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So my LGS recently got in a bunch of “junk” guns. One was a Mossberg & sons model 40 from the 1930’s. It’s a tube fed bolt action .22 that holds 16 rounds. I paid a hefty $10 for it (can’t beat that):
The rifle is in excellent working order. It loads, feeds, and ejects like a champ. Also, the bore is spotless (best pic I could get):
There are two issues with the rifle though. 1, the rear sight is missing. 2, the stock is cracked:
So on a bored afternoon, what better way to spend it than making a post-apocalyptic survivor rifle just for fun!
August 12, 2030:
As I came out of the bunker after spending 10 years underground, I started scavenging for supplies. I needed a weapon. Rummaging through some destroyed houses, I came across a rifle. I couldn’t aim with it, though. Rear sight is gone. It’s useless at any distance more that 10-20 yards, but the front sight post should be ok for that distance. Luckily, I found some gun parts and tools laying around the same house! Found a scope mount for a Remington 870, a 3-9x TASCO scope (nicely beat up, but seems to work fine), some screws, duct tape, glue and even a drill that still had a charge (lucky me)!
With the stock, I glued the cracked part together and reinforced it with duct tape. It’s a .22, it’ll hold fine. Not like I have another choice. From there, I fitted the scope mount over the assembled rifle and marked some drill points on the stock through the holes on the mount, ensuring that eye relief is adequate, the bolt clears, and that shells eject ok.
After the holes were drilled on one side, I put the rifle back in the receiver, added 2 more random screws I found to the other side of the mount, checked how secure the mount and scope were (no wiggle and tight) and function checked everything. Works like a charm!
With this mount, it’s even see-through so I can still use the front sight post for up close work, while using the scope at a distance to hit small game or pesky drifters that are out to take my found canned goods. Being a bolt action, it should eat most .22 long rifle rounds I find, as semi-auto .22’s can be extra picky on ammo. While the caliber isn’t suitable for “combat”, it’s enough to get me by until I come across something better out in the wasteland.
So now I need to locate a rear sight and a replacement stock to return rifle to original condition, but this will be fun to play with for awhile and probably get me some strange looks at the range.