Anybody else over old Russian/ComBloc Rifles?

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HoosierQ

HoosierQ

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Let me open by saying I do not wish to change anybody's mind about these guns. What I do wonder is: Is it just me, or was the whole Mosin Nagant (and to a lesser extent SKS) thing just a phase that some people go through and get over? Again I recognize that some people do and will continue to love these things and more power to them.

I've joined a conservation club and one sees all sorts of ARs, I shot a pre-64 Winchester 94, a bunch of nice neat little .22 rifles and my time worn 1940 Izhvek 91/30 just kind of faded for me.

Add to that the fact that these were the guns pointed at us for quite some time there and sometime I sort of feel a little weird about it these days. Makes me wish I had bought one of the several decent 1903's (some well-done choppers, others original) that I passed over because "I don't need one of those, got a Mosin".

Just a thought.
 
There will always be a place for the Mosin. A cheap, heavily built, WWII relic shooting a full power cartridge will always have fans. Often, people just wanting to get into their first full power rifle and not wanting to spend much. (As I was.) Military enthusiasts, people who want a cheap blaster for surplus ammo. Our gun culture is better for all the Mosins available.

I also feel there's naturally an ebb and flow to every individuals interest/focus. One may be more into milsurp, then more interested in benchrest, or IDPA, or shotgunning, or vintage American 30/30s made between the World Wars in odd numbered years, or whatever you can imagine. But that doesn't mean your interest might not come back around at some point. Case in point, I haven't been shooting milsurps much for a few years...but I'm sure I'll get interested again at some point. YMMV, but hold onto the Mosin just in case. ;)
RT
 
ALL guns are, to one extent or another, "just a phase some people go through and get over."

Tastes change. I own more guns that I go years without shooting than I own firearms I regularly shoot.

There are collectors and enthusiasts who love Mosins, SKSs, Tokareves, AKs ... and 1903s and K98s, and No.1 Mk IIIs, and Garands, and ... whatever else. They'll love those guns until they die, or their interests change.

There are lots of other owners who buy a gun to use or play with and buy something else when their finances improve or they get bored.

No reason to feel any particular distress over such a natural shift in interests. If you keep shooting long enough, you'll probably live to see the day when you're a bit bored with your Winchester and that Mosin starts calling you again. Don't worry about it.

At the very least, the Mosins make a fabulous response to anyone who says, "Q: I want to try deer hunting and only have a $1000 budget, what should I get?" "A: A M-N 91/30 and about $910 worth of ammo!" :)

these were the guns pointed at us for quite some time
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Yeah, that idea gets tossed around here occasionally. "These were the guns of the enemy!" or "These guns were used to KILL!" or "These guns were used as boat oars!" or whatever the sort of anthropomorphized characteristic assigned may be. The general feeling though seems to be: these guns are just guns. A piece of history, an effective tool, a cost-effective tool, etc. They didn't commit any atrocities themselves so assigning some sentimentalist dogma to them is wholly without legitimacy.
 
For me, I like the idea I'm holding a firearm that's 70-100+ years old and is still in working order. And the thought that it was once the weapon of our enemy reminds me of how times change; in a sense that enemy has been defeated by time. Our enemies are an important part of our past.

That, and the mosin is cheap and makes a big boom. What's not to like? :p
 
Shooting a Mosin M 44 will tell the next guy n line a fancy tacticool AR that the oldie can still commands attention. Besides the concussion is deafening.
 
I'm over most guns. My little Browning .22 auto, Colt Python, Savage 99 and few others - I am definitely NOT over. Others are heading toward the sales block. Never was impressed with the Mosin build, so I got over that one the first time I handled one :)

We'll see if a Garrand can hold my interest for years? It's on my "investment" list.
 
Sam1911 said:
Yeah, that idea gets tossed around here occasionally. "These were the guns of the enemy!" or "These guns were used to KILL!" or "These guns were used as boat oars!" or whatever the sort of anthropomorphized characteristic assigned may be. The general feeling though seems to be: these guns are just guns. A piece of history, an effective tool, a cost-effective tool, etc. They didn't commit any atrocities themselves so assigning some sentimentalist dogma to them is wholly without legitimacy.
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Well Sam I certainly do agree with the inanimate object concept you articulated. I guess what I was getting at was more history oriented rathern that philosophical: A old Winchester is part of our history in a direct way rather than just part of history in which we took part.
 
Gotcha.

But, you know ... Remington made Mosin Nagants to help Russia to fight the Germans with in WWI.

It's a small, amazingly interconnected world.
 
