This 45 Izzy M-44 is the only Mosin I have owned to date. It is a numbers matching refurb, not counterbored and after a little work, quite a good shooter. Had a 2-1/4 pound trigger pull and a very clean break with no creep when I got it.
After being disappointed on the first outing, I decided it was worth an attempt to improve it's performance.
Finally, I used a couple of layers of cork in the stock to bed the barrel after floating it failed to produce the desired result. The theory is that is reduces the harmonic vibration of the barrel when fired and acts much like a heavy barrel would.
My eyes are shot because of complications from Grave's Eye Disease and using irons, it can still put 5 of my hand loads in an inch @ 50 yards. (4 out of 5 touching) Groups @ 100 are hard for me since I can barely make out a target at that range. When having a good day with my eyes, a fist sized group in the center of the target @ 100 yards has given me a new respect for this old rifle.
Surplus ammo has not performed well in this rifle as it will shoot patterns, instead of groups. I did break some down, balance the charges reusing the powder, and tested them with good results. Not as good as the hand loads that I developed for this particular gun, but a substantial improvement. With the right charge, a 150 gr. Hornady spire point has proven to be the most accurate in this M-44. The traditional muzzle blast is now gone according to an observer on my last range outing. When I checked the bore after shooting around 80 rounds since it's last cleaning, I was surprised to find it fairly clean. Looked almost like a dry patch had been run through before my inspection.
To those that have not known the joy of shooting an accurate Mosin rifle,... my condolences. After seeing so many talk so negatively about these Russian gems, I considered selling it. Now I am thankful to have invested the time to turn it around without visible modification or destroying it's value to a collector.