I want a toy, Mosin magant purchase

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

lee n. field

Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2002
Messages
4,312
I want a toy, Mosin Nagant purchase

Remember the scene in "The Producers" where Gene Wilder's and Zero Mostel's characters are done with raising capital from little old ladies for their scam, and Zero Mostel grabs a handful of cash and says "I worked very hard for this, and I'm going to buy a toy."?

I feel that way. It's been a long month, I've been at a dead run for weeks, and I feel like a toy. It needs to be a cheap one. I got the AIM flier yesterday, and I'm thinking either the M44 carbine at $50, or the 91/30 at $60.

Any opinions on these? Any preferences? Anything to watch out for (I note that both say "barrel not new")? I've not been able to reach Mosin-nagant.net to research this.
 
Last edited:
Have fun! M44s are really abundant, while 91/30s and M38s seem to be drying up a little. Do you have a C&R FFL? If so, go to Aztec, where they still have M44s for $45 or so. Aztec only carries the really nice rearsenaled ones. I have seen some in crappy shape listed as rearsenaled, as you do take your chances. The M44 seems a little muzzle heavy due to the bayonet, and remember the M44 and the 91/30 were sighted in with the bayonets on/extended. This will get you some looks at the range. If you get the M44, buy a recoil pad, unless you like recoil and blast. My M38 is nicknamed Thunderboomer for that reason!
Scrub out the chamber, as some of those wartime rough chambers have bits of cosmo stuck in little itty bitty crevices, and when laquered ammo is fired, the cosmo melts, and rebonds with the laquered case, causing serious sticky bolt. Get a drill, chuck in a rod, and a 20 ga brush, and scrub that puppy good, and it will work better - mine is great, now.
Have fun!
 
Good idea.... everyone should have a Mosin Nagant or 12........

if I were in your shoes........ and had to pick ONE..... it would be the 91/30.

Why? Less of them are available to begin with........ during the 40's M44's were produced in the millions per year.

Secondly, the 91/30 is (IMHO) a better shooter overall. longer barrel............ actually lighter than an M44 most of the time......and m44's were designed to be more acurate with the bayo extended... not always the best thing at the bench.

Thirdly.......... ears..... M44's produce a wicked report and a muzzle flash a bit bigger than a basket ball (during the day.... night is even bigger)


more importantly.................

Dont let the good Lord take you from this earth without you having owned and enjoyed both models.

That goes for m39's and M91's.... and 91/55's........and.......

You get the picture.
 
I just gave a minty 91/59 to my neighbor for his 18th birthday. :)

Personally, I'm a fan of the Finn 39s, especially the ones that are built on old pre-1899 receivers and remain in minty condition. There are many of these, and . . . well, you know about antiques. ;)
 
I'm inclined to get the 91/30 as well. I shot a carbine some months ago, and agree about the muzzle blast.

Is Tula worth paying extra for?

C&R
Click to expand...

Nope. I have a copy of my dealer's FFL to send to whomever.

Thanks for the tip on Aztec.

Another reason to get one: my Dad has an old Westinghouse M-N that has been butchered in an attempt at sporterization. No front sight. No scope mount. A dovetail cut into the bolt. What were they thinking? I want to show him what they're supposed to look like.
 
Get an Aztec 91/30, and get a hand pick for pre 1942 with a good bore. Those tend to be the best ones, even better shooters than the decomissioned snipers they have. The 91/30 is long, but felt weight is much less than the M44 and balance is also much better. It's kinda like an old Leatherstocking tale mountain rifle. Very long, light in the hand, and tough as nails. Only reloading is a lot easier than with BP and the 7.62x54R hits a lot harder than roundball.
 
Do you have Fleet Farm or Dunham's stores in Illinois?

Both carry the M38,m44, and 91/30s. Right now they are on sale for around $80-90 at both stores, they are cheaper at Dunham's stores, but you need to pick through a bunch of them to find one with a decent bore. From what I've seen, the rifles stocked at Fleet farm look close to new, or maybe rearsenalled, they cost a little more but are probably worth it.

I prefer the 91/30s if only because they balance so very nicely.
 
I vote for getting the M44 carbine. I find the carbines much more "handy". This is especially true if there is any chance of you using the rifle as a woods or hiking gun. I don't find the recoil particularly harsh from either my M44 or M38. Reminds me of a 30-06. I do agree that the M44 is noticably heavier than my M38.
 
Is Tula worth paying extra for?
Click to expand...

It depends on how much more............

generally my experiences have been that Tula, 8 times out of 10, made better specimens than Ishevsk. Ishevsk was the armory that simply cranked out working guns...... most of the tulas you see have a bit cleaner milling.

I collect em.... so I keep my eyes open for Tula.

All the wartime production is bit rough...... Cosmoline hit that nail on the head.
 
All Mosin's are a ton of fun. But, when buying shooter grade rifles I have found the 91/30's to be significantly more accurate. If your just plinking it doesn't really matter but if you have plans to use it for hunting or something where accuracy is important I would go with the 91/30. I have a friend who purchased a 91/30 from AIM about 6 months ago and it is a tack driver. Just my 2 cents. Hope it helps.
 
Is Tula worth paying extra for?

It depends on how much more............
Click to expand...

AIM is wanting $10 more.

A store I check regularly is advertising a weekend sale on Makarovs, with some really good prices, so a good fraction of spendable cash may go that way instead. We shall see.

(later -- bought up a medium used Bulgarian Mak for $99, so the "new toy" urge has been fed, for now. I still want a M-N, sometime soon. Thanks for the advice, folks.)
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top