# Need education on Mosin Nagants



## oth47 (Jan 11, 2008)

I've talked myself into thinking I need a mosin nagant rifle.I understand there's several models,but don't know anything else.What to look for and what to avoid?


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## bluetogreens (May 31, 2010)

91/30 varieties(russian/comm-bloc, finnish etc) are long barrel removable bayonet, look for hexagonal receiver and preferabbly a Tula manufactor-but both of mine are IZmash and shoot just fine.

russian m44/chinese type 53 are carbien versions and have a spring loaded retractable bayonet. 

Look for a good shiny bore and good action, still in cosmoline a plus. (like filled with Vaseline) anythign you get at retail/ in the $1-200 price range is going to be a re-arsenal so stocks and etc are mismatched/force matched in most cases, unless you pay a premium for matching and/or sniper/ppu version ($4-800). as for ammo pick up a couple of spam cans and enjoy- pick up some silver bear soft points for anti 2 legged/4 legged critters or spend a fortune and roll your own ( the barrells are useally on the large size of .311-.312) or more depending on wear and tear.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

My first question is what are you looking at it for. 

if you want a military rifle , that can be fun to shoot and less expensive to buy ammo for , and plan to leave as is great it is a solid gun , explore and enjoy


if you think you found a cheap rifle that you will build into a sporter hunting rifle , don't bother a , sporting bolt action that will out shoot a Mosin nargant and be ready to mount a scope on or may even come with one can be had for 3 bills , and will have a much easier to use safety.
the work to make a Mosin a sporter with a scope will cost you every penny of that , and you will still have a heavy military gun that shoots 3 MOA , and has a safety that is difficult to use fast


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Personally, I'd look for a Mauser... 

But with that said, If you could find one built by Remington Arms, You'd be onto something.. 

See if you can get anything from Century Arms.. You get the whole barrel of fish with their weapons... 

http://www.centuryarms.biz/proddetail.asp?prod=RI660-V Oiler, sling, ammo pouches, cleaning equipment... etc..


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## bluetogreens (May 31, 2010)

GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> My first question is what are you looking at it for.
> 
> if you want a military rifle , that can be fun to shoot and less expensive to buy ammo for , and plan to leave as is great it is a solid gun , explore and enjoy
> 
> ...


Partially true, you can buy a chinese type 53 for 2 bills, get a short 2x red dot that will mount on the dovetail (when you remove the rear sight lead its a dove tail mount) for 80 bucks, get a crap ton of surplus ammo and hunting ammo for 2/3's the cost of the familiar hunting cartridges of equal power/effectiveness (308/30-06) and have a fun project.

To get the same from a modern bolt actiont he most recommended in the range is like a rem 770 or Ruger or savage/stevens that the base model runs 300 add the scope/rings/mount and you MAY be into the sub 2 moa category at the 150+ yard range or you may get a poor fit/finish and have to accurize/bed/pillar etc. 

Not Saying option 1 or 2 is better, but the OP asked for info about Mosin's.


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## oth47 (Jan 11, 2008)

I just want something that'll shoot dependably with reasonable accuracy.Can you get both of these objectives in the same rifle?


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

If hat's what youre looking for, I'd definitively go with a Mauser... 

I've got a Swedish mauser (6.5x55) that is incredibly accurate, and the build quality is fine German engineering... I'd say it's my most favorite to shoot rifle I have.. unless you want to spit a lot of bullets at once, then that's where an SKS comes in... 

I've also got a Brazilian Mauser (7x57) that is super accurate too... I got one that had been in storage all it's life and looks like brand new.. well, it basically is.. Again, the build quality and fit is nothing but the best.. 


Depending on where you find them, you can get good prices too.. I got my Brazilian for $125, but that was 20 years ago.. but you can still get them for under $500... same with the swiss. .

I've shot a couple Mosin's and they just didn't impress me as a high quality gun

It's pretty easy to get a numbers matching Mauser... not so much with a Mosin.

If I was to get a Mosin, I'd probably look for a M44... They were a shorter carbine, and they were built late in the war, so many didn't see much use, and you have a good chance of getting a numbers matching gun. The real issue with those though, is they are less accurate than the 91/30


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## Dale Alan (Sep 26, 2012)

The OP asked...Need education on Mosin Nagants.


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## joebill (Mar 2, 2013)

My only experiance with one was that it left a nice hickey on my shoulder every time it went off. If that bothers you, best shoot one first with the ammo you will be using. I don't know what I was shooting in it. A guy I knew asked me to see how accurate it was, so I shot it a half dozen times and said I'd had enough, so he could go look at the target. He told me he really didn't care how accurate it was, he was just afraid it might blow up and didn't want to be holding it if it did.

