Mossin Nagant M-44 For First Rifle...Crazy?

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(not a Mosin owner)

from what I've gathered, you can practice on an SKS or .22, but the only thing that will get you conditioned to the 7.62x54R bang is...well, using one.

If you can handle a 12-gauge on the shoulder, then you can handle just about anything you will find in a gunshop. (notice how I said 'just about')
 
If you're getting a .22LR rifle for practice then sure, go ahead and get the M44. You've already gotten good advise saying to fall back to the .22LR when you develop problems and I'd second that.
 
Hey... my M38 was my first rifle and I certainly love it. A wussy recoil pad is a definite must, my shoulder was black and blue many times from shooting 20 rds or so. After the pad, I can shoot 100 or more. The Mosins are a very good value, at $75-$85. Mine shoots way high at minimum range setting on the iron sights, so I stick with a scout scope setup. Basically, they are awesome because you get a real gun and a ton of ammo for very cheap. It's like the .22 of the big gun world. As a WW2 buff, I really appreciate the history. The main thing to concern yourself with is proper cleaning after EVERY trip to the range, because the old corrosive ammo ($4-5/20 rds) will make your barrel rust overnight. Every time you shoot with the corrosive ammo run a few patches with dunked in water through the barrel and front chamber, then dry patches, then oil patches, then dry patches. The corrosion occurs because the old primers coat the barrel in salts which are water soluble, but not oil soluble.

Mosin's in general aren't highly accurate, largely because of awful triggers and surplus ammo. If you are new to guns, the trigger may not seem very important... but it is. There are many examples, though that defy these expecations. It's also possible to fix up a Mosin to be a much better rifle, but at far more cost than the original price. I like mine in its mostly stock configuration (except for Scout Mount Scope). Still, a Mosin will do fine for hunting deer at 50 yards or for mass human wave bolt action assaults :evil:.

If I could only have one rifle for the rest of my life on a serious budget, it would probably be an SKS or Saiga or a 10/22. If I was going to buy another surplus rifle, it would be a Mauser K98 or a swiss K31 (reputation for accuracy and cheap... ammo a little more pricey)

Pro's: Cheap rifle, cheap ammo, great to arm the hordes, awesome fireball, many modifications available, fascinating history (mine is stamped 1944), plenty of fire power for hunting, some (esp. finn) models are accurate.

Cons: Bad trigger, bad sights (mine shoots way high), corrosive ammo, heavy, painful recoil, excessively loud, pretty poor accuracy.

Still, I love my Mosin and would certainly never sell it.

Please look at http://www.surplusrifle.com/mosincarbine/index.asp especially, check out the cleaning video and disassembly video. Also join the surplus rifle forum http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/index.php where folks talk about Mosins 24/7.
 
My 44's recoil seems a bit less than wit the 91/30, and not sure why.
Maybe the 44 seems easier to hold.

Has anybody here received the Bulgarian ammo in cans where the metal strip/band has been soldered such that it is quite sealed and can not be pulled open-even one inch? The first can was easy-the metal band was clear with no solidified metal 'drippings' on it.

This might not have been a good idea, but I was forced to slowly poke very tiny holes (by hand) into the metal just below the lid, checking that there were about two inched clearance between metal and ammo wrappers, then slowly prying the lid upwards at the corner.

What is a safer way to open these very sealed cans?
Maybe many of these were sealed shut after the Iron Curtain (Eiserner Vorhang) was slowly knocked down.
 
Go for the 91/30. It is much more pleasant to shoot for extended range trips. I use the pachymar pad, and after 150 rounds of M44 my shoulder felt off. With the 91/30 it is not a problem (it was around freezing so the rifle stayed cool...I usually don't shoot that much in an afternoon, because the stock would probably catch fire!)

You don't want to develop a flinch, but you do want lots of trigger time. And next to a 22lr, it still doesn't get any cheaper than mean mr. mosin. Besides, you can get Hungarian or Czech light ball these days at AIM, and it is pretty good stuff. For corrosive commie surplus, that is.

As Hunter S. Thompson used to say, "Buy the ticket, take the ride"
 
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