91/30?

[joshk-k]

I know that I shouldn't ask people to talk me into/out of buying something here, because it always leans one way (into).

I'd like to buy my first center-fire rifle soon, and was at the gun shop today looking. They have seven or eight Russian-made 91/30s, all in quite good shape, for $149.

Is this a really good reason to get something else (other caliber or rifle) as my first center-fire? I'll probably do some deer hunting and range-shooting with it.

Thanks,
Josh

P.S. That price is reasonable, right?

 

[SigfanUSAF]

Look around on the forums, you'll see run of the mill 91/30s turn up from $75 shipped and up. Find a dealer near you willing to do a cheap long gun transfer for you, and go that route.
$149 seems a little steep.

 

[joshk-k]

Thanks for the heads up on the price. I may go up to another, nicer, little gun shop a half hour away sometime next week and see what they've got on their shelves.

 

[Hoppy590]

150 is some what steep unless its a ex sniper or other more valuable version

the Mosin Nagant is an EXCELLENT rifle. for range shooting , plenty of real cheap surplus out there. for deer hunting the 54R has plenty of hurt in it too.

the only thing differant i would suggest is if you have No shooting experiance at all. get a 22 to practice with.

 

[joshk-k]

Thanks for that advice. I've got some shooting under my belt, including center-fire rifles. I just don't own one. A Ruger 10/22 is also on my list.

 

[salty]

josh - The 54 R's are fun rifles but I would advise you to not start here for first rifle. If you want a military type rifle get a SKS or a SAIGA 7.62x39. If you want something more for hunting then look for a 243 or 7 mm 08 in a used Remington 700 ADL or Savage. The Mosin's are fun rifles but kick hard. The SKS and Saiga are less expensive to shoot and will give you practice with a semiauto. The 243 would give you a useful rifle to continue to learn with but is more expensive You might also want to start thinking about reloading - for just over $100 bucks you can get into a basic Lee setup.

 

[Hoppy590]

SKS and Saiga are less expensive to shoot

ya, i dont buy those numbers.
surplus X39 is hard to find
the cheap russian stuff runs like 5$ for 20
compare to 3$ for 20 of surplus 54r

both the SKS and Saiga are more expensive than a Mosin
and a 91/30 doesnt kick nearly as much as a M44 or M38

i do agree an actual hunting rifle would be best if thats his main goal. but for range use a MN is fine. ( not saying the SKS wouldnt be a good choice either)

 

[nwilliams]

I picked up an ex-sniper with hex reciever from J&G recently for $100. I would look around more, $150 for a 91/30 seems like too much to pay. That is unless your alternative is to order one, in which case you would have to pay the transfer fee and shipping, at that point you may as well spend the extra money and buy locally.

But honestly the only reason I paid $100 for a 91/30 was due the fact it was an ex-sniper and in remarkable condition. Maybe in a few years the 91/30's will go up in price as surplus supplies run out, but for now there are still enough out there to keep the cost below $100.

 

[joshk-k]

Great advice all!

I'm obviously not going to buy this gun, if only because of the price.

I'm going to go around to another couple stores in the next week or two and see what else catches my fancy and would do what I want to do.

-Josh

 

[offthepaper]

Joshk-k

You're making the right decision.
The price on the Mosin is indeed high. I have several M/N's and have only paid over $85 for one of them (a'32 Tula hex reciever w/laminate stock, rearsenaled), and only paid that much due to ordering it online and having to pay s/h. It was still only $132 delivered to the door. It also came with the accessories. As stated by Hoppy, the Mosin is a great range gun,cheap to buy, cheap to shoot, rugged, easy to maintain, and a real attention getter when that fireball shows up. When I go to the range, I get a lot of conversation over the history of these old war horses. I always offer the person some ammo to blow (hey, it's cheap right). Several of those who tried one of my M91/30's or M44's have shown up later at the same range as a proud new owner of some Russkie history. And as for the deer, The 54R has more than enough power to put some steaks on the grill.

P.S.- give classicarms.com a look if you decide to go the online route.

 

[scrat]

out here in ca. big 5 has them on sale at least twice a month for 75.00

 

[Red Tornado]

For range use, the 91/30 is great, and I think better than the M38 or M44. However, if you're going to be lugging it around the woods and trying to make quick shots, you might consider an M38, M44, or 91/59 as a quicker handling option. The carbines are about 8" shorter, but seem about 2 feet shorter when maneuvering them.

That said, I love Mosins and have to say grab one, but not at $150.
RT

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Price depends on your area. $150 for a 91/30 isn't out of line for SE PA, if it's one of the arsenal-refurbished rifles.

They are great rifles. As long as the bore and muzzle crown are in good shape, it should be accurate. The 91/30 is long but well balanced. IMO it handles very well.

Milsurp 7.62x54R is cheap. AIM Surplus has Bulgarian light (147 grain) or heavy (183 grain) ball for $29.95/300. They have 440 round tins of Hungarian light ball for $44.95. (Plus shipping, of course.) I prefer shooting the light ball because it kicks a lot less than the heavy stuff.

 

[Avenger]

The pricing on most MNs seems to be based more on the appearance of the stock than anything else.