Modifying the Mossberg 44
By Bill Hawks
Since a few people have expressed an
interest in my Mossberg model 44, I have put together a bit of information that
may or may not be helpful to someone who is considering a similar project. Please keep in mind that I am not a gunsmith,
and the information contained within this document is provided strictly for
your entertainment. Please do not blame
me if you attempt any of this stuff and it does not come out to your
satisfaction. As I said before, I’m no
expert, and I screw things up myself all the time.
This particular gun is really a work in progress. There are a few modifications that I still want to make. I only brought it to the mini-palma match because it was the last match of the year, the gun was almost finished, and I really wanted to see how it would perform. I knew the gun shot well, but I didn’t really expect to be able to clean any targets with it. I was pleasantly surprised.
To begin with, these things shoot great just as they are. However, I knew there were a few things that I wanted to change about the gun to make it more useful to me. At the same time, I didn’t want to do anything that would negatively affect the accuracy that is inherent in these rifles. I knew I would only be out the $75 plus shipping if I messed up the gun, and it was sure to be a learning experience.
I wanted to be
able to shoot both with iron sights and with a scope. The sights that come with the training rifle
were not to my satisfaction, and there is no scope mount that is produced for
this gun that I am aware of. I chose to
try and incorporate both by drilling and taping the receiver for a two piece
Weaver style mount, and using a barrel band for the front sight. The diameter of the barrel is ¾ inch, which
is a fairly standard size. I chose a
Lipski barrel band because it will accept Anschutz, Redfield, and most other
front sights assemblies. The band also
has screw on bases that come in different heights. It uses .562” center to center spacing.
Lipski also makes a competition rear sight base that will fit on the Weaver scope base and accepts receiver-style target sights like the Redfield Palma, which is what I use. Thanks again to the CMP and the H&R model 12.
If you choose to drill and tap for the Weaver
bases, there are a couple of thing to consider.
This may seem obvious to some, but I learned it the hard way, and I
think it may be worth mentioning.
Placement of the bases may be more critical than you think. Consider the positions that you will be
shooting from, and make sure you will have enough room to adjust for eye relief
with the scope that you choose. The
action is pretty short, so I had to place the front base as far forward as
possible to be able to move the scope forward enough when in the prone
position. At the same time, you may want
to position the rear base a bit farther back to accommodate the rear sight
base. An alternative would be to use
bases and/or rings that cantilever over the receiver to add a little more room
for adjustment.
Another modification I made to the receiver
was the addition of a second pillar that is also visible in this picture. A threaded hole already exists at this point
to secure the trigger group and hold the magazine catch. I then drilled a hole in the stock that
corresponded with the new pillar, this allows me to use a second screw to
further secure the receiver, which is important because I also have free-floated
the barrel. This could be taken one step
further by using epoxy or similar type of bedding compound. I have not done this yet, but I probably
will. Although some rifles of this type
have a reputation for arriving with broken trigger guards, I have been
fortunate enough to have received two rifles with the trigger guards
intact. The trigger guard needs only
slight modification to accommodate the new pillar screw. I have not seen the replacement trigger
guards that are being sold by Craig Bruce, but others have had positive things
to say about them. If your rifle arrives
with a broken trigger guard, or you break it yourself, a better-than-factory
replacement part is available from Craig for $25.
Now that the receiver was secure, I was
able to remove wood from the barrel channel so the barrel would free
float. The original barrel band was also
removed at this point. Most of the
material was removed by clamping the stock in my cross-slide vise, and a
rounded rasp bit. This is quicker than
sandpaper, but I still had to do plenty of that just for cosmetic reasons.
Next I added an accessory rail so I could use an adjustable hand stop and sling swivel. To accomplish this, I built a jig for my router that allowed me to cut a very precise channel. Piece of cake J.
The last addition
was an adjustable cheek-piece to get my eye in line with the scope. I started by cutting out a piece of the stock
in the general vicinity of where my cheek felt most comfortable. I ‘m sure it would be much easier to install
a hardware kit that someone has developed specifically for this purpose, but I
decided to try it on my own. After all,
this gun was as much an experiment as anything else. I now have a much greater appreciation for
the true craftsmen who build custom rifles.
However, I still think they charge too much. Once the piece was removed, holes were
drilled in the stock for brass sleeves that would accept the steel rods that
are permanently set into the cheek-piece.
My good buddy, Steve, was kind enough to machine a couple of knobs for
me that screw into the back of the stock and hold the steel rods in place after
it is properly adjusted. I used 
threaded
inserts to accept the threaded knobs.
There are also holes in the brass sleeves where the knobs and sleeves
intersect.
I picked up the adjustable butt plate at a gun show for $25 the day before the match, and added it to the gun. I don’t know what kind it is, or where it came from, but it is a great improvement over the steel plate that comes on the rifle. Once I replace the pad, I think it will be a satisfactory addition to the rifle.
The finish that I used on the rifle is enamel, with an automotive clear coat. The green on the metal parts is a baked on finish. It remains to be seen how well it will stand up to wear and chemicals.
The main task that still remains is to improve the trigger a bit. All of the M44’s that I have seen have terrible triggers. However, some are not quite as terrible as others. This is a process of taking a bit of metal off, and putting it back together. It is better to do this several times than to take off too much at once. The mechanism is so crude, however, that I do not know if the feel will ever be quite right. Anything would be an improvement.
I realize that there are countless things that can be done to a rifle to improve its accuracy, but in this case you must take into account the ratio of cost to benefit. Although this gun shoots incredibly well for what it is, it really is not in the same league as an Anschutz, or even an H&R M12. Not in terms of accuracy, but in terms of quality of construction and potential for use as a competitive rifle. Ultimately, the shooter is the key variable in the equation, but I don’t think many people would spend hundreds, or even thousands to build up one of these rifles. That is primarily why I stuck with modifications that I could do myself. I am happy with how it turned out, and I think most people could achieve similar result.
Don’t forget that ammunition is very
important. Don’t expect cheap ammo to
shoot good in any rifle, and don’t expect all expensive ammo to shoot good in
every rifle. If anyone is interested in
minipalma, you can find targets on my website here: http://zeus.ia.net/~bhawks/shooting.htm look under downloads, and then under targets. Comments and questions are welcome. I promise you won’t hurt my feelings. Email:
bhawks@ia.net