification is necessary and the bolt handle on the m48 clears the scope easily and does not need to be modified.

View from behind. Note that you can still use the open sights.

Finally I was off to the range. I was worried about sighting in the scope because I could not use my handy bore sighting tool (that I have become very dependent upon) because the scope is not directly inline with the bore. I could bore sight it. The lazy side of me decided to shoot the rifle to see how far off I was. I fired off my first two shots and was extremely happy to find out that I was all ready on the paper.

Heck, I was more than on the paper! Figure 25 shows my first 5 shots at a distance of 50 yards. Granted most anyone can shoot well at 50 yards, but this is the distance I start out at when initially configuring a scope. The first two rounds went almost through the same hole and then after I adjusted windage a little it still patterned three holes as tight as can be. Here is the real surprise - I had forgotten to pick up some good commercial ammo the day before and only had surplus 8mm ammo of which I expected very poor accuracy.

First 5 shots at 50 yards

Figure 26 shows my completed project at the range sitting on the bench with my bandoleer of ammo and spotting scope.

	Once I got the scope dialed in the rifle performed flawlessly. The new Huber two-stage trigger is sweet. It is like having the best of both worlds: the great trigger pull of a competition, single stage trigger blended with the traditional military two-stage movement. I was walking towards my bench and almost screamed like a little girl because I saw my rifle roll off the bench onto the ground. Luckily it landed upright, landing on the rubber, slip-on butt pad I had installed to protect my shoulder. I was still horrified and expected the worse.
5 shot target at 100 yards
I truly expected that I had ruined the setup or at the very least would be completely off target. My worst fears were not realized at all. I shot my next 5 rounds and only had to make a very minor adjustment to the windage. All in all everything performed well above expectations. The only thing I wish I had remembered was a battery for the lit reticule. I will have to try that out at a later date. Between the new Huber trigger and POSP scope I was a pseudo sniper with a big grin on my face.
	One thing I would add/improve (and I have already ordered one) to the setup is a slip on cheek pad for the butt stock. I found the height of the scope was perfect for me, but the scope is a little further to the left than I am used to. The cheek pad would place my head in perfect alignment for a side mounted scope. What is funny is that I only borrowed the scope for this article with the intent of returning it afterwards. I have since sent an email to Kalinka stating - "Just charge me as this baby has a permanent home on my rifle!"
M1 Garand sniper style leather cheek pad for the Mauser rifle available from InterOrdnance.

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Article by Jamie Mangrum