Your mosin m44 experience

I have a 1946 Izzy, I like shooting it more than my 91/30. The M44 kicks like a mule compared to the old 91/30 especially with old MG ammo.

I got it from my old man for my birthday years ago after he saw me drooling over them in the shotgun news. It is easily my favorite bolt action I have right now and will always have a place in the safe.

I bought a front sight adjuster from Ebay . Its a must have if you want to hit poa. I also can use it for my M91/59 with a little screw modification.

The biggest issue with the M44 is the crowd it attracts when those fireballs come out of the barrel.

Fun to shoot and accurate enough. I prefer my Finnish M39, for accuracy, but the M44 draws a crowd. I generally spend more time passing out ammo so folks can get their picture taken with the fireball. A lot of fun, but as a result, I have never really shot it seriously, but that is not bad either.

Get one, and good luck.

jcinnb

I bent the bayonet on mine jamming it into an old tree . Took it off the rifle. The front sight is super loose and just floats around. I usually fire a few rounds out just for fun. Definitely a beater rifle. First rifle I ever bought myself so I have a soft spot for it.

On the other hand, I could use a Finnish rifle for some serious shooting. What's the going rate for one these days?

For me the worst thing is trying to find another M44 to accompany the one I already have =)

They are great shooters. I like my M44 much better than my 91/30. The only downside now is that they cost a lot more than they used to and they are harder to find.

To be honest if your looking for a shorter Mosin I'd get a M38 or M91/59. I have 8 or so M44s. From a brand new unissued and mixed beater Polish up through 1943,44, 45,46,47,48 izzy or Tula depending on the years. I like them but I got them cheap. 79, 89, or 109.00 dollars each. They now are 250-300++. They are kinda clumsy and nose heavy because of the bayo. Even if you remove it the lug sticks out the right side. For the money get one of the other carbines. They handle better and don't snag pulling them out of a scabbard or gun case. But if you really want the "pig sticker", "Hitler proctoligy probe", "Stalin Skewer" then you need a M44. JMHO

My first M44 experience was with a beautiful, numbers matching Polish in excellent condition. I've fawned over it since first sight...until I shot it.

Didn't double up on hearing protection. It's louder than my SBR.:banghead:

Sadly, it isn't mine, but a buddy's. maybe someday...

mine is 1952, factory fresh from poland.

spectacular more then accurate,
Great ball's of fire!!

When I used it at an indoor range, some people were not amused, to say the least.
(I did check with management 'prior to deployment' !!)

greetz

Peter

Ruskii apparently bring back with out papers as no import mark found yet. I shoot other military rifles such as 03s, M-1s and M98s and such......I think the M44 with Chinese ammo does kick more than any of the others.

I fired my first shot from it from the kneel and a buddy ran up and asked if I was OK for sweat flew from my hair, dust from my back and the fireball was observable from behind me in mid after noon.

Still it is a neat rifle. I use the bayonet for "mounting" the rifle behind the firing line when not in use by shoving the spike into the ground as deep as possible. Once had some one walk by and ask, "who died?"

I keep meaning to try some squib loads with ball or light bullets and Unique just to see what I get. I am thinking single Aught buck for round ball and maybe the 120 grain plain base lead .30 carbine bullets for a bullet each over a little unique. Just curious. if I can play like the .30-30 guys with pipsquek loads for critters and cans.

I bought an M44 back when the iron curtain fell (latter 80's?) and have never researched it or shot it. It's been in the safe for about 25 years. I guess I should get it out and see what I have. Supposedly it came straight out of Russia, and was bought on a group buy for $100.

This is better than telling you!

I've had both a 91/30 and an M-44.

I've ended up selling them both, but I do kinda regret selling the M-44.

Mine was a 1953 Hungarian with a bubba stock job, poor finish, but it was a blast to shoot. I also replaced the steel butt plate with a rubber one.

Recoil is manageable, the noise, the fireball and the blast wave are impressive. Fun rifle to shoot.

The bayonet is a novelty of days gone by, but people still get a kick out if of stabbing junk with it.

A mosin is a mosin is a mosin. They are all durable cool collectables. M38/M44/91-30 are pretty much the same. Some are shorter, some longer, some lighter, some heavier. All fire the same round and have about the same accuracy in my experience.

1944 Tula Hex M44
Accuracy, not too bad.
Since the last time I shot it, I free floated the barrel, shimmed the receiver, replaced the sear/trigger spring with a NOS Finnish one.

I really need to go back to the range and see how it shoots now.

I had one. It was the most crude rifle I've ever seen. It looked as though it was built using a dull file or worn out mill bit. Sold it for a few more bucks than I bought it. No thanks.

I don't care for the Mosins too much, they are accurate enough for general purpose plinking (aprox 2MOA) but they are a long way from a range masterpiece. There is absolutely no refinement to the Mosin, but that is it's appeal to some people, I think it would make a better club then a rifle, but to each his own, the stock is poorly designed, the action is rough to say the least, only feature I really like is the iron sights which are pretty decent. Mass production Soviet quality, you get what you pay for. As far as reliability goes I have never had one break but I have had feeding issues with one of them. If you are into WWII era guns, don't need fantastic performance and are on a shoestring budget then the Mosin is as good a choice as any I guess. There are modern rifles you can get on the cheap that will shoot circles around a Mosin ANYDAY, namely the Savage 110 and Marlin X7 I have been able to stroke regular cloverleaf accuracy out of both.
Oh and as to the recoil of the Mosin carbines, they are unpleasant to shoot for me, and I can handle several boxes of 30-06 in a lightweight well designed rifle. Not really painful, and it does not leave a bruise like my old 70 did but not something I enjoy shooting.

It's a nice rifle to have. I bought mine for $49. It's a 1945 war time gun with all numbers matching. I almost sold it once, but I think I will hang onto it. Never know when I'll need a flame thrower.

I was on the range one day and two older gents were shooting some really nice 6mm bench rifles. They were letting a young lady try one out and the owner commented how much muzzle blast the 6mm had. I told them, "Heck if you guys want to see muzzle blast I have something for you." and I retrieved my M44 from the trunk of my car. One shot and their jaws dropped, then turned into big ol' smiles! The conversation quickly turned to the M44 and they were even impressed that it had some accuracy since I was punching holes in a tight little group at a paper plate 100 yards away. The M44 is just a blast (pun intended) to shoot.

I like my M44. With a little tweaking these are very serviceable rifles. It does take a little while to get used to the boom and the kick. I haven't found a comfortable way to shoot mine prone yet. I should probably pansy out and get a butt pad.

I need to get my front sight adjusted to move the POI where I want it with the bayonet retracted. And that is going to be a long, painful afternoon.

Heavy ball out that short barrel is a thing to behold.

I looked mine up it's a 1944 Izzy with all matching numbers, pristine bore, and a laminated stock.

Thanks Bigdaa! Everyone has me excited about these fireballs! I may as well get some ammo and test drive it.

hunttheevil said:

Thanks Bigdaa! Everyone has me excited about these fireballs! I may as well get some ammo and test drive it.

Click to expand...

You need to be very careful. Having left it unfired for that long, it could be very depressed or angry and seeking vengeance. You may need to take it out, give it a good massage, let it see the outside world, maybe some relationship counseling prior to giving it any live ammo.

Have fun with it!

Matt