HD, I'm sorry. Friday was a bust. I made it out to the Camp Sunday, visions of illuminating the interior of the darkened "A" Range with Russian fireballs dancing in my head, only to find the wiring ripped out and no power. The lights weren't too big of a problem but without ventilation, it was not a good idea.
I've got a plan for tomorrow. It will happen, for the edumacation of our fellow forumites if nothing else, but as plans collapse the timetable changes. Worst case scenario - I'll wait a month or two until the days are short and do it at the gravel pit.
The M38 that I didn't shoot on Sunday is my display model, a 1943 Izhmash. No lamination but the stock has some real figure to it...it's not one of the "teeth-hurting-ugly" blonde birch stocks that the Communists are known for. The finish is just about 100% and it came with all the accessories - the only problem was a rough bore but I've seen such bores shoot before. We'll see how this one shoots. (Unfortunately it will be with Wolf softpoints, not known for their sterling accuracy. Then again, the original stuff wasn't all that either.)
My other M38 (because they are so good it's worth having two of them) has morphed into the Satori Practical Hunter. It was beat to hell, finish bad, mismatched parts, no accessory kit...just a disaster. The bore and sights were pristine. Big 5 was selling these beaters for $60 and tax. $60 rifle + $40 synthetic stock = $100 rifle that can't be broken by WWII era Russian conscripts, hits hard, shoots straight...and did I mention that it was only $100? Bang it around in the back of the truck? Sure. Drop it in the mud? Sure. Sit for six hours in the rain? Sure. Nothing's too bad for this rifle.
Ironically, the one time that I really needed a throwaway rifle - I'd stepped into a deep area of water and was stuck at the bottom due to the weight I was carrying - I'd had this rifle with me. I didn't throw it away. Instead, I held it out of the water above my head like a good serviceman and nearly drowned. Gifts are sometimes wasted upon the gifted.
It will take anything up to an elk at several hundred yards - about the limit of hunting ranges around here. It may take a bear but I don't want to try. I suppose that after a few years of my abuse it will die a glorious death; at that point, I'll buy another for $60 and start again. I never could see the utility in using a $1000 rifle out in the field.
Your video is coming, HD. It just may take a little while. (And I'm thinking about throwing in one from a vented .44 snubby, just as a bonus.)
TAPCO used to have a lot of "new old stock" M-N parts that would fit any model for cheap, including cleaning kits. They still might. Wolf ammunition isn't the best but it's cheap. If you want a lighter trigger, carefully stone a bit of metal off the sear. It makes a huge difference on these rifles. If it discharges when you throw the bolt forcefully you went too far. Get a replacement. If you don't already have one, get a combination tool - it has the all-important firing pin protrusion gauge, and while I normally eyeball my firing pins I'd rather be doing it with a gauge.
Good luck with your rifle, HD. You're going to love it. If you don't already have one, get an M44 next. ("Fix bayonets...charge!")
although not as bad as some others.
