M44 Nagant as a hunting rifle?

[Mike U.]

For example, a recent short thread Mosin hunters revealed their use to hunt black bear, bou, griz, hog, deer, and large marine mammals. Note the subsistence hunter "Caribou" from the north end of this state describes finishing off a WHALE with five shots from an M-39! I'd like to hear from anyone who can top that.

OMG!! Does it get anymore bad-ass than that?!

Really, that is an amazing testimony of the possibilities this rifle and cartridge have.

I've never understood why a milsurp rifle is frowned upon and looked down at by some people for hunting purposes. It puts the meat on the table just as easily as that $700.00 remchester with the $500.00 scope. Why should it matter that it doesn't look like a standard hunting rifle?

In the end, the fact that the hunter brings home the meat is what matters most, isn't it?
Everything else is just vanity.

 

[Husker1911]

At fairly close range, the M44 makes for a dandy rifle. Ensure the rifle shoots where you're aiming, and you'll be enjoying home-harvested venison in no time! Personally, I'd not bother with scope mounts and telescopic sights. At the ranges involved, buy ammunition and shoot enough to become proficient. The cartridge is eminently suitable to American whitetail/mule deer.

The necessity for the bayonet is arguable. One must take its existence into account, at least in the marksmanship category. Good luck to you, sir!

 

[kmrcstintn]

make sure you get some ammo that creates a big bad fireball; if you see your deer just after sunrise or at dusk, the fireball will daze the critter like 'deer in the headlights' and then you can take your time with a second shot

just kidding...I plan on sighting in w/the ole iron sights at @ 50 yards using Brown Bear 203 gr soft point; I will have the M44 as a backup gun in case my optically sighted rifle takes a hard hit or gets dropped (Winchester M70 chambered for .270)

the M44 will serve as a range blaster, but I have also pondered keeping it in my vehicle as a 'tromp thru the woods' rifle since I paid so little for it (I would maintain it at regular intervals just like everything else that I have)

 

[chris in va]

If you do, I would seriously consider getting aftermarket sights for it. The stock ones on mine are horrible, and my friend's 38 are canted about 10 degrees.

 

[Gustav]

Hunting Man And Beast Since 1891

Any Mosin makes a great hunting rifle assuming the rifling is in decent shape and the crown is good.
Only thing bad is the safey is a bit awkward to use especially with gloved hands in the winter.
A simple solution is one of the bolt strikers that has had a D ring welded or attached to the back end kinda like the Swiss K31 uses.

 

[EricTheBarbarian]

ive got a mojo peep sight on my 91/30. makes a world of difference if the v notch sights bother you that much. easy to install by just taping out the pin holding the rear leaf sight in with a small nail. put the new sight in and tap the pin back through. not a permanent alteration if you are worried about that too. heres a link www.mojosights.com

 

[66912]

I have taken two Montana whitetail with an M38 (Iron sights), as well as one more with My No.5 in .303. It is a great bush rifle as is. Put a scope on it if your eyes do not work well with the Irons. Otherwise, leave the hamster in its original state.

 

[Slamfire]

Shot a spike buck with a M27 Finnish. First shot was below the heart, deer hunched up and took off. I got the second round right up under the tail. Distance under 25 yards. I worked the bolt so fast my bud thought someone was in there with a semiauto.

Crazy thing was, after shooting second shot, looked down for my empties and there were cartridges on the ground. And the floor plate. The floor plate is hard to latch and what must have happened was the floor plate was not fully latched. First round probably knocked floor plate off. But in a Nagant, the next round is held up by a flat spring. So, I got the second shot off.

I did not care for the performance of the Norma factory bullets. The lead core shed the jacket.

 

[wnycollector]

I plan on using my M38 this fall on white tails!

 

[Dave Markowitz]

The M-N worked well in a couple of world wars and various other wars, there's no reason it won't work just as well in the woods for hunting. Personally, I find the safety to be the biggest problem, since it's stiff. However, one of these days I want to try this mod on a Mosin (probably get a spare cocking piece to do it on):

http://www.gswagner.com/mosin-nagant/safe/safe.html

 

[salty]

I would use a M38 or 91-30 as the balance of M44 is not handy - to put it politely. More than enough gun.

 

[Kilgor]

http://www.surplusrifle.com/carbinenagant/oddsandends3/index.asp