Good milsurp rifle?

[Milsurplover]

Hey guys, so I have decided to get into buying and collecting milsurps. I already have 2 91/30 nagants so I am not THAT interested in adding another to the collection...yet (I have been thinking about a Finnish Nagant. heard they were accurate.) Anyway... I've been thinking what would be a good milsurp to buy in terms of availability, ammo cost and availability, accuracy, and availability of spare parts. My intended use for these rifles would be partly for having a piece of history but also to be able to shoot them. I heard some of these things can be really accurate for 50+ year old rifles depending on bore condition, etc. etc.

 

[bonza]

No.4 Lee Enfield .303 British.....'nuff said!

 

[RNB65]

M1 Garand (aka, United States Rifle, Caliber .30, M1). The first and only milsurp you'll ever need.

 

[Ditchtiger]

hunterslodge.com is selling FR-8 rifles, 'nuff said!

 

[snake284]

An SMLE would be great, also a Russian Capture K98 would be good. If you can find one or if you want to spend some money with the CMP you can get a Garand. But be forwarned it's gonna cost you $500+. Same with a 03-A3 or even a 1917. They're nice though and worth it. And their price is only going to go up, they don't make any more of them, Well they do make some but they aren't original. You can get a Springfield 1903 action, but it's a copy of the real thing. Of course, they do make great sporters.

I have bought some Yugo Mausers from Samco and Classic. They are all in great condition. One has a little rust on the receiver and anther has a couple of scratches on the receiver close to the bolt release-ejector. But you have to look real close. Of couirse these are not much for historical value because they were all made after WWII in Yugoslavia. But for project guns, they are fantastic doner actions. Also, you can keep it in its original 8mm caliber which isn't bad at all. Just some suggestions.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

The K31 is pretty neat.

 

[Milsurplover]

I was actually looking at an SMLE but I heard .303 was pretty pricy.. would reloading a .303 save you much money? I also have been looking at Yugo Mausers in 8mm and I'm intrigued but I also saw accuracy was nothing to write home about but 8mm is more readily available as far as I know..but I'm new tot he world of milsurps so I could very well be wrong as far as a Garand.. they are one helluva rifle. If they weren't so expensive now I would love to get my hands on one! Thank you all for the replies as well! Great info.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Picked up a Turkish Mauser (an 03/38) today for $120. Scabrous but intact stock, good but filthy bore and chamber. Factory mismatched numbers and CAI on the barrel. I don't see why it shouldn't be a good shooter. A good, cheap milsurp.

By the way, it's the first complete firearm that I have ever bought at a gun show.

 

[nathan]

One that doesn t break the bank and with good ammo selection for hunting is the M 24 47 Yugo mauser. Prvi Partizan 196 gr SP is some bada-- ammo to go with it.

 

[epijunkie67]

K31. Accurate, reliable, usually in good shape, and plenty of power for hunting.

 

[Afy]

 

[alemonkey]

Check out the M-39 Finnish Mosins. They were captured by the Finns and rebuilt with new triggers, barrels, sights, and stocks. The only thing that was really left alone was the receiver and bolt. With good ammo they are very accurate.

Here's a good place to buy them from:

http://gunsnammo.com/

 

[Quoheleth]

SKS is on my short list.

 

[Jeff F]

I was actually looking at an SMLE but I heard .303 was pretty pricy.. would reloading a .303 save you much money?

.303 is not that bad in price, I find Wolf Gold, Privy and sometimes S&B for 14 to 18 dollars a box. Reloading will almost always save you some money and .303 is not hard to reload. The .303 British is a sweet shooting and very accurate round. I would give the Enfield another look.

 

[Kenneth]

The best advice I've read on collecting is to start with what you love the best, and pick a theme that will enable you to build a collection without breaking the bank. Using shootability and availability of ammo is a good start, you might as well have fun with what you get. There are almost endless possibilities, from the evolution of one type of gun, or the guns of a particular nation, or even particular markings like proof marks or other unique stamps. Bottom line; your collection's gotta float your boat.

The Mosin Nagant is a great gun. Remember; a mere Russian peasant killed one of, if not the best sniper in the German army, during the battle of Stalingrad, with one.

