[Phil DeGraves]

Our local gunstore got in a crate of Mosin Nagant 44 carbines and are selling them for $129. I remember back in 1973, Target Stores were selling K98 Mausers for $49. I wish I had bought some since they are going for 10 times that now. Is this MN a good deal? I've heard that the carbine versions have pretty stout recoil. Anyone shot any of these?

[Franco2shoot]

We have 2 M44's and a 91/30 in our family gun rack, and each has its own merits.

Shooting wise the carbine is, well, a carbine. Iron sight and poor eyesight on my part make the shorter version of the 91/30 a fun to blast away at shorter distances. My son is an excellent marksman and can hold a pretty tight pattern out to 75 yards, but he can't do as well as Dad when Dad is shooting the scoped 91/30 @ 100 yards.

We have one m-44 that is totally un-restored, one that has had the furniture cleaned up and both have had significant bore scrubbing efforts, but this is largely a waste of time.

You should be able to pick a good one if you are allowed to do your own selection. Take a .308 brass brush with you as this is an easy method to tell if the rifle in question has been counter-bored. (Usually done by the arsenal, they would drill out a quarter to half an inch to get good rifle'ing to the end.) If you insert the brush in and feel no resistance for the first quarter inch, its been counter bored. A good eye can see this, but you need to really know what you are looking at.

If you are after a great deal on a High power plinker that is in-expensive to shoot, I don't see how you can go wrong at $129 bucks. You will what to order the surplus corrosive ammo which brings shots down to a dime apiece.

If you are a targeteer, I think you would be better served with the longer 91/30 which sells for about the same. In the best of all worlds any MN that has a clean bore, sharp rifle grooves, matching numbers on the butt plate, magazine, bolt and barrel is the optimum. Such a Mosin would bring in almost 200 bucks. If you take these qualities and knock off 20 bucks for each missing characteristic you can come up with a pretty accurate price measurement.


KKKKFL

[MaterDei]

The M44 is a very fun gun to shoot. The recoil is exaggerated, IMO. $129 is pretty steep. Ask the gun shop owner how much he charges to do a transfer. Add that amount to $69.99 and add $15 to that. Then subtract the tax you pay on $129. Offer him whatever number you come up with. If he declines, then order one from HERE (http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Russian_M44.html). $15 is about what the shipping will cost you.

:D

[Ash]

No, $129 isn't steep at all. M44's go for $100 plus shipping and plus transfer from many places. Plus, given the hand-selection of holding it in your hands, it can be fine. Say, $70 for carbine (round up that penny), $15 shipping, $20 transfer, $20 hand select fee, and you have $125. But many places now sell for $100, and that becomes $155.

Ash

[ArmedBear]

If you're not taking food from your kids mouths or something, I'd say buy it for the hell of it.

It ain't no K98 Mauser. But it's only the price of a tank of gas.:uhoh:

[Chuckulator]

If you're like me, you will get it, really like it, watch Enemy at the Gates, and then want to get a C&R and start buying every kind of Mosin, Mauser, and other guns from WW2 and all other wars since the matchlock.

Good luck!

[rangerruck]

I'd get a 38 before a 44, not so damn top heavy, and the bayonet harmonics has the potential to throw bullets all over the place.

[Ash]

True, but a larger number of 38's have lousy bores. Buy only if you can inspect them up front.

Ash

[Phil DeGraves]

"Ask the gun shop owner how much he charges to do a transfer. Add that amount to $69.99 and add $15 to that. Then subtract the tax you pay on $129."

Works out about the same, and this way, I can pick the one I want.

[MaterDei]

Then enjoy! Remember to shoot it with the bayonet extended.

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

M44 is fun to shoot. Enjoy

[Phil DeGraves]

Thanks, guys, for all your input. I'll pick it up this weekend and let you know how it goes.

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

looking forward to hearing it

[Auburn1992]

Wow, what people are saying about prices makes me feel good about getting an M44 for $99 yesterday.

[Bruenor]

I recently picked up a M44, but due to work and family obligations, I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet. I bought mine for $88 plus tax, and the shop had at least a dozen of them. Gander sells them in the same town for $149, so it pays to shop around.

[chris in va]

I like the M38 better. Less stuff to weigh it down.

[Auburn1992]

The only thing that the M44 has added to it is a bayonet right?

[Tallyman]

There are lots of accessaries available for the M44 (and the M38) - including synthetic stocks, muzzle brakes, bipods, scope mounts, scout scopes to help improve long range shooting.

[Ash]

Avoid the muzzle brakes, especially those which are pinned on, as they often are not well made and go flying down range after a few shots.

