91/30 questions

[Diggers]

Hi all,

It seems I've been bit by the Mosin Nagant bug, like many others here.

I want a 91/30, but have a couple of questions. First, where to buy?

Big-5 have these rifles on sale every couple of months for around 89 bucks, which would make it real simple. BUT I have no idea what condition they are in or what they come with.
I guess I could order on on-line, but I’m not really sure where from and if I would really end up getting anything better that way.

Second, if I do buy from a store, is there anything I should look for/at that would tell me that rifle is a good one or a piece of junk?


Thanks

 

[chestnut ridge]

I have ordered several nagant rifles from AIM; and all have
been very nice. You should consider getting a C&R ffl. It
is only $30 for 3 years; and the gun boxes are delivered to
your door.
I would avoid any rifle with a counter bore; and try to get
a matching receiver/bolt. Look for a shiny barrel with a tight
muzzle.

 

[azredhawk44]

I got mine at Big 5.

It's a bit more expensive than other places, but I think Big 5 probably gets better product on the floor out of liability fears. They don't want customers buying a suspect rifle and getting a bolt in the nose from a weak receiver.

Check the crown for cleaning nicks, view the rifling from front and back with a good bore light and the bolt removed. If they won't allow you to have the trigger lock off to inspect the bore and remove the bolt, get the manager involved. Look for pitting or worn lands.

Verify that the bolt is working correctly. It should be stiff to re-open the bolt from the closed position after the trigger is pulled on an empty chamber. This is how the bolt is cocked; on the opening stroke. Obviously the bolt should have no play in the closed position and should not come out of battery except by a deliberate action on your part. Check that the extractor claw is nice and clean and burr-free. Extraction is already hard enough on a Mosin with the way the bolt cocks when unlocking; you don't need to argue with a lacquered stuck casing and a poor extractor.

You'll get a better rifle by inspecting it yourself. that way you're happy with the finish condition of the stock, the bluing on the receiver and barrel, whether the front sight is bent or not... things like that.

 

[rocinante]

classicarms.us

 

[2Ais4U]

+1 for classicarms.us

 

[Diggers]

Thanks for the info guys.

About the C&R FFL I was reading about that over at The Box o Truth.
I live in San Diego, CA...do any of you know off hand if there are any special laws for the C&R FFL in California?

It would be nice just to have them ship the rifle to my house. If not this time perhaps next. I also like the K-31 swiss. But I want to start on the real cheap side and go from there.

Thanks again.

 

[Cosmoline]

AFAIK Californistan has no problem with C&R rifles, but handguns are another issue. You should check with your relevant agency though.

I would urge you to pass on the bargain bin at big 5 and grab Finns while you still can. There are excellent deals all the time on gunbroker and with your C&R you can avoid transfer fees. The USSR made upwards of 20 million Mosins, maybe more. They'll be around for a long time to come. The Finnish population numbers in the tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands for various types.

There is a Finnish version of the 91/30 often called the M-30. Tikka put a bunch of them together in the 1940's. VERY nice rifles, often near MOA accurate. There are also Finn captured 91/30's and "Finn'd" 91/30's, but those weren't always given the full treatment.

As far as what to look for, I'm going to do up a thread soon w/ photos of what to look for in your Mosins. In general you want a good crisp crown, a loose and limber bolt, solid wood and tight receiver fit.

 

[Diggers]

Thanks Cosmo,

I will look into those rifles too.