how safe are milsurps to shoot?

[jon1996]

hello,
i have just orderd my first few c&r rifles using my 03 ffl, i got 2 yugo sks, a m44 nagant, a 91/30 nagant and a m1938 nagant, i know after cleaning the rifles(sks very important, dont want any slam fires) i will check for any cracks or abnormal wear, but how safe are these to shoot, i mean whats the odds of a barrell exploding? just curious,
thanks,
jon

 

[critter]

If they are in good mechanical repair, appropriately maintained, fed the correct ammo and the headspace is correct, they are fine. Remember, they were built to fire thousands of rounds in an unfriendly environment and in battle situations.

I have fired many, many rounds out of many, many different milsurps and have had NO as in ZERO 'gun related' incidents. Ammo related is a different matter.

SHOOT them and have FUN!

 

[Jim K]

Some folks, perhaps those who can plunk down $5000 for a super sporting rifle, sneer at military surplus "junk" and declare them dangerous.

When you hear this, ask a simple question. If the rifle is that bad, why would a nation issue it to its army? Why would any nation willingly chance losing a war and its very existence as a nation by providing less than the best rifle it could afford to its troops?

That does not mean all milsurp rifles are equal in our modern eyes. Some will always be considered less desireable than others. Some will be considered unsuitable for conversion to sporting rifles. And some rifles produced in wartime conditions may be less well made than those made in peacetime. And some rifles have been badly treated, either by the army of the issuing country, the army or military group in another country, or by civilians after the arms were sold as surplus.

But it is a good general statement that military surplus rifles are of good quality and will give satisfactory service for years.

Jim

 

[jon1996]

i am not bashing surplus at all, that is the reason that i got a 03ffl so i can horde them all up,lol, but for some reason i prefer a fifle that has history to it and has seen battle, it jus means more, but you put it in a good way why would they issue their army junk for, thanks for the reply,
jon

 

[albanian]

I have a bunch of surplus rifles and I have never had a hint of a problem from any of them. As a matter of fact, my surplus guns have a much better track record than my modern guns. I have never had a problem with reliability from any mil-surplus rifle and I have a bunch of bolt actions and 9 SKSs.

Head space is not going to be a problem for most SKSs and as long as you clean out the firing pin well and make sure it moves freely, the SKS is pretty much trouble free unless there is a broken or damaged part. The bolt actions may have head space problems if they are very worn or if they have mismatched bolts. It is a rare thing to have a gun blow up in your face but not a small thing. If you are worried, you can have the head space checked for about the same price as you paid for the rifle.

What I do if I am worried for some reason is, I have someone I don't like shoot the first few rounds and then I check the brass to look for signs of trouble. Just joking. There is always the tree and the piece of string.

 

[SteelyDan]

As far as I know, the primary concern by far is headspace. Some places state that they check the headspace before selling. Others don't. You can buy headspace gauges or pay a smith to check it for you, if you're concerned. If your life insurance isn't up-to-date, it's probably a good thing to check. On the other hand, I can't recall reading about anyone dying from shooting an out-of-spec milsurp, though it certainly may have happened.

 

[GD]

I have over 30 military surplus rifles and fire them all often with no problems. Probably, the mosin has the reputation as being the cheapest milsurp out there right now. I have never heard of a mosin blowing up. I have seen reports of more modern semiautomatics blowing up as well as the early year 1903's which no one recommends shooting.
Check out each rifle, clean it well, and do a headspace if you have doubts. I always check the condition of the emtpy shell case after firing the first few rounds to insure the everything is going well.
These milsurps were built to be tough and take lots of abuse - can't say that about modern rifles in general.

 

[Feanaro]

If everything is in working order, I think most mil-surps are safer than today's sporting rifles.

 

[armoredman]

Cool - I want a Mosin M44 and 91/30, plus an SKS.....

 

[aerod1]

I take the normal precautions previously mentioned and then I put sand bags over the reciever and bolt before firing. I then check the spent brass for abnormalities in shape and color.

