Is this for real?

[RonE]

Yes, the price is true, it is doubtful you will get one as pretty as the one in the picture, but it will be close. These are great rifles as they are or you can use them for project rifles as I have done. A very inexpensive way to have fun at the range. My project can be found by searching the word "snipper" in this forum.

Be very careful, if you get one of these rifles and shoot it, you might get hooked and have to have more....On the other hand, if you get one and make a project out of it, you might get hooked and have to have more.....I am looking foreward to my second project.

 

[jws527]

I bought these two combined (from AIM) for less than my next most expensive rifle. The design is remarkably simple and robust. There really isn't a whole lot of bad to say about them, considering the price:

The good:
-They're simple and robust; easy to clean; bolt is easy to disassemble.
-They're $70 and come with a whole host of accessories: ammo pouches, slings, bayonets, oil bottles, cleaning tools, and the "Mosin tool" which acts as a screwdriver, bolt assembly tool and firing pin protrusion checker.
-They work almost without fail (note: neither of mine has ever misfired or jammed, but no mechanical device is infallible and ammo quality does play a role as well).
-Ammo is very cheap by today's standards (approx. 15 cents/round).
-Sights are easier to read than a lot of comparable milsurp rifles.
-They're a lot of fun.

The bad:
-They're heavy and ergonomics leave something to be desired - the triggers in "stock" form are awful and the shape of the buttstock isn't as comfortable or intuitive as that of the K31 or K98k. Also, the M44 is noticeably front-heavy.
-Accuracy is passable but not great. All else being equal, the 91/30 should be the more accurate between the two (particularly in my case - 91/30 has a sharper, cleaner bore with an undamaged, intact crown). You could conceivably get one that's impossibly frustrating to use, but the arsenal refinished examples seem to be alright. Do note that some people have accurized their 91/30s with very pleasant results (i.e. close to MOA).
-Recoil becomes downright painful after a while if you aren't using a recoil pad or shield - I say this as a fit 23 year old male. Rest assured that if you aren't wearing the above (or a Russian winter coat), you probably won't be blasting away all day at the range the way you would with a 5.56 or something.

Really, though, since all of the "bad" stuff actually adds to the character of the design, who's to complain? Buy one.

I bought both of my rifles sight unseen, as noted. The M44 (1944 Izhevsk) has a very pretty stock and probably would have won a "handpick" selection had it not ended up in my hands by chance, though the bore has seen some use (still very functional). The 91/30 (1942 Izhevsk) has an uglier finish and some obvious handling damage to said finish, but a very nice bore. Both of them are completely matching (not force-matched/renumbered/electropenciled).

 

[Hoppy590]

dontbe a hacksaw bubba.

milsurps make poor, poor sporters. if you want a hunting rifle, buy a stevens 200.

if you want a range blaster/ historic piece, buy the mosin

 

[offthepaper]

Don't make the same mistake I did and buy one of these


Now I own over a dozen. They're like peanuts.

 

[Bezoar]

THe MN is a great rifle for hunting. You can get excellent accuracy if you slug the barrela nd get the correct size bullet to use, normally in the .311 or ".303 enfield" family.

With a sierra match king hollowpoint you can use it for coyote shooting to white tail no problem. switch to a heavy 203 grain SP, and you can go bigger to blake bear and elk i hear.

 

[shuvelrider]

The MN-44 was my first C&R gun after I got home from Iraq in 2004, less then 70.00. What a hoot to shoot, accurate right out of the box and tweaked the sight abit more . Shoot at a 15 inch steel gong at 200 meters and ring it often, gotta like that flip out bayo, that gun was designed for a field soldier.

 

[hankdatank1362]

DO NOT BUY ONE!!!












They're cheaper if you buy 'em by the case.

 

[mosinmadness]

they were selling em by the crate but the sold out in less than a week

 

[hunterSthompson]

i am gonna buy one for my wife for xmas it will be her first long gun
(91-30) with the hex receiver

 

[TeamPrecisionIT]

Now, okay, I'm sold and I will be getting one as my SHTF rifle with two cases of the 440rd cases this weekend but I do have another question. Are these good to go for hunting purposes? I'm thinking of going for a boar hunt this upcoming season and already have a shotgun but if this would make it more interesting, is it viable? And also, how is it loaded? Its not single shot is it?

Damian

 

[PTK]

Softpoint ammo and they are FANTASTIC hunting rifles.

 

[TeamPrecisionIT]

Thanks for the speedy reply

 

[FieroCDSP]

Careful selection is sometimes required for a good shooter Mosin. Most will hit the farm from three counties away. The 91/30's can be accurate enough. You want to take a bore-light to inspect one you're buying first-hand, or pay the extra few bucks for a "hand-select" grade one from an online dealer.

Almost all of them have a frosted bore. What you want is strong rifling, and stock free from cracks. Personal preference goes into whether you want the laminate or hardwood stocks.

Handloading is the way to go for wringing the last bit of accuracy out of one, but the mil-surp stuff will shoot just fine.

While I'm not going to tell someone they cannot bubba their own property, sporterizing one for anything less than common utility use is a waste of history. THe guys that slap a synth stock and scope on one and actually use it for hunting are cool with me. The ones that simply do it for show are mad.

Why would you give up the gun/spear/club/firewood utilitarian design of the original stock?

 

[wile326]

For the third year in a row I will be taking my m44 to our hunting lease in Texas. I bought it because it was cheap, if i remember right it was 79 at a gun show, it was arsenal refinished and still wrapped in cosmoline and paper. Turned out to be one of the most accurate rifles I ever owned. I use it on pigs with great results, my rifle really likes the S&B ammo.

 

[Tarvis]

I bought one locally with all the same goodies as aimsurplus.com's package and a can of ammo for $125. When I opened the can, we all got our noses right up the the edge to see what Russian air smelled like 70 years ago.

The one I got takes some serious effort to open the bolt on a spent round, if anyone knows why this is please PM me.

Also, don't drop the bayonette, you WILL put a hole in your boot. Still not too happy about that one.

 

[rondog]

On the 91/30's, you can remove the whole rear sight assembly and there's a beveled "rail" on top of the barrel. Get some scope rings and a high-eye-relief "scout scope" or pistol scope, and you're in business.

You can re-install the rear sight later if you want to take it back to stock. If you want to drill and tap for good scope mounts, check into drilling and tapping that rail. That way you can cover the holes back up with the rear sight if you want to go back to stock, and you won't have visible holes in the receiver/barrel.

This is on the 91/30's, I can't confirm the M44's or M38's are like this.