Looking for my first surplus rifle.

Recoil sensitive?
Mosin Nagant fits your criteria of inexpensive rifle and ammo.

Start with a Mosin Nagant, no milsurp collection is complete without at least one!

Definitely a Mosin Nagant. They are hovering around $129 online, but you have to remember to add shipping fees, transfer fees, and NICS $5 fee to the price.

If you have a Gander Mountain in your area, some of them carry the Mosin for $179. for that price you are about the same as buying online, and you get to physically inspect one at Gander Mountain and pick which one you like best. Of course this will depend if there is a GM in your area.

Another vote for Mosin Nagant. Love mine and the ammo is still available and cheap(ish). It does kick quite a bit so I plan to throw a butt pad on mine.

Under $200?

Available, "cheapish" ammo?

Let me know if you find anything except a Mosin Nagant as I would like to know what it was.

I think the M44 and M38 and their clones are handy little rifles. They have better sights than mausers. They do kick, but what doesn't?

Get into reloading and load the ammo down to .30-30 velocities with .30-30 bullets if the recoil bothers you and you still want to hunt with it. Reloading is not rocket science.

My bar none favorite Mil Surp bolt action is a 1903A3 in a C type stock (semi pistol grip)......but last I looked you could easily buy four Mosin Nagants for the price of one and five or six rounds of Mosin ammo for one .30-06 round even buying weird loose pack mixed corrosive Berdan .30-06.

-kBob

Enfield !..................

For cheap ammo and that price of rifle pretty much your only option is a Mosin. If you can find a semi cheap source of 8mm anywhere than the Yugo 24/47 Mauser is around that price and they are great rifles. Just shot mine this weekend, along with a 91/30, M39, K98, Garand, M1 Carbine, Swedish M98 Mauser, No4 Mk1.....yeah they get addicting.

add 50 or 75 dollars and you can get a enfield. I would say buy a m-38 or m-44 mosin nagant ( the carbines).

Widener's has the 91/30 for $129. The M44 has gotten a bit pricey, at $235.

I picked up a mint condition Mosin Nagant #44 a month ago at a yard sale for 75 bucks . Bright bore that measures .312,perfect blueing , all matching numbers . I get ammo at a local sport shop for 7.77 bucks for a wraped package of 20.It has the cycle and hammer crest and is stamped 1946.So far its shooting around 2 1/2 inch groups at 50 yards I Chronografed the Romanian 174 grain ammo at just over 27 hundred fps.hdbiker

hdbiker said:

I picked up a mint condition Mosin Nagant #44 a month ago at a yard sale for 75 bucks . Bright bore that measures .312,perfect blueing , all matching numbers . I get ammo at a local sport shop for 7.77 bucks for a wraped package of 20.It has the cycle and hammer crest and is stamped 1946.So far its shooting around 2 1/2 inch groups at 50 yards I Chronografed the Romanian 174 grain ammo at just over 27 hundred fps.hdbiker

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Nice garage sale find! I need to start hitting those up more often.

kBob said:

Under $200?

Available, "cheapish" ammo?

Let me know if you find anything except a Mosin Nagant as I would like to know what it was.

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It takes some looking but sometimes you can find old WWII trainer .22's in that price range. I scored a Mossberg 44US for $220 earlier this year. Even at $300-400 you quickly make up for that in cheap ammo.

If you substitute "old" for the "surplus" requirement, there are a pant load of C&R .22 bolt actions out there.

"...if you find anything except a Mosin Nagant..." My thought exactly. Lee-Enfields are riunning a lot more than $200 and they can(and usually do) have headspace issues. No surplus ammo any more either.
"...old WWII trainer .22's..." Not any more.

Smle #4 mark II
http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showthread.php/3471-Lee-Enfield-SMLE-No-4-Mk-II-and-others

I'm sure I'm biased, but if you can find a nice Enfield, well, you'll never regret it. Today it's pretty much a hand loading proposition, but if you shoot any rifle or rifles, you will end up hand loading at some point anyway, IMHO. A single stage Lee press, set of dies, and a the few items you'll need will pay for themselves mighty quickly.

Push the budget up a wee bit, be patient, keep an eye on all viable sources - Swedish Mausers still occasionally sell for surprisingly low prices.

Funnel

+1 on funnelcake...

Swedish Mauser, 6.5x55 - Excellent in every way also.

I am another Mosin Nagant fan. But you have missed the prime time to buy a 91/30. When I bought my 91/30 every gun shop in this area had a case of rifles on the showroom floor to look through. I made a couple stops before I found a rifle that suited me. I finally bought a 1939 Tula with a hex receiver. I really doubt the rifle had been issued.

If you are actually going to hunt with the rifle brown bear ammo is hard to beat. I shot 3 deer with my rifle last season. 203 gr Brown Bear does about the same amount of damage to a deer as a shotgun slug.

Mauser 24/47 or 48

Widener's has 8MM Mausers, either 24/47's or M 48's for $259.95.IMO they are the best buy for a person on a budget.If you are satisfied with a crude but useable cheaper shooting weapon by all means get a M/N either a 91/30 or a M 44. There are also Chinese M 53's available for around $100.

Lj1941 said:

Widener's has 8MM Mausers, either 24/47's or M 48's for $259.95.IMO they are the best buy for a person on a budget.If you are satisfied with a crude but useable cheaper shooting weapon by all means get a M/N either a 91/30 or a M 44. There are also Chinese M 53's available for around $100.

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I think "crude but usable" might be just a little bit of an over reaching, broad statement for 91/30s and M44s. Here are some of my Mosins, I would say that most of those are a step above crude at worst. I'll put my M39 Mosins head to head with a 24/47 or M48 any day.

The 24/47s and M48s are 269 at wideners right now. The 24/47 is available at Southern Ohio Gun for 200, but without the bayonet and all the gear that Wideners has. I did just shoot my 24/47 this weekend, they are a great gun.

funnelcake said:

Push the budget up a wee bit, be patient, keep an eye on all viable sources - Swedish Mausers still occasionally sell for surprisingly low prices.

Funnel

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I just finally got around to shooting my M96 this weekend. That is one sweet shooting rifle and the 6.5x55 is a great round. The fire bluing on them is great and the all around quality on them is outstanding. Only issue with them is that expensive 6.5x55.

+1 on a Swedish Mauser if you can find one in that price range. They are out there but you have to hunt and peck. The 6.5 round is much easier on the shoulder.
Mosin Nagant jumps out for a few reasons. You can find them all day for less than $200 unless you are looking for a mint, un-issued gun. They are great shooters but a bit rough on the shoulder. Surplus ammo is readily available and affordable. Moreso than any of the older surplus rifles.
Is an AK74 a surplus rifle? If you are going to shoot it often then the ammo price will make the extra $150 or so more palatable.

For a little more there is also the SKS from your choice of counties. I am seeing that ammo coming down in price again, around $250 per 1000.

"first surplus rifle"

Take a drive to your local Gun Store(s). See what they have. Try Pawn Shops as well. Don't get in a hurry. Get the make and model and type and what ever, go home and look it up. This way you will be better prepared when looking. I see no race, so take your time. When you find something that looks like what you want, at the price you are willing to pay, you first search is over.

Your desires may or may not be for an old bolt gun or something else. If some government used 'it' as a standard military weapon and it is safe to shoot, you will have your first.

As a novice, assuming on my part, I would have 'it' checked over by someone you trust before shooting the first time