Bullet: Speer 0.311" 180gr Hot-Cor
Powder: 12.0gr REX-1
Case: PPU, short-sized to reduce working, and create a false neck to center in the chamber. 0.304" neck ID.
Primer: CCI 200
COAL: 2.98"

Hovering about 1 MOA for 10 shots, but with outliers on call.

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I've participated in a few Military Bolt Action Rifle  matches with a Garand and The Load Mod 2  , even "winning" most strings of fire, but last year I was invited to the Oklahoma state match where I would need a proper bolt action. A friend offered to let me borrow his Mosin Nagant that he wasn't satisfied with. I doubted it would shoot great, but wanted it to shoot expectedly  (group not pattern). The first thing I did was clean, inspect, and reassemble with ammo box cardboard shims at the front and rear of the action and tip of the stock to center the barrel in the channel. The bore was... not promising. I'm not sure if a conscript or this college kid did more damage by negligence and abuse  .

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I scrubbed the bore with dozens of patches soaked with Hoppe's #9 and JB bore paste on a brush. It went from dark to frosty. A couple days later it darkened again, so I scrubbed again, finishing with more oil. The bore slugged at 0.303" x 0.315". I ordered some PPU brass and Missouri Bullets 167gr Russian   bullets. Using The Load of 13gr Red Dot, I saw abysmal performance at 25 and 100yds, with or without bayonet. I fired some light ball to see if the barrel was that screwed, but it grouped as expected, almost respectably. I figured the Missouri bullets were too soft or the bore was too rough for the coating. Bore is scrubbed again and looks ok from breech to muzzle, but muzzle to breech is still frosty.

Having used the last of my Red Dot and not finding any in stock, another friend gave me a pound of REX-1. The least expensive, higher quality, fat .30 cal bullet I could find was the Speer 180gr Hot-Cor. The main rules of The Load are 1) case bigger than Krag, 2) normal weight bullet for cartridge, 3) 13gr Red Dot. Since I was using a heavier bullet and powder approximating Red Dot, I chose 12gr. This bullet isn't quite as blunt, and I couldn't jam the bullet into the lands without sacrificing neck tension. Even at 2.98" COAL, the base of the bullet is only 0.18" into the neck.

Here you can see the wasp waist between the false neck and bullet.
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The first test was offhand at 25yds in a back pasture, but it showed promise, right before my club's July High Power Rifle match in which I wanted to vie for the vintage rifle award. The goal there was 375/500 points, which I missed with a 349, aiming with the right corner of the post in center-mass. An expectable score, maybe respectable for a shakedown. The bore is now cleaned with just patches on jags, and quite shiny both ways, but you can see the imperfections.

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Only the best benchrest equipment for me!
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This past weekend I finally got to put the Mosin in it's first MBAR match. Using the 550m setting and center-mass hold the sighters hit 4 MOA high and 3 MOA right. I almost remembered the sight graduations that I measured  and went to 500m and 6:00 hold.

The 1st group for record was 1.3 MOA.  As expected.
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The 2nd group was 1.4 MOA.
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The 1st score for record was 82/100. Sight at 500m, 6:00 hold, gradually sliding the post left and up to center mass, using the top-right corner.
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2nd score was 94/100-3x. The first two shots were at 4:30. I then moved to 550m and held under a thick line of white, thinking it was a 4 MOA shift. When holding a thin line of white, near enough 6:00 with the top-right corner - boom. I started calling shots within the 10-ring, laughing in disbelief while single loading.
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3rd score was 96/100. I was either getting tired or didn't have my natural point of aim aligned well, causing more windage. I pulled the low 3. This Mosin doesn't have a terrible trigger, but it feels like a double action. You can see the cocking piece dip during the press.
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Summary target.
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I think it's rehabilitated. Now to chronograph, confirm bayonet zero with The Load and light ball, and hopefully push the front sight to the right 0.020".

ETA: Afterwards I plinked at the 200yd steel. I found one of the misses. It measured 0.303 x 0.315". You can see remnants of moly coat that the tumbler couldn't remove, when I decided that a hydroscopic substance might not be good for such a porous surface.
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Impressive shooting for a run of the mill 91/30

Borescope update .

Nice shooting .

Bayonet zero check.

2nd HP match.

Very interesting.  What do you suppose the muzzle velocity is?  

I also have a 91/30 I jokingly call my "National Match" Mosin.  I clipped one coil off the striker spring and used cardboard shims as bedding which cured the wandering zero issue I had.

I haven't chronod the 13gr Rex-1 load yet.

Faulty internet disconnector.