Big newby with some questions about Mosin Nagant

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ihaveworms

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Hello all, I have been reading around on the forums some more about the mosin nagant. I would like to get one over the summer. I saw some people talk about http://www.classicarms.us/ . I was looking at their M44s and they seem to be in good condition. Would that be a pretty good place to get one?

I am not a not a very big guy so I kinda liked the shorter M44 compared to the M91/30. Is the M44 a good choice? Is the accuracy pretty good?

I am also 18 and live in Tennessee. With classic arms located in North Carolina, I would need it shipped over here. I read a bit about this 'FFL' license and well, I am not old enough to sign up for one. I also read about a process of having a rifle transfered to a dealer with a FFL and then getting it from them. Is this common? Would they do that?
 
you may want to call around the local gun shops for these, they should go for under $100 ...if you pay for that rifle out of state, you will end up having to have it sent to a dealer in your area because you can't have that shipped to your door (without a special FFL03 license).

The dealer will accept it and he'll charge you a Federal Firearm License (FFL) fee which can go from $50 to $70 (I live in CA, so that's my fee).

So basically...

-If you buy from out of state, you need to first call a local gun shop who handles FFL transfers and ask them if they'll accept your firearm. ask for their FAX number.

-Then you would call the out of state dealer and make your purchase over the phone and give them the FAX number for the local dealer.

-Sit back and wait :)

Personally, on my trek for a nice milsurplus rifle, I ended up with a Mosin look alike trainer chambered in .22 LR (Polish WZ48) and also a Swiss K31 :D

Good luck buddy, have fun and be safe!

-M
 
http://www.wideners.com/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=7006&dir=700|701

I found a rifle within just a few minutes from me. Do you all know why they would charge more for walk in customers ($30)? Seems strange because I would think walk in customers would be less of a hassle and you would receive the money faster.

At $100, is it still worth it? I guess I will have to go around to some more gunshops around here but I am not sure if they sell surplus rifles. Also, what are the chances of me getting one and it turning out to have poor accuracy and is just not a very good gun? I have seen some up close pics of these and even though I am not super knowledgeable about the mechanics of the firearm, it seems their construction is a little rough.

Ah and cosmoline, I was hoping to find one of these around $100~. This would be my first gun and don't have a whole lot of money will college expenses and all.
 
If you're buying from a local dealer's stock there should be NO charge for the NICS process. The charge comes when you use a local license holder to transfer a firearm from another dealer.
 
I don't know what NICS is. Also, I was just commenting on how he charges more for walk-ins, not necessary charging a FFL fee.
 
That's not because you're a walk-in, it's because you're not a dealer. Mosins are very easy to find, so you can certainly just cruise local gun shops and find one.
 
I was just commenting on how he charges more for walk-ins, not necessary charging a FFL fee
Click to expand...

The "$30 more" is called his margin for owning the inventory and the work required to maintain his FFL. ClassicArms is pricing based on a transfer or direct-to-FFL price. It's how a business operates.
 
Ok I have another question. If I decided to change out the bolt handle and put on a scope, how far would I be able to hit targets about the size of a milk jug?
 
If you have a Big 5 around look at them also they seem to have the M44 on sale every other week to every two weeks for $89+ transfer fee.
 
Honestly, the accuracy on Mosins varies a lot, from sub 1" groups at 100 yards to mine, which is more like 6" :). Or even worse. It really depends on how good the bore is. But, the great thing is that they're so cheap that even if you get a dog it's not a big loss.
 
But how far do you expect an M44 to shoot accurately at a target the size of a milk jug in yards?
Click to expand...

A rebuilt USSR M44 from the bargain bin will likely shoot 3 MOA to 5 MOA at best. The one I linked to will likely shoot much better than that. Neither will work well with a traditional scope, so you need to learn how to use tangent irons.
 
They aren't tack drivers. Everything has to come together. I have 1 out of five that shoots good by todays standards that's 1-2" at 100yards with handloads with mil Surp ammo it shoots 2-3" groups. It's a PU sniper reproduction. The rest shoot 3-5" groups with some that are even bigger for whatever reason again that's surplus ammo from a sandbag.
 
unless you live in a place that breaks balls over guns...transfer fees usually wont run you more than about 20-30 bucks. Dont forget shipping, either.

The best thing to do is pretty much add an extra fifty bucks onto the price of a gun found online (unless it says that transfer fee is included in the listed price). Then, you figure shipping and the NICS check fee (usually $5 for that)
 
$100 is a pretty good price for an M44.
About what I've seen them going for everywhere but Gander Mountain.
Freakin $150 for an M44...
 
Where do you live?
There are a lot of finish-worn Finnish M39s. These guns have beat up stocks, with multiple repairs; they usually have almost no finish left.

But their bolts and receivers match, and they are capable of quite good accuarcy. let me put it this way - with CZ silvertip I have hit a one liter (the small bottles) soda bottle at 75 yards, dead on.

they can be had for as little as $120.
 
Classic Arms is a good place to buy from. Decent and better quality, but what really made the difference for me was the great customer service attitude. I bought a 91/30 from him that had a minor problem that took me a while to figure out. I was finally able to fix it by dremeling away part of the stock on the inside that was interfering with the action, but when I spoke to the Classic Arms guy over the phone about my problem (before I'd figured out exactly what the problem was) he told me no sweat, he'd make it right. I like that.
If I buy any more C&R rifles he's the first place I'll look.
 
Like I said, I am a newby so I do not know what MOA stands for. As for where I live someone asked, I live in Tennessee.
 
Since you are a newbie, might I suggest 3 things?

1) Wait on buying a 91/30 or M44. The full power cartridge / metal buttplate / poorly designed stock / crappy triggers / crappy sights / so-so accuracy is not really the best to learn on. It will frustrate you, induce a flinch and otherwise make marksmanship an afterthought.

2) Buy a 22 rifle. Learn to shoot it. Rifle will be inexpensive, ammo will be inexpensive and you will learn good traits.

3) Get some instruction. Even if it is from a family friend who takes marksmanship serious.

I know the lure of the big boom is contagious when you're 18, but time spent actually learning to shoot rather than just making noise will pay off for you in the future.

I can't tell you how many guys I can outshoot at the range with my milsurp Swede 96 and iron sights, compared to their Remington/Winchester/Savage Magnum-boomer with 3-9x40 scope. Mostly because they learned to pull the trigger instead of actually learning to shoot.
 
MOA stands for minute of angle. It translates to roughly 1" at 100 yards, 2" at 200 yards, 3" at 300 yards and so on.
 
what Jamkris said . there's a website article on the M44 that tells of a burly weight lifter, ex marine, who is having trouble with the kick and muzzle blast from this short, light, hi-power rifle. this is a military rifle and when the adrenilin flows the shooter will not feel the kick. target shooting is something else. starting with a .22, and asking for instruction from someone who can teach the basics is a critical foundation to your enjoyment of this sport. to me, starting with this rifle is like learning to shoot a handgun on full power .357 loads.
 
If it's what you want, go to Wideners. Hopefully you can look at the rifle before you buy it, too. The difference in cost is $20, not $30. The reason i bring this up is even if you bought the cheapest Mosin ($60 at J&G) plus shipping ($16) plus a local FFL transfer (this is where you fill out the Federal form and the dealer calls in for a background check (The NICS thing) (cost about $20 to $30).
This will make the $60 wholesale rifle cost $96 to $106.
If Wideners is close enough to you, go there are pick one out for $99, plus tax (I'm sure).
 
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