Questions about Mosins?

[Rymo]

I am currently looking to purchase a Mosin but i am unsure of what to look for or what i should get. what are some recommendations and some places to maybe pick one out and what price range I am looking at.

I am fairly new to the shooting world and would like some helpful suggestions

 

[Rocket]

Bradis usually has a good selection. Look at the bore, feel the action. Stocks varry in quality. Look to see if numbers match, not required but a plus. I have only had experience with the 91/30. Good gun lots of fun some are more accurate than others due to tightness of the bore. IE: I had one that was .312 and one that was .313. The .312 was better but they should be .310-.312. Price I do not know at moment. Bradis is fair in their pricing of them, so was Indy trading post. Probably others as well. Shop around. They are a heck of a rifle for less than $200.

 

[TheWabbit]

7.62x54r.net - All you need to know.

 

[compac]

Yeah you can find deals throughout the year. Might not be as plentiful but they are out there.

 

[Beorn]

As said above Bradis is a good place to check out Mosin 91/30s. They usually have a nice selection to browse through. They had around 20 different ones when I went to pick one out 4 months ago. Wear some clothes you won't mind getting greasy, because they are slathered in cosmoline from being stored. When you go in, ask if when they get a chance if there is someone who could help you pick out a Mosin 91/30. The guy that helped me(curse my terrible memory- I can't remember his name) was more than helpful. I ended up with a 1930 Tula Hex receiver in pre-war stock that is an excellent shooter. Good luck!

 

[lmyer]

I am currently looking to purchase a Mosin but i am unsure of what to look for or what i should get. what are some recommendations and some places to maybe pick one out and what price range I am looking at.

I am fairly new to the shooting world and would like some helpful suggestions

Depends on what you want to do with the rifle and where your interests lie.

A Mosin refurb is what people tend to talk about getting for their first one. So your choice is typically either a M91/30 or a M44 chosen out of a crate of Mosins. Hex receiver, MO stamp, etc and the other things people often fawn over might be worth a $10-$15 premium - but really that is peanuts so it's not what I would use to drive your purchase. What you will find is that there are a LOT of Mosins with rounded worn lands, eroded chambers, and frosty bores. Let bore condition drive your first purchase of a refurb. Be patient, you will have to look through a lot before you find one with a nice mirror bore with sharp lands all the way back and through the chamber to the leades. It's a lot more than sticking a bullet into the end of the barrel and seeing how far it goes. Furthermore, a good mirror bore cleans up so much easier than the frosty bores where you get black patches out forever. Poor bores shooting 40 year old military surplus is the reason why Mosins tend to have a bad reputation for accuracy. Good bore + good ammo + practice = accuracy

I have noticed the good bores tend to be later date and especially post war date Mosins (for obvious reasons). Once you have found one with good bore, then take a look at the cosmetics and ask yourself if you want to own this rifle. If you like the looks of it for whatever reason, you have found a good first Mosin for you. 91/30s are long rifles and can be found for $100 on up. I personally have paid as much as $220 for a pristine bore laminated stock refurbished 91/30 from a premium on-line seller that grades his bores and pictures each rifle, but refurbs are not my focus. M44s are carbines with a permanently attached folding bayonet. They are not known for accuracy, but a lot of nice looking ones in excellent condition can be found because they (Soviet ones) were made until 1948. Soviet M44 refurbs are generally $175 on up to about $350 for the ones people think are quite special. Unfortunately, M44s are generally not as accurate as 91/30's for a variety of reasons. However, as a high powered carbine M44s are quite loud - pleasing the macho side of many shooters. Contrary to popular opinion, M44s do not have more recoil than a 91/30 (it's a simple matter of rifle weight) - the big bang only makes you flinch and think the recoil is severe.

Mosins are not cheap nor easy to sporterize - and results are typically less than stellar. If you need a scope, better off to start with a modern rifle from Walmart.

If you buy one and shoot milsurp ammo - be sure to clean your rifle correctly and same day as shooting. The milsurp ammo has corrosive primers that will cause rusting. For all of mine (I now have purged all of the poor bores from my collection), I hand load with modern components. I personally prefer accuracy over blasting away with a lot of ammo. Only 20 shots each through two rifles at a range sessions takes me around 2.5 hours. I usually find my time at the range with my Mosins (and a friend who also shoots them) very relaxing and a zen experience.

Finally, don't easily buy into the claim of an original matching non-refurb Soviet Mosin. Some may be refurbished more than others, but very few escaped the Soviet refurbishment program. Exceptions would include war bring backs, rifles captured by the Finns (SA marked), and rifles the Soviets sold to other countries (like from Spanish Civil War). Stamped fonts with prefixes and no line-outs does not mean a Soviet refurb is an all original matching rifle, no matter how much the owner wants it to mean that.

Good luck with your quest. If you have further questions, please ask. There are many other models of Mosins out there you will not typically find unless you are specifically searching for them. Within these lie the real collectables. If you want Mosins as an investment - take the time to learn and obtain the truly valuable models.


Les

 

[tlandon]

Southern Ohio Guns has Chinese Mosin T53 carbines for $79.95. Same gun as the Russian M44, just made in China. I think they are better than the Russians personally. Great gun to sporterize.

 

[MCgrease08]

Indy Trading Post has 12-15 of the Russian 91/30s on the floor right now, all in very good condition. They had at least 4 with hex receivers if that's what you're into. One less now, since I snagged a 1930 model.

All had matching numbers, even on the bayonets. They range in price from $159.99 - $179.99 for the hex receivers and come with an oil can and cleaning kit.

 

[Rymo]

Thanks guys, i went over to Bradis yesterday and picked one up!

 

[Beorn]

What did you get?

Pics?

How does it shoot?

 

[DoggyDaddy]

 

[Rymo]

1936 M91/30 Tula Hex Receiver with all matching numbers and a bayonet. Wont have time to fire it until next weekend

 

[Rymo]

Sorry for the delay in getting pictures

 

[MCgrease08]

1936 M91/30 Tula Hex Receiver with all matching numbers and a bayonet. Wont have time to fire it until next weekend

 

[johntheplinker]

7.62x54r.net - All you need to know.

Unfortunately that site hasn't been updated in quite a while and some of the info is outdated.

 

[Mgderf]

Unfortunately that site hasn't been updated in quite a while and some of the info is outdated.

"Outdated" how?

 

[goldtrigger]

Nice Mosin, Rymo

 

[Beorn]

Nice!

 

[lmyer]

"Outdated" how?

The rarity scale on 7.62x54r.net needs updated to modern times but is still generally good within a model but not infallable. Also trouble when you compare a 7 in one model to a 5 in another model, or even within a model. Sometimes doesn't translate. What they have represents what was available and known in the late 90's / early 2000's. Other than a few things that have been found out about Mosins (ie true meaning of triangle 1 stamp, etc) the info is quite valid. Mosinnagant.net (Gunboards forum parent site) is also a good place for info.

Les

 

[johntheplinker]

"Outdated" how?

Research by people with access to such things has revealed meaning of some markings is different than listed on the site, also the rarity chart has some errors, among others.