I guess you could say that I am over them as they have never really appealed to me. I appreciate that folks have different tastes and am glad if the opportunity to buy an inexpensive milsurp rifle brings new shooters into the shooting sports. However, the milsurp stuff that I have run across always seems to look ugly and I just don't feel like spending even $100 to $200 for a rifle that shoots 2-3 MOA if I am lucky. In my estimation, getting these rifles to the level of accuracy to make me happy would be cost prohibitive, not that I am the best marksman on the block. If I want to spend time trying to make a rifle more accurate, I would rather start with an essentially proven bolt action rifle, install an aftermarket trigger, if needed , and try and find the right load that makes it a tack driver. Am I assured that the new Remington or Winchester is accurate? No, but in my experience the odds are with me. The Tikkas and Sakos that I have do have an accuracy guarantee that I can fall back on. A nice, new loaded M1 or the equivalent does have some appeal, but all in all, I would rather have another nice bolt gun with a good scope for the money.
I guess you could say that my problems with milsurps are generally subjective, looks and the generally poor condition from being really old, but objectively, chances of getting a MOA shooter and the fit and finish of a military issue rifle (low bid, functionality over precision) guide my choices. It does not bother me that these rifles may have been used against our troops. That was and is the result of man's decisions and the gun is an inanimate object. However, somewhere down the road, someone in Russia or China is being paid for that rifle. Are these countries our current enemy? That is arguable. However, you can be assured that they don't have America's best interest at heart. Just my two cents.
 
I love my Mosin Nagants. Some of them will shoot better than one inch at 100 yards. They are more accurate than any commercial rifle I own. I know some of my rifles have killed. They went through the winter war and continuation war and it shows in the character of the rifle. They are not pretty. Will they ever kill again? Just break into my house some night and find out......chris3
 
was the whole Mosin Nagant (and to a lesser extent SKS) thing just a phase that some people go through and get over?
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I think so.

I know I got over $10-$15 dollar Mosin-Nagants in 1963, and $75 buck Chinese SKS's in 1980 something!

I got over both real fast actually!

rc
 
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rcmodel said:
I think so.

I know I got over $10-$15 dollar Mossin-Nagants in 1963, and $75 buck Chinese SKS's in 1980 something!

I got over both real fast actually!

rc
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I think the thing that got me was that old model 94. I didn't know my buddy even had it. It was just so neat. I used to feel that way about my Mosin (even gave it a name "Big Ivan") but...if I hade and nice old model 94 I could call it "The Duke"...or a 1903 I could call "Big Alvin"...get it?
 
There will always be some people who find them appealing and some who don't. They are cheap and fun which attracts a lot of people and the historical aspect attracts others as well. To each their own.
 
Add to that the fact that these were the guns pointed at us for quite some time there and sometime I sort of feel a little weird about it these days. Makes me wish I had bought one of the several decent 1903's (some well-done choppers, others original) that I passed over because "I don't need one of those, got a Mosin".

Just a thought.
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When were mosins pointed at us?

SKS was adopted in 1949 and pointed at us but not by Russians.

The most pointed at us gun the AK47 is absent from your post.. Have one :D?
 
I agree, I had five Mosin Nagant 91/30's I got them cause the are/where cheap, I sold four of them mainly cause I never shoot them, I still have an all matching Tula and 1500 rounds last time I counted, I would much rather have any American weapon from WW2. I have a couple AR15's but I prefer the M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, and M1903
 
Pointed is pointed man.
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The world changes. Enemies become allies, allies become enemies. We forgive and are forgiven.

But we can't forgive the tools our friends/enemies/friends used?

Odd.
 
MrWesson said:
When were mosins pointed at us?

SKS was adopted in 1949 and pointed at us but not by Russians.

The most pointed at us gun the AK47 is absent from your post.. Have one ?
Click to expand...

I believe the T53 Mosin Nagant was pointed at quite a few U.S. Servicemen.
 
HoosierQ said:
Add to that the fact that these were the guns pointed at us for quite some time there and sometime I sort of feel a little weird about it these days.
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We won, we bought their weapons and have fun with them. Capitalism won over Communism. Seems a fitting end to me...

Personally, I've taken to collecting Russian and Eastern-Bloc weapons. They may be crude in places but they flat out work and I like the way they look, overall. They are also fun to shoot and do so better than most people give them credit for.

I also enjoy seeing what the Finns did with their Mosins and how a bit of gunsmithing combined with troops who properly care for their weapons can really transform a rifle.

If you prefer different items, that's cool. Thanks for leaving more for me! :)
 
At first I wanted nothing to do with a Mosin. Now, I kind of want one. I agree that people go through phases. For example, I was really into "old western" guns for awhile. Lately that fascination has passed. I will still buy all those "cowboy" guns I wanted, but they won't have priority over others now.
 
<<Shooting a Mosin M 44 will tell the next guy n line a fancy tacticool AR that the oldie can still commands attention. Besides the concussion is deafening.>>

And sometimes that is exactly what you want! >;-)
Last time i went to the range, I was sighting in my new Tech-Sights on my Ruger .22 , when a guy sets up next to me, he's got a sweet AR, all done up in desert tan...my interest quickly turned to annoyance, once he started shooting it. Whatever muzzle-break he was using was SIGNIFICANTLY increasing the sound, and concussion. At that point, I gave up on serious shooting for the day, and decided to bring out my M-44. Within 30 secs, the AR-guy stopped shooting, and went for a walk...
I talked to him a bit later, as we were packing up to leave, he admitted that the Mosin was so loud, that he had decided to take a break.
 
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