Ash

[Phil DeGraves]

Well, I shot it this weekend. First off, I didn't pay $129. Since I am an employee of the store, I got it for cost. The trigger was creepy but light. The front sight was not lined up but I tapped it into place. I bought some surplus ammo for $4.00 a box.
The upshot of all of this? WHAT A GREAT GUN! Mild recoil, accurate, a definite GO WITH THESE IF YOU CAN FIND THEM! What a bargain! I'm going to buy two more next week and get my Christmas shopping done. And a case of surplus ammo.

[Deer Hunter]

M44s usually have better barrels than M38s. Keep that in mind.

And the bayonet makes a very useful stand when you're tired of carrying the gun around.

[shuvelrider]

IMO, you can still find them for less then $100. My M44 is later war production and shot great from the get go offhand, put it on sandbags and bumped the front sight and I,m hitting my 15 inch steel swing plate at 200 meters consistenly. I keep the bayonet folded up also, remember to keep the stock screws tightened as they can loosen up after many rounds, I shoot 30-50 rounds when I play at the range, then my shoulder feels it. Someone once said bench shooting will do that cuz the ergonomics was designed around offhand shooting and not sitting at a bench where all the recoil goes straight into the shoulder,(plausible). Get the C&R permit and you can find better prices thru the online gun houses.

[bmitchell]

Yay.

[Phil DeGraves]

If you're like me, you will get it, really like it, watch Enemy at the Gates,...

Guilty as charged...

[strat81]

Not the best price, but not the worst. Buy the time you pay shipping and transfer, $129 is a decent price.

Yay for Mosins.

[res45]

I got my M44 from Dan's Ammo about 2 years ago EXCELLENT condition,best $75 deer rifle I ever had,with my reloads I don't even need a scope at 100 Yds. for tin can size targets.

[Tallyman]

Are available from:

www.ShootersXchange.com/srchresultsseller.cfm?recordID=Ronhart88

[woad_yurt]

A big "Yay!" Pick out a good one and bang away.

[RaferJanders]

I bought my m44 at Big Five for 79.00, The sales man said I should get the 90/91 as well, I said sure but not for 169.99, I said make it the same price as the m-44 and it is a deal. He did so I came home with two rifles instead of one, 66912 ask me I was planning to re enact the Battle of Stalingrad, lol, A cannon the m-44 I love pulling that thing out at the pit, cheep ammo and easy to clean, A little windex down the barrel and cleans all that surp ammo remains like new. Have fun the muzzle flash is really cool in low light

[wcwhitey]

Buy it! If you can give it a good look over and know that it has a good bore, numbers match etc. that is worth a few extra bucks. I spent a few extra on mine but got to pick through a bunch for the one that liked. I took it to the range and it shoots great completely POA/POI the first time out. Get a good one and it is money well spent. Go cheap and you run the chance of a bad bore gun that will cost you the difference in ammo trying to get it to shoot well.

[Rmac58]

Pardon the newbie inquiry, MaterDei, why have the bayonet extended when shooting?

[shuvelrider]

I was just on the AIMSURPLUS website and they still have Mod44 MN for 70.00 or laminate stocked for a few dollars more. Thats where I got mine on page one of this thread and it was primo,matching# and shiny bore. Dont spend more if you dont have to. The extended bayonet throws off the float of the barrel according to a test that I read on various guns with bayo,s attached or not, to the question above, FWIW.

[RioShooter]

All these comments about the transfer cost! I can't believe no one mentioned a C & R license. Thats what I used to buy my first M44.

SOG has M44's for $69.95.

BTW, I ordered an SKS from them yesterday. They only had 5 in stock.

[toivo]

Pardon the newbie inquiry, MaterDei, why have the bayonet extended when shooting?

The weight of the bayonet affects the harmonics of the barrel. From what I've heard, they were sighted in at the factory with the bayonets extended, so they will shoot left, I believe, if it isn't extended. You can always adjust the sights with the bayonet folded in if you want to shoot it that way.

[RaferJanders]

Wow, Never even considerd the barrel Harmonics guys, Shoot I never fired it with it extended, It is a tack driver shoot clays a 50yrds, Maybe I got an Officers modle, LOL, Buddy of mine drop a Bear up on the NookSack 2 yrs back 80yrd shot one shot knock the legs right out from under him

[SASD209]

I got mine for $129 at the local shop last year. Went back last weekend and they have 2 left from the crate, same price......I'm really struggling holding myself back from snapping up the last 2!!

SASD209

[Ignition Override]

Good decision Phil.

Until last October my only gun was a very old .22.

With the recoil pad, the M44 is ok.
Compared to using the pad on the Carbine Cannon, I had a much larger bruise simply shooting an M-1 Carbine with no pad.

[rob4570]

you need to hurry and buy some surplus ammo cause it is going up fast

[Rmac58]

Thanks toivo.
Ignition Override, where would I be able to find a recoil pad?

[SimpleIsGood229]

You can find the slip-ons at pretty much any Gander Mtn./Dick's, etc.