Hungarian M44 - What would you do?

[Trent]

If this were your gun, would you:

It's not my gun, it's your gun.

Do what YOU want to do to it.

It's your gun. If doing something to it will make you happy, who the heck cares what the next guy thinks about it? It's your gun.

Looks like a beauty from where I'm sitting. You obviously are taking some time to ponder what to do, and how to go about doing it.

Don't be afraid of trying something new. You'll learn something and in the end that's worth a lot more than the object itself.

Follow your gut and do what makes you happy. You only get one trip through this life and it's too short to fret over what the next guy might think.

 

[Capybara]

Yes, an intact Hungarian is worth a few more bucks than a typical Russian.

 

[Capybara]

My story has a happy ending. Thanks to the generosity of Calgunner echo1, my Hungarian M44 is now sitting in a very nice 02 Hungarian stock set. We were able to make it happen for very little money and just a little effort. I love it, I think it looks much better. Once again, the kind generosity of Calgunners never ceases to amaze me, thank you echo1. Will post some real pictures when I have time, did not have time this morning after swapping out the stocks to break out the camera and flashes. I am just pumped to have a real Hungarian M44 now, not the mish-mosh I had before.

 

[Reloadron]

I love it, I think it looks much better.

Kudos to Calgunner for helping make it happen. You are happy with your rifle and that is all that really matters. Personally I liked it blonds but to each their own taste.

Ron

 

[Panzerschwein]

Thats beautifully redone. Aside from its debut in WW2, the M44s had seen wide used in Nam.

The M44s and many other Mosin Nagant models have seen widespread use all the way to the current day conflicts, especially those in Syria right now and in the Ukraine.





OP: I'd keep the gun as a shooter, and wouldn't worry about finding the "correct" stock. That sounds like a money pit, and in the end it still wouldn't be the correct stock it came with.

 

[Swing]

I remember buying a Hungarian M44 in the late 90s for $69.00 out the door. It was ugly, loud, and the most inaccurate rifle I've ever owned. The fireball it produced was fun in strange kind of way. I remember thinking the Russians must have planned "hmmm need a stick to attach a bayonet to ... oh and if it goes bang too that's a plus". Needless to say I sold it when finances so required. Miss it? Nope, not for a second.

To the OP's point, congradz on finding the stock you wanted. The Bubba'd version, at least imho, looked pretty nice, particularly by Bubba's standards. But if originality is what you want, well, it is what you want.

 

[Berserker]

Do the marking on the stock match what factory it came out of?


Mine is just Romania, which I don't think people care about. So I would have kept the nice stock. I have notice some of the bare wood is starting to show, and the old oily wood is chipping or wearing. Some day when I get to much free time maybe try refinishing it.

 

[ID-shooting]

keep as is...look for parts in spare time..

i have 3 or 4 "projects" going that i carry a list of needed parts with me especially when bumming the gun shows. i find looking through parts boxes and bs'ing with the old guys quite fun. buying little parts here and there is much more enjoyable to me than dropping big amounts on a single purchase. especially when you bring a milsurp back from bubba-land.

 

[Capybara]

Yes, it is an "02" stock which matches the "02" roll mark on the receiver. Not sure if Hungary had enough arms production that they had multiple arsenals going or how one would identify that?

Going to take it out to the range tomorrow, will see if it is still the 4 MOA rifle it was with the Russian stock, range report to follow.

 

[Ash]

02 is not an arsenal code - these were made by FEG. It represents the Country Code from the Warsaw Pact. Poland was 11 and Bulgaria was 10, for example.

 

[Berserker]

I really didn't put much thought into mine, it was just left in the garage, until I started to read the history and markings. Then all the sudden that $100 gun became a historical artifact with a background.

 

[Capybara]

Thanks for that info Ash, I didn't know that.

 

[Capybara]

Range Report on "New To Me" Hungarian M44

Made it out to the range this morning to see how my refurbished Hungarian M44 shoots with it's new 02 stock versus how it shot with the Russian Bubba'd stock at the top of the page. In that stock, the rifle was pretty consistently a 4 moa rifle, at least at the short distances I shoot it at. The new stock feels great, with a traditional milsurp finish instead of all sanded and varnished. I mostly shot it standing up but my pictures from that angle were all out of focus, forgot to set the correct focus on the camera. This one was almost in focus at least.



I shot a combination of Czech Low Recoil Training Ammo and Bulgarian Surplus. I have quite a few hundred rounds of PPU Brass 7.62x54r but I mostly shoot my surplus ammo out of this rifle so that's what I brought.





I packed at 4:00 AM this morning. Being half asleep, I packed my paper target base but no backer with the wooden supports so no paper targets to measure groups. Fortunately I did remember my 8" AR500 gong. This was my group at 150 yards, it measured 4.25". Disregard the two smaller marks below, those are the Czech Training Ammo which really goes all over the place past 100 yards. The big marks are from the Bulgarian Silver Tip surplus. Wish I had some Heavy Ball to try, I keep hunting for some of it but it has dried up.



Overall, from this very unscientific test, the rifle shoots better with the Hungarian stock than it did with the Russian. It was effortless hitting the gong at 150 yards, wish I could get it out to 200 and 300 to see what it can do. I will have to take it out to Wes Thompsons sometime to try that.

So for the Hungarian stock, besides the obvious cosmetic and historical improvements, it gets a big



Unfortunately, a couple of shots later...



Time to buy a new AR500 gong. The new ones don't have these ears, they just have bolt holes through the body of the gong. This one lasted two and a half years and was shot a LOT with everything from 8mm Mauser, some 300 Win Mag, tons of 7.62x54r and lots of AR/AK rounds as well so I am not too bummed. It took a beating. This break wasn't even from a hit, I think both sides developed stress fractures from the tremendous shock of the impact of all of those rounds. All of the mounting bolts, nuts and washers stretch and warp like crazy.

 

[gunner.357]

If you don't like the finish of the stock why not strip it off and put it back to original or to a finish of your choice. I use Homer Formby's TungOil on the woodwork I refinish and am very happy with the result. It takes about 7 or 8 coats followed by two coats of Birchwood Casey stock conditioner after a couple of weeks.

+1 I have not used the oil on a mosin but I refinished a friends savage model 99 in it and the look it gave to it was amazing.

 

[fotheringill]

Your rifle, your choice.

If it were me and I paid $150 for it, I would shoot it and enjoy it for what it is/was.