Buying a Mosin from AIM?

[heypete]

AIM Surplus has a really good looking package deal going on for 91/30 Mosins, which can be seen here .

They say they're "refinished to excellent condition", which sounds quite good.

I'm not really concerned about matching serials or any other historical value...I'm just looking for a fun, high-powered bolt-action rifle (I have my Remington 700 in .30-06, but another rifle is always good) in a cheap caliber. That pretty much screams out "Mosin", and the price is right. I'd also like to put one or two in my earthquake survival kit, as well as a tin of ammo. One doesn't know when they might come in handy, no?

That said, I have a couple questions:
* What, if any, is the difference between "hex" and "non-hex" receivers? Why would/should I care about this?
* What, if any, is the difference between Tula or non-Tula manufactured Mosins? Again, why would/should I care about this?

Finally, does anyone here have any experience with AIM Surplus? I send them my C&R, and they send some postcard ads from time to time, but I've not actually dealt with them for any sales.

Post-finally, any comments on Radway Green 5.56mm NATO, and how well it'll perform in a Kel-Tec SU-16B? They seem to have good prices on it, and I'm looking to stock up once I run low on Wolf (which I'll probably not buy again in .223)...I need something to practice with without burning relatively-expensive XM193.

Cheers!

 

[rust collector]

Hex receivers and Tula rifles are a little bit scarcer, hence a bit more valuable. The hex receivers are found on older guns, and of course older guns as a rule show better craftsmanship and a bit more character, if you're into that sort of thing.

AIM is a good company to work with. They will treat you right, but you must remember that they are selling boxes with rifles inside that they have bought from Century or other importers. Those rifles may have seen a lot of use. I do have to laugh when I see MNs advertised as restored to excellent condition, as many wartime specimens weren't all that excellent when they came off the assembly line.

Get one from AIM, but be warned that military surplus rifles are a bit like potato chips. Tough to stop at one.

 

[cracked butt]

I do have to laugh when I see MNs advertised as restored to excellent condition, as many wartime specimens weren't all that excellent when they came off the assembly line.

Pretty much spot on.
The reworked, rearsenalled Mosins usually have really nice refinished stocks, but the bores leave much to be desired. I have a M38 and 91/30 from Aim, Both have pitted bores with dark nasty looking grooves, botyh were the 'arsenal refinished' rifles. The M38 is pretty much a scattergun and a wall hanger, but the 91/30 is still plenty shootable.

 

[Third_Rail]

My advice is to buy them in stores if you can. I found two perfect (more or less) barreled rifles like that.

 

[Ash]

Aim is a good company, and at $70 plus shipping, go for it. I have bought several from them, and even donated one to the local Army museum for their display. The bores will be fine for shooting, they just won't necessarily be new. They were refinished for potential use, so if the bore was totally shot out, it was used for parts. Now, Boris or Ivan could have been nipping a bit too much Vodka on a particularly fine day in the workers' paradise and a bad bore slipped through, but not that often. Even dark bores can shoot just fine. In fact, some of these dark bores clean up better than you would think.

Now, I am spoiled as I got into Mosins ten years ago when all the Finnish mosins were plentiful. I got all my M39's for $100 or less, my New England Westinghouse M91 in original stock, perfect blue, and a mirror bore set me back $50 plus tax, and my Tikka 91/30 (oh man, oh man, now those WERE excellent condition 91/30's, basically unissued for the most part, with perfect stocks, perfect bluing, perfect bores, and many still with hang tags) I paid a mere $50 for. Those days are past, and this crop of Mosins is a far cry from that. It's the watered down wine served after the good stuff has been drained. But, wine it still is, and these Mosins are much nicer than the worn out stuff that came out of Serbia.

Ash

 

[warriorsociologist]

I like the look of the hex Tulas...but if you're building a "sniper clone," you'll want a round receiver. YMMV.

 

[Kurush]

I agree, buy from a store. The bore on the M38 I got from AIM was utter sewer pipe. I'm talking chunks of green verdigris with mysterious little crystals mixed in. I used a copper brush on it I don't know how many times and it never got in the same zip code as clean.

 

[Lonestar.45]

I'd highly suggest getting a Mosin (or two). Everything you ever wanted to know about Mosins:

http://www.mosinnagant.net/

As for Aim, I've bought a Yugo SKS, and a WASR AK from them, and both times was highly satisfied. I would order from them again in a heart beat. My Mosins I've picked up from gunshows, so I can't speak as to the quality of Aim's Mosins. I recently bought an M-38 for $85 that was re-arsenaled to "like new" condition. A guy at the gunshow had 5 laying out there (all from Century). I put my bore light in each one, and picked the one with the best barrel. I'd highly suggest trying a gun show if they have any in your area. If not, call Aim, tell them what you want, they may charge a $10 hand pick, but it will be worth it if they'll pull one out with a good barrel for you. Good luck.

 

[heypete]

Unfortunately, buying from a store here in California can be a bit of a pain. Most of the milsurps they have around here aren't in the greatest condition, and there's all the 4473+10 day wait+California fees+other California BS, etc.

I'd really like to put my C&R to good use one of these days and am willing to take somewhat of a risk; the listing with AIM looks rather promising, and I know they can't really guarentee quality, for the price and the description, it looks pretty good.

I'm just wondering if paying $20 extra for a Tula manufactured, hex receiver rifle will be worth it. I really don't care about what shape the receiver is, hex or not, nor do I really care who made the thing...just so long as it's a well-made rifle, which I suspect most if not all of them are.

Cheers!

 

[dasmi]

If you're going to put a mosin in a survival kit, I'd suggest an M38 or M44 over the 91/30. 91/30's are LONG. The M38 and M44 are much more handy.

 

[Cosmoline]

I love the 91/30, but it is a very long rifle. It's not as long as the WWI era M-91, but it's still quite a bit longer than a K-98k or Garand. On the plus side, it's very light for its length and extremely well balanced. I've hiked for hundreds of miles over the past few years with a 91/30 over my shoulder. The M-44 is shorter but weighs about the same as a 91/30. The lightest is the M-38, but most of those have been trashed and counterbored and are not great shooters.

The Tula Hex will generally be pre-war and they do tend to be better made and more accurate. It's worth $20 extra to get one.

The problem with mail order is you can get some really horrible bores. Sometimes too far gone to make even a recreational shooter out of. If you can get a hand select for best bore, do it.