 

[A Historian]

.303 is not that bad in price, I find Wolf Gold, Privy and sometimes S&B for 14 to 18 dollars a box. Reloading will almost always save you some money and .303 is not hard to reload. The .303 British is a sweet shooting and very accurate round. I would give the Enfield another look.

+1

Though, I have more difficulty finding ammunition, especially anything under 20$, which is just another reason for me to reload for the .303 British. It's definitely worth it, though there's the chance of having to battle headspace and case-head separation issues. It doesn't take much to fix, and often times just not hot-rodding your handloads is more than enough.

 

[ultradoc]

M-1 is a great rifle but an SKS is cheaper and more plentiful

 

[iamkris]

I'd suggest any one of these. Not yet shown is a MAS 49/56 I just picked up. My favorites of the bunch are the Garands, the Finnish M39s and the 03A3s.

 

[Kenneth]

ultradoc

M-1 is a great rifle but an SKS is cheaper and more plentiful

Im gonna go out on a limb and risk seeing all-a-youall in front of my house with pitchforks and torches.
The Russian SKS is every bit a good piece of machinery as the Garand M1. It is a very well thought out design. It's very tolerant of varying qualities of ammo and holds up well in circumstances where cleaning, maintenance, and repair resources are severely limited. If I had to choose a crisis gun (as in a "for the defense of themselves and the state" kind of crisis) the SKS would be on my very short list.

 

[Milsurplover]

Few questions: First. K31.. how is that straight pull bolt? Is it reliable? is it 6.5x55 or 7.5x55? How's ammo price for it and are reloading components readily available? And what is a good site to look at buying one of these? Can they be scoped easily or is it as much of a hassle as scoping up a nagant? And how accurate can a K31 be with good ammo and barrel assuming the shooter does their part? My second question is about K98 clones. Are Yugo 24/47's the best? Russian capture? How is the 8mm mauser in terms of accuracy with one of these rifles assuming bore condition is good?

 

[nathan]

As far i know they are all addicting. Money is the deciding factor , if you have plenty then its no problem.
The K 31 gets my nod for accuracy. The ammo is now widely available like Privi Partizan and Hornady. WHile tHe Swiss surplus GP 11 is the best there is , they can be a sub MOA at 100 yds if you do your part. Good luck

 

[bonza]

The K31 has a very smooth action & is a delight to shoot. It is chambered for the 7.5x55 Swiss not the 6.5x55 Swedish (two different countries, but often confused!!).
As to the .303 British, yes the mil-surp ammo is getting a bit harder to find, & most of what I've seen recently is the Pakistani-made stuff which should be avoided at any price. The last I bought was South African, which is pretty decent, & some Jugoslavian which shoots better in my No.4. I have also bought, some years ago, some Sellier & Bellot 174gn FMJ ammo in a plain blue box that shot very well & is boxer primer, whereas the S.A. & Jugo ammo are both berdan-primed. Prvi-Partisan make some reasonably priced .303 ammo in both FMJ & SP, as do Sellier & Bellot. For the most part, I reload my .303 ammo & it is no more difficult, or expensive, than most other calibers. I was lucky enough to buy are rather large quantity of pulled 7.62x54R 'heavy' bullets for cheap off GunBroker a couple of years ago & have been using those mostly, but have also found the bulk Remington 180gn SP bullets shoot well, too. I have a good supply of boxer-primed S&B & Federal cases, but am also set-up to reload my berdan-primed South African & Jugoslavian cases, too (they use the 5.5mm diameter primer as opposed to the larger British one). When reloading for the .303 British, it is probably more critical than with most calibers to neck-size as much as possible, as the chambers are quite 'generous' & constant FLS will result in case seperations & a short case life.

 

[jpwilly]

The most accurate for the money are the K-31's and M39's. Otherwise stay away from Mil Surps they are addictive! (just ask I AM KRIS).

 

[BrocLuno]

Arisaka 7.7 with chrome bore, all accessories and the Mum intact

 

[country boy marksman]

I hunt deer with a 50 year old chinese sks that will shoot 6-10 inch groups at 300 yards. It took me a while to get it cleaned and fine- tuned to that accuracy though. Ammo's cheap, the gun is cheap, and the 30 round mags are fun to shoot!