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?
Mosin Nagant Type 44 Carbine - Yay or Nay
- Thread starter Phil DeGraves
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MN's
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
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
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. $15 is about what the shipping will cost you.
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
Ash
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.
It ain't no K98 Mauser. But it's only the price of a tank of gas.
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!
Good luck!
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.
True, but a larger number of 38's have lousy bores. Buy only if you can inspect them up front.
Ash
Ash
"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.
Works out about the same, and this way, I can pick the one I want.
Wow, what people are saying about prices makes me feel good about getting an M44 for $99 yesterday.
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.
Tallyman
Member
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.
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
Ash
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.
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.
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.
And the bayonet makes a very useful stand when you're tired of carrying the gun around.
shuvelrider
Member
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.
Not the best price, but not the worst. Buy the time you pay shipping and transfer, $129 is a decent price.
Yay for Mosins.
Yay for Mosins.
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