Advice for buying a Mosin Nagant at a gun show?

[xardoz]

Hi all. I've got the itch to put a Mosin Nagant in my stable, but I've never bought a used / milsurp weapon before. To make matters worse, I'm also a bolt action newb.

A local gun shop has several MN's in stock, and I'm hitting a gun show this weekend. Can anyone give me some advice on what to watch out for?

 

[Der Stro]

-A good, non-cracked stock is the first thing I always look for.

-Personally I like to have a rifle with all matching parts, check the bolt, reciever, magazine floorplate, and buttstock for serial numbers and make sure they all match. It isn't a big deal if they don't, I just prefer it that way.

-Ask to see the bore. take the bolt out of the weapon (by opening the bolt, pulling the trigger, and (with the trigger depressed) slide the bolt out of the rear of the action.) and point it at a light source (overhead light, sun, etc.). Like any weapon a smooth, shiny bore is best without any visible pitting.

-Check the crown for damage and counterboring. It doesn't make a difference if the rifle is counterbored, its actually preferred over a damaged crown.

-Check all visible surfaces (including the bolt and inner magazine) for rust, pitting, etc.

-If you can find a rifle with [SA] stamped on the receiver, it means its a Finnish capture, and is likely in better condition and a more accurate shooter than the non-captures.

-Cycle the bolt and make sure it actually goes "click" when you pull the trigger. The rifle has likely been sitting in a warehouse for the last 50 years, so expect the action to be a little stiff.

There isn't much to it other than that. Mosin's are fairly indestructible, with the most common point of failure the stock.

Check out http://7.62x54r.net/ for more information on those rifles than you could ever want. Enjoy spending hours cleaning the cosmoline from every nook and cranny

 

[WardenWolf]

Main thing is the bore. A lot of Mosins have bad bores. Also, don't just look at dealer tables. A lot of dealers will try to overcharge you. I got mine for $75 from a guy walking around on the floor with it. It was in better condition and came with all the accessories than the base guns with no accessories the dealers were selling for $110.

 

[pro2]

You may pay a premium, but:

1. Matching numbers
2. NOT counter bored, clean.... dark is O.K. as long as the rifling is strong.
3. No (or discrete) import markings
4. Solid stock
5. "SA" markings are a real plus... if apparent, just make sure that the bolt numbers matches receiver. Non-matching numbers elsewhere are of less concern with Finnish rebuilds. M39s are SWEET.

...... your trigger may feel a little "slow" or mushy. It likely to be packed with cosmoline. It will feel much better once cleaned.

If this is your first C&R, I would seek a full length rifle. The little M44s ect. more more of a novelty than serious range gun. I personally do not enjoy shooting them... though I do on occasion just for the punishment!

 

[Fonzie2k]

Good choice in a rifle! I have one and I have helped many people buy theirs!

If the vendor ill let you take the bolt out and check the chamber to make sure it looks ok, and look down the bore from the front end.

Look at the bolt face to make sure it isn't rusty from shooting surplus ammo and not cleaning.

In my experience the Century arms imports tend to have more issues... look for C.A.I. on the import stamp. I'm not saying don't buy one, just check it out a little better. I have never found an R Guns import with issues though.

If the stock has a square on it with a slash through it that means that it was refurbished by the soviets or hungarians before it was put into long term storage, to some people this takes down the collectible value but it helps insure a working gun.

Cosomoline grease is also a good sign (you know some american hasn't already been using it and screwed it up)

Otherwise spend a few hours at this website http://7.62x54r.net/ and look at different things about them, and follow everyone else's advice on this post.

The Mosin is a great rifle, it is so simple its easy to tell if there is something wrong.

Also is this for collecting or shooting? Are you interested in a carbine or a rifle?

 

[xardoz]

Thanks, gang!

Fonzie: This is for shooting, and I'm partial to long guns, aesthetically. What I've seen on teh intarwebs says that the long gun has more of a "push" recoil vs. the carbine having a "kick." Also, I don't see anything that shows a Finn carbine, although there's so much info out there I could easily be mistaken.

I've printed out 7.62x54r.net's pages on the various markings, so I'll be on the lookout for an "SA" Finn.

Cosmoline: My Norinco SKS was packed in the stuff. Despite repeated, thorough cleanings, I was still wiping off residue years later.

 

[xardoz]

So Friday I dropped by my local gun shop and they had decent, number matching Tulas for for $120, about what I expected.

At the gun show today, non-matching Tulas for $200 and up.

Crazy. I'm heading back to my gun shop.

 

[Shinbone]

I've read that it's a good idea to have the bore slugged so you can know the diameter. Shooting a .311 or .312 diameter bullet in a .308 barrel will develop high pressures.

 

[grimjaw]

Buy 5 at $79.99 each, keep the best shooter, sell the rest.

Seriously, though, on all the Mosin Nagants I had bore condition wasn't always the determining factor on how well they shot. You don't want a sewer pipe, but it can sometimes be hard to tell under all the cosmoline.

 

[writerinmo]

I chose to not buy any at gun shows after two trips found only overpriced junk. I called Classic Arms and bought one of their "value priced" 91/30's with a force-match on the floorplate, otherwise all numbers matching with all the accessories for $96.00 including shipping. I chose the Tula round receiver, the Izzy would have been ten bucks cheaper.

Ordered on Friday, delivered by the Brown Truck on Wednesday. Turned out to be a 1942, bore is pristine, refurbished of course, import mark was for Tennessee Guns Inc. Spent the afternoon cleaning it (lots of boiling water!) and went out the next weekend to try her out.

Excellent shooter, first time shooting a Mosin so I thought I did pretty good, had two fliers up and left anticipating recoil and pulling the rifle to me, the rest of the two mags were all within 3" of each other at 50 yards but about 1 1'2 right of center. Shot about 1 1/2" high which was about right according to the ballistics chart for 148gr Russian light ball that I had.

Can't complain, as soon as I can squirrel away another $86.00 I'll get her Izzy sister if they still have them.