Ride4TheBrand

A Mosin-Nagant 7.62 x 54 carbine IS it's most basic as the M38. Honestly, I don't think I'd attempt anything to customize it. But I'd be darn sure that I'd work the bolt over until it would cycle flawlessly every time.

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rfurtkamp

I'd sell it for whatever I could get or trade up in a SHTF scenario to whatever my target had.

Chances are either would be better in all honesty.

The day of the bolt gun as a defense gun for me is long over.

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Driver carries less than $45 worth of remorse.

CopperKnight

All kidding aside, there are a few minor things you can do, but nothing that will make a major difference in its function. Since you are asking for opinions, here is mine:

-Dump the bayonet, that makes it too long to effectively wield inside a house.
-Buy some "good" ammo to help lessen the overpenetration issue. If you reload, download and top with some good soft point .30 cal bullets.
-Shoot it a lot and spend some time at the range just cycling rounds through the chamber. This will help you to get a feel for the bolt and for reloading quickly.
-Put a sidesaddle on the butt with spare rounds.
-Replace the steel buttplate with a decent, padded one.
-Remove the barrel rings, take off the top wood and cut back the wood on the foregrip to help lessen the weight and bulk.

That's about all I can think of to help out.

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Redneck Repairs

Guys i guess on thought , we should kinda define what a " shtf " or trunk rifle is , and what it should do . For myself it is defined as " put rounds on target from 15 yards to a couple of hundred yards , on target is " minute of beer can " or about 4 moa. Rapid fire tho nice is not necessairy and a turnbolt will work fine if that is what you can afford . I dont want a super tuned match gun to get beat around , nor do i want a high end ebr to get beat up . Cheap , Reliable , and acceptably accurate are my watchwords . for close up fast work i have a pistol , for wayy out there i dont need to shoot anyway .Now dont get me wrong .. i will take my ar or my fal , or even one of the sks's i own over my mosin for an all the time rifle . Its because i have them tho , and the mosin would be fine in the role with no mods , with the mods i listed ( to help with recoil and put the sight on one plain with no battery dependancy) it would be as good as any turnbolt can be without a detacable mag . Imho the enfield jungle carbine is the ultimate social trunbolt .

rfurtkamp

For me, I can afford better.

I don't worry about the cosmetic condition of defensive firearms. For me, if that means my trunk FAL gets some cosmetic wear for existing, it gets some wear. It was built with a G1 kit that was pretty cosmetically ugly to begin with - and cost me a whopping $350 in parts and receiver to do back in the old days.

However, I wouldn't hesistate to leave one of my Uzis, a higher end FAL, or a G3 clone there. I don't use ARs as trunk guns due to dirt concerns, not value ones.

Like my carry firearms, I use the best available firearms for my purpose. My life is irreplaceable - I can earn more money and over the course of its useful life, a $800 item that gets damaged through 'normal' use is nothing.

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Driver carries less than $45 worth of remorse.

Redneck Repairs

For myself an sks lives in the trunk of each car , i pack an ar or a fal in a drag bag for trips . Ranch rifles are rotated according to mood and season . That being said , i would not feel underarmed with a turnbolt or a lever . heck i have a couple of remmington pumps that get some service too .

Rob99VMI04

Thats just WRONG...... Is that eotech backwards?

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