That happened to be my last conversation with that particular guy....Joe


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## ace admirer (Oct 5, 2005)

the full length kicks like a mule, the carbine kills at both ends. we have a sniper conversion that shoots 3/4 moa, we have a sniper conversion that barely shoots 2moa. as others said, consider a more modern sporter for precision work. the triggers sususucks, takes a bunch of work and addition of a trigger return spring to be decent. but a lot of fun.....i purchased a few when they were $69.99 with all the extra goodies.


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## bluetogreens (May 31, 2010)

For range, power, ammo availability, price etc. I would go 30-06 or 308. in a ruger variety, or a savage with the accu trigger. low/medium price, good ammo availability ( for the 30-06 308 is tight right now) and then I would spend a few extra buck accurizing it the way you want. 

Still a mosin is a wonderful piece of kit to shoot and even right now I can find ammoe for them at 25 cents a round.


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## HuskyBoris (Feb 14, 2013)

I've got couple myself,a 91/30 and an M38,they are fun to shoot and especially fun with some good surplus ammo but the mauser varietys and the MK British rifles are much more forgiving and user friendly than Nagants,here is some helpful info in case you do find one you like.

http://62x54r.net/

http://www.mosinnagant.net/ussr/mosin_nagant_markings.asp


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## oth47 (Jan 11, 2008)

Actually,I'd thought about a mauser also,but I see a lot more mosins for sale than mausers.


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

My Mosin 91/30 was made in 1942 in Tula and it has a round reciever. It cost me $129.00. I free floated the barrel and adjusted the front sight to make it "fairly" accurate. At 50 yds. with open sights it will shoot under 1" groups. It's fun to shoot and is pretty cheap to keep fed. I heard that if you put on the bayonet you'll never get it off so I never tried. The lacquer covered surplus ammo gets sticky in a warmed up gun and opening the bolt can be a problem. I use a short sledge hammer handle to Assist in opening. The ammo has corrosive primers and the gun should be cleaned ASAP after firing. People say it has bad recoil but it does not bother me at all. Keep in mind I shoot slugs out of a cut down model 37 featherweight. I am either extremely tough or very stupid. It's a great gun to shoot and is built to Russian specifications which means it is almost indestructable. The Greatest sniper in the world used one to raise hell.


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

There are websights dedicated to the Mosin Nagant. Lots of information.


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## carasel (Dec 31, 2009)

If you decide to get one. Just buy them by the box.
http://www.classicfirearms.com/mosin-nagant-rfile-by-the-crate


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## oth47 (Jan 11, 2008)

carasel said:


> If you decide to get one. Just buy them by the box.
> http://www.classicfirearms.com/mosin-nagant-rfile-by-the-crate


 Man,that would be like Christmas,birthday,anniversary present all in one!!


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

bluetogreens said:


> Partially true, you can buy a chinese type 53 for 2 bills, get a short 2x red dot that will mount on the dovetail (when you remove the rear sight lead its a dove tail mount) for 80 bucks, get a crap ton of surplus ammo and hunting ammo for 2/3's the cost of the familiar hunting cartridges of equal power/effectiveness (308/30-06) and have a fun project.
> 
> To get the same from a modern bolt actiont he most recommended in the range is like a rem 770 or Ruger or savage/stevens that the base model runs 300 add the scope/rings/mount and you MAY be into the sub 2 moa category at the 150+ yard range or you may get a poor fit/finish and have to accurize/bed/pillar etc.
> 
> ...



I know he asked about mosins , i have had a lot of people ask about them , they are almost always , captivated by the price but looking for a hunting gun , at lease around here.

If they want one and plan to do a bunch of target shooting or have an interest in military rifles great get one 
but if they wanted a hunting gun to shoot deer with and maybe shoot 2 boxes of ammo in a year then maybe not the best choice for them easy way to tell is hunting season is cold here , and when you try a mosin at the store , go grab a pair of gloves off the shelf put them on then try the safety , now think about how fast your going to want the safety off when deer hunting.

also the hunting ammo for the mosin is about the same price as the hunting ammo for 30-06 or 308
only the surplus fmj stuff is cheap

this is about were i would mention that Remington core locks , Federal power-shok or Winchester super-x will shoot deer just fine as long as it provides reasonable accuracy in your gun for about 20 dollars a box and is available in most stores that carry ammo even during this ammo shortage , the uber expensive controleed , bonded ,super , vital, triple , bla bla bla ammo is un-nessacary for deer sized game with a 30-06 or 308 rifle in the Midwest out to 200 yards and probably further but the average hunters ability to shoot past 200 comes more into question than the ammo at that point.