Jim Hall

 

[Jim K]

FWIW, I have never known of any rifle to "blow up" from excess headspace, and I have fired rifles with headspace figures that would give most of you the green heebie-jeebies. About the worst that happens is that the case separates ahead of the base and the front part remains in the chamber. Sometimes, a little gas is released, which could harm a shooter's eye (a good reason to always wear eye - and ear - protection when shooting).

That does not mean I am endorsing use of rifles with excess headspace or suggesting that it can be ignored, only that the damage likely to result has been much over stated.

Low number Model 1903's, however, warrant a special note. If the headspace is so great that the bolt lugs are well ahead of the lug seats, firing the rifle will give the bolt a "running start" before the locking lugs or the safety lug slams into the brittle receiver, and that can cause a cracked receiver, a more serious problem.

Jim

 

[Sunray]

"...why would they issue their army junk..." Many military rifles were purchased by the country involved for political reasons. Your Trap Door Springfield, M-14 and our Ross are classic examples. The Trap Door because Grant's government was corrupt, the M-14 because it was US designed(the FAL beat it hands down in all of your military's testing) and our Ross because our Minister of War was an idiot that decided our W.W. I troops should have a Canadian rifle. He also ignored all the well thought out mobilization plans of our military.
To the question asked. Yep, they're usually well made firearms that are totally safe to shoot. A bit of testing is advised as some were assembled from parts bins with no regard to the resulting firearm being safe to shoot. Century Arms was well known for doing this when they had a plant up here. A set of head space guages for the cartridge you're looking at is all you really need. If a seller won't let you check the head space, pass.

 

[deputy tom]

I prefer a milsurp to a commercial firearm.After all the were made to serve military personnel.They use a firearm in harsher conditions than I ever will.tom.

 

[keeperofthehills]

I just bought a Mosin-Nagant 91/30 with a Russian PU sniper scope (Vasilli special ) and I am very impressed. so far I have only shot surplus ammo through it but am looking for a good source of brass so I can start to reload for it. .... Id put it up against any one of my savages.

 

[ocabj]

I just bought a Mosin-Nagant 91/30 with a Russian PU sniper scope (Vasilli special ) and I am very impressed. so far I have only shot surplus ammo through it but am looking for a good source of brass so I can start to reload for it. .... Id put it up against any one of my savages.

I ordered a 91/30 last week. I was talking to a fellow range regular I see every other week at my range about reloading for 7.62x54R. Brass is pretty expensive and few and far between. S&B sells 54R ammo that is reloadable.

But, Winchester is supposed to have 54R ammo and brass available soon. Hopefully this means that 54R shooters will have quality, inexpensive brass to reload with.

 

[Cosmoline]

Most mil surplus rifles are safe, but some warrant more concern than others. The safest are those based on the Mauser 98 platform, since in most cases they have far more strength than they need, plus three lugs. Mosin-Nagant '91's and those based on that design are also surprisingly strong, and also have two locking lugs plus a bolt handle that acts as a backup.

The ones to worry about are some of the more obscure antique rifles. Krag rifles can be very dangerous if they blow up, since they have only one locking lug. If that fails, it's a bolt through your face. Certain Ross rifles also have a defect that makes them dangerous, though the others are quite safe. Early Springfield '03's were made from inferior steel and are dangerous to shoot.

The key is to do your research and check headspace.

 

[TODD3465]

ocabj- Winchester and S&B are the same thing. Get a box of each and look the fine print on the Winchester plus the plastic carrier for the ammo inside of each one.

They also do the 7.62x25mm pistol ammo for them.

Either way good stuff.

 

[No4Mk1*]

Has anyone ever heard of a bolt coming back due to improper locking or failure? I have a Mosin-Nagant with a bolt that is very easy to lift when it is cocked, but I am not very concerned since this since the recoil force will be 90 degrees to the torque needed to open the bolt. I am certainly not worried about those big locking lugs. Just wondering how often someone gets a bolt thru the eye as I have never heard of it.