What are/ were your LEAST favorite milsurps and why?

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but that 5 foot long cosmoline monster would be close to my last choice for a milsurp.
Too funny!
My memory of them is back having more time than money in the Army. They were dirt cheap - literally in pickle barrels and cleaning them was gasoline and a good breeze. Ammo cost a lot but each round was that much more dear. Banging iron at 4 and 500 yards? too cool!

Definitely not even CLOSE to my favorite MILSURP to shoot but damn sure one of my favorite memories.

Todd.
 
I will say that the mosin nagant is not a beauty.
When they were $70 you pick them I think the price matched the product. I know there are several variants and some are ''nice" and ammo is cheap by the barrel full . but that 5 foot long cosmoline monster would be close to my last choice for a milsurp.
Yes, I'm ready for the backlash.

I have had my fair share of Mosin Nagants, most of the long variation, and most have gone down the road. I have one now, and its my favorite, the T53 Chinese Mosin Nagant carbine. She won't win any beauty pageants, but she is a keeper all the same :) .
 
I only have one to list as it’s the only one I have ever moved along. A Spanish Mauser in .308 which was a highly questionable conversion. The gun was clunky to begin with, and and I would have never acquired it except for the fact that I had somebody seriously interested in a Kimel 2000 .32swl and he wanted to trade. I think I came out ahead, but it was junk for junk.
 
I have one of about everything (surplus that is) and by one I mean one example. What gets shot a lot and what doesn't. The french M36 stays home, so does the K98, the 1916 Spanish, and the Arisaka. The M39 Nagant gets out a lot, so does the 1903A3, the Carbine and the Garand. The K31 sees action and so do the Enfields. Italian and Austrian never shot ever. Most will do the job they are asked.

A 1903 No 5 roller I got on Gun Broker got shipped directly to the house for some reason instead of my FFL. They might have thought it pre-1898, but even then a common caliber in NY still needs to be FFL shipped. Anyhow it had a barrel that the surface of the moon is smoother than. It had more rust inside that one could imagine. The stock looked on the side like it was caught in a fire. The lock up worked, but was tighter than; well tighter than whatever you might think. All screw heads were damaged beyond belief. Live and learn. So I purchased a second one and it was superior in every way. So I took the first one apart and made it into a 45 Colt Roller. The second one all original. I like shooting lead bullets out of it with light loads. It also goes out a lot.
 
First on the list has to be the M-44 carbine; just not a single good experience with that critter. Ok, it's short, but not handy, and for the first time in Soviet history, there was a way to carry the bayonet. But, it's a brutal kick with a clunky bolt with all the elegance of a tractor built by a mediocre blacksmith with secondhand materials.

Full-size Moisin are next on the list, as the Tsar appears to have used half-blind kulak blacksmiths for those.

Never figured out how to love the FR-8.
 
I will say that the mosin nagant is not a beauty.
When they were $70 you pick them I think the price matched the product. I know there are several variants and some are ''nice" and ammo is cheap by the barrel full . but that 5 foot long cosmoline monster would be close to my last choice for a milsurp.
Yes, I'm ready for the backlash.

I rate the Mosin as "not gorgeous, light, or handy, but she'll get the job done" . The Mosin absolutely isn't in the same pile as the '03s, Enfields, and Mausers,
but there's a lot of milsurp below the Mosin, too. IMO, the Carcano's dicknosed ammo places it very close to the bottom of the pile.
 
Lotta hate for the carcano. Makes a decent x39 conversion though.

Worst milsurp I've had was a mosin m44. Made using potatoes, plenty of vodka, and a blemished set of harbor freight files. The front sight on that rifle make an AK fsb look as though it was precision milled by sober men in lab coats.
Same here, followed closely by the Arisaka. The people who designed the safeties on both of these actions should have been tortured.
At least the Mosin makes a killer fireball at dusk.
 
My short-owned 1917 Eddystone Enfield was probably the worse mil-surp rifle I have had. One of those you see, you fall in love with from a distance, then when you get up close and personal, its not as neat of a project as you had imagined. Mine was already sporterized, and I left it like that. Never shot it either, thought it was unsafe for full powered 30.06 rounds.

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mines fine shoots great :neener: to
 
Same here, followed closely by the Arisaka. The people who designed the safeties on both of these actions should have been tortured.
At least the Mosin makes a killer fireball at dusk.

One thing you do have to give the mosin is that the trigger break is so long and so heavy you almost don't need the safety! (kidding) Its like a double action revolver!

The thing I don't like about the arisaka safety is I have to think about it to remember which way is on and off but don't really mind operating it.
 
Actually the Carcano would be a more favorite of mine if Prvi loaded their ammo to correct diameter specs, only Hornandy does but it is $1.75 a shot, so the Carcano is a reloaders gun in terms of cost reduction in shooting. However the Carcano is capable of very good to excellent accuracy and is a light weight and well balanced rifle, the carbines have crude sights though.

I would enjoy the French MAS more if windage was adjustable both of mine shoot to far to the side of the bulls.

Here are targets I did with one of my Carcano 91/41, it shoots high using conventional sighting but as you can see Hornandy grouped good while Prvi was all over some hitting the lower target and some hitting the higher target when all shots were sighted in to 6 o clock on the lower bulls.
 

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French MAS, no practical way to adjust windage which all but kills the fun of shooting it.
 

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One thing you do have to give the mosin is that the trigger break is so long and so heavy you almost don't need the safety! (kidding) Its like a double action revolver!

The thing I don't like about the arisaka safety is I have to think about it to remember which way is on and off but don't really mind operating it.

I would say true on almost all of them. I have had about 6 of them in my life time, all the Russian ones had hard, or mushy trigger pulls. Now, on the other hand, the Chinese T53's have the best trigger pull, and the slickest bolt action I have ever had, in close running to a Finnish Mosin's.
 
What!? How do I dislike this post!? The Garand? The Krag? The Iver-Johnson? So you’re just not a fan of Mil-Surps at all then. Ok. I guess I get it.
lol, you got me

i'll concede the garand looks cool and has an enormous historical value, but shooting 20 rounds prone, with sling in competition cured me of ever wanting to own one
 
Same here, followed closely by the Arisaka. The people who designed the safeties on both of these actions should have been tortured.
At least the Mosin makes a killer fireball at dusk.

Lol, the safety on a mosin is a perfect way to get killed on the field of battle. Iirc you just about needed a pair of channel locks to work that safety. A high water mark for Russian craftsmanship.
 
Lol, the safety on a mosin is a perfect way to get killed on the field of battle. Iirc you just about needed a pair of channel locks to work that safety. A high water mark for Russian craftsmanship.
I deer hunted with my brother's m44 when I was 11. I chose to carry it without a round in the chamber because it was faster than working the safety.
 
Same here, followed closely by the Arisaka. The people who designed the safeties on both of these actions should have been tortured.
At least the Mosin makes a killer fireball at dusk.
Trick to the Arisaka safety is use the heel of your hand to push in and move the safety knob to the right or left. The trick for the Mosin safety is to not use it and do like Bfh_auto suggests above.
 
I deer hunted with my brother's m44 when I was 11. I chose to carry it without a round in the chamber because it was faster than working the safety.

I disliked mine so much I sold it without taking it to the range, lol. 2008-2009 i had a lot more stuff than I do today. I don't really regret ditching less useful stuff and consolidating into a few calibers. Not as much "fun" but more practical.
 
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