TexasCHLforum.com

Does anyone know anything about Mosin-Nagant rifles? Doesn anyone have one and can tell me what you think of your rifle?

Thank you

I know they're very plentiful and inexpensive and the ammo is even cheaper. I know I really want one, although I don't know why and don't know when I'd ever shoot it. Maybe to own a piece of history and perhaps a rifle that killed a lot of WWII enemy.

I also know that if you've never read this, you must:

AK vs. AR vs. Mosin Nagant

I don't personally have one, but a good friend does. It's a great rifle. It's built rock solid and as tough as a brick "out" house . It's pretty accurate also. We've shot many rounds with the open sights, and it's plenty accurate for hunting. It's also taken several coyotes this past spring. The 7.62x54 round is plenty powerful and made the coyotes "DRT" with a single shot each. If you like it in milsurp style, sometimes they take a little cleaning up, but usually turn out nice. If you want to keep in original but still shoot it comfortably, a Pachmeyr slip on Decelerator pad is a must have. Especially if you want to shoot it alot. If you want to sporterize it, there are scope mounts and synthetic stocks available. It's a good, low cost hunting rifle or plinker for sure.

Edited to add: iratolla, that was absolutely hilarious!!! Thanks for the link!

how much is the ammo i have an SKS and i love it to death but i just like bolt actions and milsurp guns

I have two: an M44 and a 91/30. They were also my first guns. The 91/30 is my favorite of the two, and maintains its status as my favorite gun, a year and a half and 5 additional guns later. The 91/30 is better balanced, in my opinion. This means it's a steadier shot, and for me it is more accurate. The only thing I did not like about the rifles were the sights. For me, it was difficult to be accurate with the original sights, so I replaced them with Mojo sights. They were well worth it and I would recommend a set.

http://www.mojosights.com/

The 7.62x54R is a good and hefty round, and surplus is still relatively cheap. The Mosin-Nagants are nicely designed, in that there's no rise during recoil, but rather it seems that all of the recoil is directed rearward. While the kick is hefty, this makes for a quick reset for follow up shots. Also, the bayonets that come with the Mosin Nagants are really cool.

Here's me and mine:

mwadibe wrote:how much is the ammo i have an SKS and i love it to death but i just like bolt actions and milsurp guns

You can easily find it for less than 20 cents/round.
For example, Ammunition To Go has 880 rounds of Bulgarian Steel Core Light ball for $170:

http://ammunitiontogo.com/catalog1/prod ... click-here

or 800 rounds of Czech Light Ball for $155:

http://ammunitiontogo.com/catalog1/prod ... click-here

A year ago when I last bought some, this stuff was as cheap as ten cents/round, but those days are gone now.

that why i wanna get one soon before they go up. anyone know of any good places or if they are selling one?

also if i get one anyone know where a good place to get a scope for it? i mean the original scope i found a re-make on ebay for 180. i also think i would have to take it to a smith to get it put on

There are many places online that have them, if you don't mind using a transfer dealer.

Aim Surplus has some relatively nice ones. The hex receivers are considered more desireable than the round. That is why there is a price difference.

Round for $69.95.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Russ ... agant.html

They must have just run out of the hex, because UPS delivered two of them here today. They were $79.95.

This is the selection of ammo at Aim.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/copy ... 2x54R.html

They're plentiful, and range from cheap to very expensive (and only knowledgeable collectors can tell the difference).

They range in condition from hobnail-trampled tomato stakes, to pristine unissued beauties.

Accuracy ranges from minute-of-barn (barely), to true MOA.

Generally speaking, the most desirable (as collector pieces, and as shooters) are Finnish M-39s. The Finns purchased a lot of rifles from Russia, then remanufactured a lot of battlefield pickups. (Russia left a lot of dead soldiers when they invaded Finland. As one Russian general reportedly said, "We captured just enough ground to bury our dead.")

There are a lot of aftermarket parts, accessories, and stocks available. Any gunshow is replete with examples of "Gunsmithing by Bubba", where a $50 rifle plus $200 in parts is now worth maybe $75 (except he'll be asking $450).

The M-N has the world's shortest, ugliest, stubbiest, least functional bolt handle. Because it's cock-on-open, you have to overcome extra resistance, so be prepared to apply a sharp upward blow when opening the bolt.

You're not limited to rifle lengths. Either the M38 (no bayonet) or M44 (integral side-folding bayonet) are very handy brush guns. Very effective for pigs, but follow-up shots are slow. The M44 has a very handy pig-sticker attached.

I don't really care for M-Ns, but I understand their attraction to collectors. They were in official military service for 70+ years, and there are tons of obscure variants. I'm a Lee-Enfield collector for much the same reason (except I find the L-E to be much better in terms of shootability, and it was the finest example of a bolt-action battle rifle ever made).

I do have one pristine Polish (Radom) M44, which I enjoy shooting, because it has a very sweet trigger.

mwadibe wrote:also if i get one anyone know where a good place to get a scope for it? i mean the original scope i found a re-make on ebay for 180. i also think i would have to take it to a smith to get it put on

I'd discourage you from doing this. It's certainly not the way the gun was meant to be outfitted. The ones that were set up this way were for early snipers, and they had to hand-pick the most accurate 91/30s off the line to get any decent use out of a scope. Really, it's a waste of good time and money to try and outfit one with a scope, IMO. Get good with your iron sight (or a set of mojo sights, as I did). With some practice, I was able to reliably pick off clays on the berm at 225 yards with the mojo sights on my 91/30.

mwadibe wrote:how much is the ammo i have an SKS and i love it to death but i just like bolt actions and milsurp guns

Last time I bought any, it was about $5 per 15 rounds of surplus heavy ball. I know case lots tend to be cheaper, and reloading with cast .311 bullets or 7.62 pulled bullets brings the prices down even more.

KBCraig wrote:I do have one pristine Polish (Radom) M44, which I enjoy shooting, because it has a very sweet trigger.

How? Not exactly as-issued, I assume, unless you have some very odd taste in trigger feel.

Last time I was in Champion Firearms in College Station they had several M-Ns for sale. Also a number of other Milsurp brands were available.
Regards, OE

KD5NRH wrote:

KBCraig wrote:I do have one pristine Polish (Radom) M44, which I enjoy shooting, because it has a very sweet trigger.

How? Not exactly as-issued, I assume, unless you have some very odd taste in trigger feel.

Absolutely stock. It was unissued when I bought it. I didn't do anything other than disassemble it and give it a thorough cleaning and proper lubing.

The Polish examples are generally regarded as the best M-Ns ever made.