Custom Mosin Nagant

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TheGent

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I recently got into the Mosin Nagant Fan Club because a local gun store was selling the for $89. So I thought what the hell. I bought two. One to keep fresh and one to customize. I didn't know what I wanted to do to the one I bought for customizing. But, I knew that I wanted to keep it somewhat true to the nature of the gun (No cut stocks, barrel, butchering). I started doing a little research on the time period and this is what I came up with:

This is a pic of the custom Nagant next to a stock version. Well I refinished the stock on the standard Nagant (Above) with a color stain more to my liking and rubbed it with tongue oil for ten days. That's a lot of rubbin', but it turned out great. On the bottom is the custom. The camo stock is loosely based on the Dazzle Camo of WWI and Early WWII that was painted on ships to confuse enemies of the size, direction the ship was moving, etc. I don't believe Russians used Dazzle Camo on their ships. I didn't dig that deep.
DSCF1431.jpg

Close up of Dazzle Camo. I know Dazzle Camo was not intended for ground fighting, but long distance. I just thought it looked impressive and this was a fun gun to customize.
DSCF1432.jpg

Next I put on some camo burlap. I've seen a few pictures of Russian Snipers wrapping the rifles in regular burlap. I could turn my burlap over to the non-camo side and have it look more traditional too.

The next step will be a scope mount and scope which will also be wrapped in the burlap. What do you think? At least Bubba didn't get a hold of it.
 
~LOL!~

If you hadnt painted the stock and metal, I woulda fully exempted 'Bubba', but at least its fairly strippable/reversable, so well just say your 'close' to a new nickname ~LOL!~~.
You have choices , too, in scopeing it and destroying or not destroying its military configuration restorability......... A WWII period scope, a rear sight base mounted scope , or a "ATI chop, drill, tap, screw kit"?

Underneath it all, its a Mosin all right,and thats the best thing going for it :D Your Mosin, have fun, do as you please and what makes it work for you. :D then tell us how it shoots.
 
I can wholly understand why people would be upset by people sporterizing historic rifles...but I like what hes done here...has one that hes keeping in its original condition while making another truly his own...well done
 
Bubba says he aint bubba....

Well at least it's reversible
NOW
post a pic of the barrel shank, and see if they were collectable, which in a mosin can more than double your money. But it's not bad, and I guilty of it myself, I've got one too, as for the mount, I'd go with a repro PU or PE mount, you can buy them now with a weaver rail on them ;)
 
I would not in any way feel bad about doing that to a mosin. Look at production numbers of the common factories mosin nagant, its not exactly rare..or going to be rare in a hundred years. If it were a M39 or a 189x dated 91/30 or a rare version I would see a valid point for the purist side..But again, its a mosin nagant. There is much better choices to mounting a scope without going with the Ati d&t mount. Check out the Jmeck (sp?) mount, no drill & tap, no maring of blueing and is very stable (also not a scout mount), and no perm damage to your $90 rifle. If you don't mind the drill and tap mount you could go the route of Rock solid ind. drill and tap mount with one of their bent bolts, or a boltman bent/swept bolt. Its your modding mosin, bubba the hell out of that thing, I did with my run of the mill $60 Izhevsk, and I feel no different.
 
Nothing you changed on that custom rifle will affect it's operation, and since I buy guns to shoot and have fun with instead of treating them as investments, I'd pick the modified one over the ancient looking one in a heartbeat. I think it looks good :), and while some have a "name" for people that "sporterize" old weapons like that, there is also a name for people that tend to believe that their opinion is the only right one.
 
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If you DO scope it, I recommend using the ATI scope mount, but going to BoltMan for modifying your bolt handle. He can do both "correct" sniper bolt modifications and ones adapted for the ATI mount that don't involve a ghetto chop-and-drill sollution. I don't think it's too much of a crime to tap a Mosin receiver for a scope rail, as long as it's done correctly. That said, I'm NOT doing it to my all-matching 1943 Izhevsk. That gun gets left alone, aside from very minor necessary upkeep (new barrel bands and retainers).

All said, nice rifles.
 
i see nothing wrong with it and i wouldn't put any stock into anything the collectors say.
sporterizing is an american tradition the same as hot rodding is. there are well done examples and hack jobs. the problem with collectors is they cant see the difference between the two, imho collectors are the liberals of the shooting world.
 
