9outof10mms
Enginerding, good coffee, and factual opinions.
2A Bourbon Hound 2024
Supporting Member
Multi-Factor Enabled
I’ve got a new to me Mossberg MVP in 308. I’m having some “issues” with the gun and am looking for some wisdom.
I went to the range yesterday to sight it in and couldn’t get close and couldn’t repeat shots. I should have picked up on something being wrong sooner. I went through 50 rds before giving up!
I got home and was looking over the rifle when I noticed the scope rail was just slightly loose. Enough to change the sight alignment when trying to laser it. After applying new Loctite and re-torqueing the screws, I found the next issue. When I grabbed the barrel to pick it up, the barrel rotated.
I took the action out of the stock and sure enough the barrel could be removed by hand. I’ve scoured the internet on disassembly/reassembly for this rifle and there isn’t much available. I’ve never owned a bolt action rifle, so I don’t know how these barrels work. Apparently this gun is unique from other popular rifles in that the barrel is secured with a nut after threading it into the receiver. A Remington 700 is just threaded right into the receiver and that’s it. No nut.
After aligning the barrel correctly (it has an A2 style compensator and marking on the barrel to make a distinct top dead center), I got it hand-tight since there is no common tool that could do it. I’m wondering if hand tight is good enough for the barrel nut configuration. I don’t want to explode this thing in my face next time I shoot it!
It feels like the barrel lock nut provides a solid “lock” but I’m not positive this is the way to reassemble the gun.
See attached diagram for reference. Part #3 is what I’m talking about.
Also, the barrel cannot be thread 100% into the receiver for two reasons:
1. The top dead center will be off by some degrees.
2. The bolt cannot seat (the bolt face rams into the rear of the barrel).
So the barrel is not fully threaded in (maybe a turn or so back) but the lock nut secured it in the position I leave it. I don’t believe this will be a problem as the receiver threads are behind the chamber.
Thoughts? Just trying to make sure I don’t kill the rifle next time I shoot it…or worse. I’d rather not be the next “learn a lesson from me” thread on the forum!
I went to the range yesterday to sight it in and couldn’t get close and couldn’t repeat shots. I should have picked up on something being wrong sooner. I went through 50 rds before giving up!
I got home and was looking over the rifle when I noticed the scope rail was just slightly loose. Enough to change the sight alignment when trying to laser it. After applying new Loctite and re-torqueing the screws, I found the next issue. When I grabbed the barrel to pick it up, the barrel rotated.
I took the action out of the stock and sure enough the barrel could be removed by hand. I’ve scoured the internet on disassembly/reassembly for this rifle and there isn’t much available. I’ve never owned a bolt action rifle, so I don’t know how these barrels work. Apparently this gun is unique from other popular rifles in that the barrel is secured with a nut after threading it into the receiver. A Remington 700 is just threaded right into the receiver and that’s it. No nut.
After aligning the barrel correctly (it has an A2 style compensator and marking on the barrel to make a distinct top dead center), I got it hand-tight since there is no common tool that could do it. I’m wondering if hand tight is good enough for the barrel nut configuration. I don’t want to explode this thing in my face next time I shoot it!
It feels like the barrel lock nut provides a solid “lock” but I’m not positive this is the way to reassemble the gun.
See attached diagram for reference. Part #3 is what I’m talking about.
Also, the barrel cannot be thread 100% into the receiver for two reasons:
1. The top dead center will be off by some degrees.
2. The bolt cannot seat (the bolt face rams into the rear of the barrel).
So the barrel is not fully threaded in (maybe a turn or so back) but the lock nut secured it in the position I leave it. I don’t believe this will be a problem as the receiver threads are behind the chamber.
Thoughts? Just trying to make sure I don’t kill the rifle next time I shoot it…or worse. I’d rather not be the next “learn a lesson from me” thread on the forum!
