1941 or 1942 Mosin Nagant M91/30

[BluegrassDan]

Local store has two Mosin Nagant M91/30s, a 1941 and a 1942. They're pretty much in the same condition. Surplus, good looking bores, soaked in cosmoline. The bolt function of the 41 felt ever so slightly better than the 42, but that's really splitting hairs.

Any reason one year would be better than the other?

This would be my first Mosin and first military battle rifle.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Either will be fine.

 

[Sergei Mosin]

If the 1941 is a Tula, buy it. Those are rare as hen's teeth. Otherwise, not much difference. A 1942 Izhevsk is the most common Mosin there is, but 1941 was also a high production year at Izhevsk.

 

[caribou]

Ohhhhhhhhhh A 41......"Tula" would be Treasure......they were tool'd up to produce the SVT-40, with the Tokarev rifle proving slow to produce and finicky in cold weather, along with the Soviet Industrial relocation and withdrawl to the Urals during the Nazi invation, Tula started producing Mosins at the very end of 41.........so its rather rare and sought after.

41 and 42 ar both years when the outside finish was stil "Good" , 43, 44 and 45 had some pretty rough outside finishes done with tired broaches and cutters, but still work fine and place the bullet witin the Soviet accuracy limits.

 

[ball3006]

Yeah, a 41 Tula would be a score. I have a 42 Izzy that looks like it was chewed out by a drunken beaver the machining is so rough. It took me a long time to find one like that. It is a good shooter too.....chris3

 

[morcey2]

I've got a 1941 Izhevsk Finn-capture and the left rear of the receiver (where the safety catches) looks like it was 'machined' by a drunk 2-year old w/ an angle grinder. Shoots great though.

 

[VT Deer Hunter]

Got a 39 Izzy and works great, it doesnt have a sticky bolt and shoots like a dream. Under 1" groups at 100 yards.

 

[Murphy4570]

Either will work fine.

When you put a hex receiver Mosin up against a later war-year round receiver one, the difference in quality of machining and overall finish is startling, to say the least.

If you want a "nice" Mosin, get a hex.

 

[D94R]

Buy them both, because you will want the other one after you fire your first one.

My Tula is an awesome shooter and a beauty of a gun. SN# 716 might I add.
Top one in the pic. Followed by my M38, and M44.

 

[CnRnut]

Short finding a Tula,I'd be looking for matching numbers.
If one has a matching bolt,get it over an unmatched one.
Might also look at the crown and bore condition.

 

[vellocet]

Post #5, I had a rifle exactly like yours and gave it away because I could'nt stand the finish. It shot well, no counterbore,ect. Are those rough-finished mosins collectable because of the finish?

 

[caribou]

Its not the rough condition that the mid war Mosin is collected for , its the arsenal and year, because most of those years rifles were destroyed in the great retreats. The rough exterior finish was part of the history with these rifles.
rearseanled rifles are not as collectable as unreferrbed, and condition, not machining marks is where the value lays.

There are "Rough " Hex recivers, as most 1919 and 1920 Soviet production was at an all time low with mid Revolution problems with trained personel and battles around the arsenals for their control. The Soviets went to lengths to remove most of theses dated rifles as poor machining was noted and abhorred then. In 1942 with Germans IN the country, it didnt matter what they looked like as long as they were in spec.

'Hex' were made untill the early 30's when round broaches were used to cut the outside of the reciver and save time and achive the same strength.
Even at the end of WW1, weapons in all armys were made to craftsman's expactation, it wasnt untill WWII came along that quick sheetmetal production and guns like the STEN and PPSh-41 and Stg-44's became the rule........with untouched industrial capacity, the U.S. could still make huge number of Garands, all machined and "purdy"