Instructions for a Mossberg Model 46M

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The Mossberg Model 46M is a .22-caliber, bolt-action, tubular-magazine repeating rifle. The tubular magazine can hold 22 .22-caliber short rounds, 18 .22-caliber long rounds or 15 .22-caliber long rifle rounds. The M in the 46M stands for Mannlicher, for Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher, who developed the straight-pull bolt action used in the 46M. Although this model has been discontinued, it still remains a popular model of rifle.

Check to make sure your Mossberg 46M is unloaded. Insert the bolt. Line up the small notch located on the windage bracket about an eighth of an inch from the bottom of the bolt assembly with the notch on the locking lever. (The windage bracket is the "bolt" piece with the ball on top.) Insert the bolt into the receiver. Pull the trigger and hold while inserting the bolt and pushing it forward.

Remove the bolt by swinging the windage bracket to the left and pulling it back while pulling on the trigger. You can disassemble the bolt by securing the mainspring cap, which is to the rear of the windage bracket, in a vise. Unscrew the cap using the bolt lever as a handle. Place a couple of square pencil erasers to the sides of the mainspring cap to avoid damage from the vise. The bolt lever, firing pin, mainspring and mainspring plunger can now be removed. Use caution because the parts are very small and could easily be lost.

Remove the stock of the rifle by first loosening the stock extension screw. This screw is about two inches from the front of the stock. Then loosen the take-down screw located just in front of the trigger guard. You can now remove the stock.

Adjust the trigger pull to either increase or decrease the resistance on the trigger. Locate the trigger pull adjustment screw. It is positioned under the bolt assembly about an inch and a half from the thumb safety. To increase the resistance on the trigger turn the screw in. To decrease the resistance, turn the screw out. Do not decrease the resistance to lighter than three pounds as this creates a "hair" trigger that could go off very easily.

Load the rifle and set up a target about 25 feet away. Take precautions to ensure that your shooting does not endanger nearby people or property. Examine the target to determine the accuracy of the rifle. If the holes all seem too low, loosen the elevation lock screw and turn slightly to the left. If the holes are too high, turn the elevation lock screw to the right. Fire a couple more rounds at the target to check your corrections.

Adjust the rear sight. If the rifle is still firing to the left, loosen the windage lock nut (the round nut located at the front end of the rear sight) and turn the windage screw clockwise and tighten nut. Use a wrench to loosen the nut. If the rifle is still firing to the right, turn the windage screw counter-clockwise.

Turn the elevation screw counter clockwise in the open rear sight if the rifle shoots too low, and clockwise if it shoots too high. Keep shooting and adjusting until the bullet lands where you want.

Warnings

  • Use caution when dealing with a loaded rifle. Though small, the .22-caliber rounds can injure or kill.
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