It has always been my impression that the Mosin is a "close enough" rifle. It is the definition of quantity not quality. I wouldn’t want to be the lone guy fighting 10 that are armed with Mosins even at 200 yards apart, regardless of having my choice of weapon.
Most of the ones out there were made under war conditions and the craftsmanship shows it. The machining on my M38 and M44 is rough as heck and I could probably do better with just my Dremel, but what do you expect with an $80 rifle that is 60+ years old.
Now there are exceptions. I have heard that the newer (relatively) Finns can hold their own and maybe in the course of production, one day everything clicked and an Izzy 91/30 tack driver was born. But GENERALLY, the Mosin is not as accurate as other comparable rifles. The key word is generally. If I go to Big 5 and get a K31 and a 91/30, off the rack I will bet on the K31 being more accurate.
That being said, I do like my Mosins!
Most of the ones out there were made under war conditions and the craftsmanship shows it. The machining on my M38 and M44 is rough as heck and I could probably do better with just my Dremel, but what do you expect with an $80 rifle that is 60+ years old.
Now there are exceptions. I have heard that the newer (relatively) Finns can hold their own and maybe in the course of production, one day everything clicked and an Izzy 91/30 tack driver was born. But GENERALLY, the Mosin is not as accurate as other comparable rifles. The key word is generally. If I go to Big 5 and get a K31 and a 91/30, off the rack I will bet on the K31 being more accurate.
That being said, I do like my Mosins!