"What do you think?" was the last question asked by TheGent, and Ill keep my replys on that.

Theres nothing wrong, ever , with doing what ever you want to a Rifle you own, as long as it keep the gun functioning and hopefully more accurate.
If you need a scope, by all means , scope it. Holes are easily plugged, just like the Russains did with "ex-snipers", but more importantly, scpope it if it helps you place the shot.
Chopping and bolting on the working handle is indeed ugly and gonna break, eventually with the ATI kit, and the advise to get a "sniper bolt' is most excellent advice, and restoring the original is a bolt dissassembly away.
Some folks like me, like to use what we own, I shoot them all, and I make a living hauling around my M-39. Its not gaining any "value" , but since I enjoy and have kept it in its original condition, I havent lost any value , either.
From the looks of the way Mausers went, 30 years ago, I could pick up a matching K98k with issue sling ,all swastikas and 90% blueing for under 100$, and its now worth 5X's that, at least.
My All there, matching, with mum T-99 Arisaka was a 35$ "bargin bin" ina Seattle pawnshop, back in '88, is well worth 400$ as it is now.
My 50$ M-28 is worth 400$ easily, and the bundles of Finn Mosins I used to pick up for 100$ for 5 are just nuts......and so on.......I dont think I am doing the wrong thing by encouraging gun owners to both use your rifle, and keep it restorable, which is very possible. They will rise in value, as all firearms do.

I live over the hill, far away and way the F beyond the end of the road, so Im the kinda guy that values what he has and trys to make the most from the tools at hand, for as long as possible.

But certainly ,you must do, as I must do, as we must do.....our own thing, and be Happy :D
 
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I got an all matching numbers 91/30 that will stay original.

I have a frankenstein Type 53 Mosin that is slightly bubba'd and may get totally dollied beyond recognition before its over. The headspace is OK but none of the numbers match, so I see no reason to fret.

A friend had a totally sporterised Mosin-nagant with Mannlicher stock, butter knife bolt handle, refinished, sporter sights, trigger, etc. Nice hunting rifle.
 
I'm no expert or collector, but I wouldn't do that to a Mosin. I would be worried I'd damage the value. I suspect they will increase in value over the years because they aren't making any more of these.
 
I have a numbers matching 91/30, and a sporter m44 that I built from parts. I like them all original, but I also like them sportered too. My uncle is collector so I can see the value in them being original, but if it is already hacked, have a good time making it personalized.
 
I'm no expert or collector, but I wouldn't do that to a Mosin. I would be worried I'd damage the value.
Click to expand...


You can get them for under $100 all day long. What value are you speaking of exactly?
Is it going to be worth $60 instead of $90?
I agree that they're not always gonna be under a hundred bucks, but they're not gonna be going for more than $250 in my lifetime I'm thinking.
 
The Soviets made MILLIONS of these rifles. All the ones for sale for $90-100 are imports from the former Soviet republics, who are cleaning out a century's worth of stored obsolete combat rifles.

I really doubt the value on the common war and post-war ones will go anywhere. The pre-war ones might gain in value some. I know that the Imperial Tsarist ones are fairly rare, as far as Mosins go.

I own a 1926 Hex receiver Izhevsk Soviet M91/30 myself, and will likely buy a second one! For $110, why not!
 
And the more that meet the Hacksaw, the fewer the collectable rifles there will be........they quit making Mosin Nagants Loooooooong ago.....

Theres already an near occultic following of the Finn Mosins, and restorations are getting pretty common, since theres no more comming in and Bubba had his way while they were "Common and Cheap Junk", and with time Soviet era weapons and such will have a following just like the Nazi's.....it grows as we go's through time.....

59$ M-44's and M-91/30's are a thing ofthe past, an unles theres more on the way, the price will only increase, just like the days when I picked up complete Finn '91's for 40$

.....I was young and sold off about 2/3's of what I have now, though I made my $ back a few times over, I really wish I hadnt done that......

Give it 20 years, and that 91'/30 in the box , cosmo'd with accessories will go for a sweet premium.
 
I'm not big on sporterizing, but you didn't hack away at the stock for no good reason and you painted something interesting on it at least, nice job!
 
i have a m38 which i will never modify. but lately been seeing some nicely done mosins like yours, which i may purchase one for my project.
 
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