Wow, M44 is around $200 now? Not sure how much I paid for mine, but wasn't much over $100. I saw something that someone wrote that was kinda funny and true. You can't pay too much for a gun, you can only pay too soon. lol. Think about it.
I would use and AK or an SKS but I can only hunt deer in Pennsylvania with a bolt action rifle.
Minuteman1776 said:Yes, milsurps can be inexpensive, and that's often the draw for many. But as others have already noted, getting a good milsurp can still cost you a couple hundred dollars or more. For your money, you get something that's not particularly suited for defense or hunting.
Minuteman1776 said:On the hunting side, milsurps may work, but you may also be hobbled with iron sights that are designed for engagements that begin at 300 meters. And, unless you resort to drilling and tapping, most milsurps aren't compatible with telescopic sights, which are a huge plus for hunting at range or in low light.
A lot of 1903A3s are dangerous to fire...
Yeah...that's not the case. As RickMD pointed out, you're thinking of the tales of the earliest batch of 1903s, not 1903A3s. And even those concerns are utterly moot if you understand what you're looking at.A lot of 1903A3s are dangerous to fire, moreso than even Last ditch T99 Rifles.
Wow, that's really too bad. Even a few years ago when I picked up one from CMP, the condition and quality of the rifle they sent me was simply outstanding. Keep looking, there are beat up, worn out, or mistreated surplus rifles of all kinds out on the market, but as you get some experience you'll figure out when you're looking at a junker vs. an actual representative sample of the type.All 1903s I have handled/been offered are of subpar quality to the 1917 enfield and Gewehr 98 rifles, thats not to say some people have found some good ones, I have only found rubbish of them thus far.
Would you rather have a gun that you know well, and have had so much practice with it you can fire more than 25 roudns a minute, accurately with (Mosin or Mauser, and I can do this, but I'd like to improve) than to have a rifle I do not know or own (AK, AR, etc.) and have had no practice with?