yes the entry level guns do occasionally suffer form what some writers call OTDIG - out the door it goes - meaning that if something like say the magazine doesn't fit exactly and needs added force to get the latch to hold it in , something that may be as simple as loosening the screws and fixing alignment doesn't get the attention a rifle 2x the cost would before leaving the factory , but with a few simple tests done at the counter you can avoid much of that 
first up the magazine should drop out without needing to pull it , the bolt should cycle without binding , and the safety should positively engage and disengage crisp but without binding. if a gun passes those tests at the counter, you need a dollar bill to check that the barrel is floated in the stock , you should be able to wrap the dollar bill under the barrel and be able to pass it back to or within about 2 inches of the action , now grab the stock with one hand and the barrel with the other is there any wiggle , not stock flex but does the the receiver have play in the stock.

the final test , you may want snap caps for this test , some stores are ok with you dry firing their guns if you ask , others may not , if your committed to a rifle of a certain caliber then the approx ten dollars for a package of snap caps is a good investment , ask if you can lock the snap caps , test cycling and the trigger 

if all these things are good it is fairly unlikely that you will have anything worse than a 2moa gun and more likely that with the right ammo it will be right around 1moa , with the improvement in modern cnc machining and the design of these rifles to need little or not fitting , a lot more of them are coming off the line good than are coming off with issues.


do your research outside the store , to often the guy at the store is selling and not giving the best advice 

make your own decision , i just try to inform 

I know I got a bit off topic and I am not trying to push anyone away from a good Mosin Nargant if they want it for the right reasons , but I want to help the person might read this ,who is just enamored with the price and not thinking about if it is right for them. and their use.

it is a hole lot less expensive to buy the right gun the first time , and not get it decide it isn't for you after a deer season , not just in dollars , a person only gets so many deer seasons in a life , I don't want anyone to waste a season if they can avoid it.


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## Hollowdweller (Jul 13, 2011)

ace admirer said:


> the full length kicks like a mule, the carbine kills at both ends.


Yeah I have both an M38 and M44. The M44 kickes a HAIR less because the bayonet adds some weight, but if you are afraid of recoil I would avoid either. 

But especially the M38 handles really well, the ammo is cheap and mine at least shoots great. The massive kick and the 2' jet of flame shooting out the end of the barrell is truly impressive. 

Everyone should own one.


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## ace admirer (Oct 5, 2005)

nice photo

looks like a M2-2 flame thrower


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

The carbine is also a hearing killer..


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## wildcat6 (Apr 5, 2011)

JJ Grandits said:


> My Mosin 91/30 was made in 1942 in Tula and it has a round reciever. It cost me $129.00. I free floated the barrel and adjusted the front sight to make it "fairly" accurate. At 50 yds. with open sights it will shoot under 1" groups. It's fun to shoot and is pretty cheap to keep fed. I heard that if you put on the bayonet you'll never get it off so I never tried. The lacquer covered surplus ammo gets sticky in a warmed up gun and opening the bolt can be a problem. I use a short sledge hammer handle to Assist in opening. The ammo has corrosive primers and the gun should be cleaned ASAP after firing. People say it has bad recoil but it does not bother me at all. Keep in mind I shoot slugs out of a cut down model 37 featherweight. I am either extremely tough or very stupid. It's a great gun to shoot and is built to Russian specifications which means it is almost indestructable. The Greatest sniper in the world used one to raise hell.


Correct me if I am wrong but I don't believe Carlos Hathcock used a Mosin Nagant.:grin:


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

oth47 said:


> Actually,I'd thought about a mauser also,but I see a lot more mosins for sale than mausers.


There's probably a real good reason for that...


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## ace admirer (Oct 5, 2005)

wildcat6 said:


> Correct me if I am wrong but I don't believe Carlos Hathcock used a Mosin Nagant.:grin:


Good One!

Most of the snipe shots taken at Stalingrad were 250 yards or less, not even sniping by some standards. but a lot of killing was going on. rifle craft is only a third of the craft of snipping, making use of the environment (woodcraft or iin the case of stalingrad, urbancraft?) is the 1/3 that keeps one alive long enough to be called a famous snipper,.


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

The greatest sniper in the world was Simo Hayha from Finland. When Russia invaded in 1939 Hayha in 100 days accumulated 505 confirmed kills and an unconfirmed total of 700. He was known as "White death". Not bad for a farmer with only one year of military experience.


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## Hollowdweller (Jul 13, 2011)

Speaking of Finland does anybody have one of the more expensive but slightly more refined M39's that have the Mosin receiver and then SAKO reworking? I've heard they are really good shooters and the action is a lot slicker than on the russians.


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## Hollowdweller (Jul 13, 2011)

Jim-mi said:


> The carbine is also a hearing killer..


I've never shot one w/o protection but my wife claims that it rattles all the windows in our old house when I shoot it.


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