Mosin Hunting

[Silent-Snail]

Does anyone here consider the MN 91/30 a good deer rifle, particularly in the adverse weather of southern Wisconsin in the fall. And to save some people some time the Mosin is the rifle best suited for hunting (the rest are .22s) and aside from maybe an Enfield I wont be able to afford anything for a long time.:banghead:

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

If you can deal with the length of the rifle and its weight, why not? If Finns could use them in combat north of the Arctic Circle, I think they'd be fine in Wisconsin.

 

[ID_shooting]

I don't know about using mine for hunting; but, there was a guy in the the shop this last weeklend with a M44 looking for hunting ammo. Sold him some S&B soft points.

 

[jefnvk]

I wouldn't have a problem, aside from the length. Maybe an M38, instead. That'll cut it down a bit. Do remember that Wisconsin probably won't be as harsh as the Russian winters that the gun was designed for.

Have you thought about a Mauser? My M48 would be the first gun I would think about using for hunting. Short and somewhat light. It, too, is a capable killer.

 

[benEzra]

They worked fine for the Finns in combat during one of the coldest winters in the 20th century. (Just use an appropriate low-temperature lubricant that doesn't gum up at low temps.) As long as the cocking knob doesn't get so iced over that it can't move forward when you pull the trigger, I can't imagine that a Mosin would have any problem at all with the worst cold weather. And the 7.62x54R is fairly close to a .30-06 ballistically.

 

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

I'm a strong believer in using what you've got available to you if it's up to the job at hand.

I've hunted with a standard garden variety Swedish Mauser plenty of times. I never felt handicapped with it in the least. I'll probably loan out one of my M-N 44's to the oldest to hunt with next month. Anything else is likely to confuse him, and it doesn't matter if he gets it wet or dirty.

A long time ago an old gunwriter once said 'Tis better to have hunted birds with a single shot than have never hunted at all'.

Grab a box of soft points and get after it, I sez.

Regards,
Rabbit.

 

[Dain Bramage]

I've gone hunting several times with my 1942 M38, with Darryl's scout mount and Simmons 4x pistol scope.

Last weekend was the first time I was severely rained upon. The bolt handle and safety started rusting almost immediately. It came off with a good rubbing of CLP, but be sure to protect the white metal surfaces.

 

[Doug S]

The Mosin would make a fine hunting rifle. Personally I'd opt for one of the Mosin Carbines because I like their shorter length. Any of the 3 (91-30, M38, or M44) can be had for $100 or less. And as someone mentioned the 7.62x54r is referred to as the Russian 30-06.

 

[cracked butt]

Whereabouts in southern wisconsin will you be hunting? Most of southern wisconsin is shotgun only.

If you are in a rifle zone, a 91/30 would work fine, so long as you don't need to carry it through thick brush.

 

[Dain Bramage]

WooHoo! My hunting buddy just got his first deer yesterday. It was a 150 lb. blacktail forkie (2-point) near Sultan, Washington. He shot it through the front shoulder at 40 yards using 180 g. Winchester soft points, which I believe are the reboxed S&B round (correct me if I'm wrong). He said it just dropped and did not move again.

We usually go together, but he took time off from work and I couldn't go (dang having a life all to heck).

He used "Bubba", his sporterized M38. The original gun was trashed, so he cut down and reshaped the stock. Cut down and hand re-crowned the barrel, bedded with fiberglass. He used a 2x shotgun scope with medium relief and a cantilevered mount that juts over the bolt. The barrel is polished in the white, and he used some kind of black-coat on the wood. The rifle is very nicely detailed and well done (he is a carpenter), and for under $200 invested. It looks like some kind of one-off synthetic/stainless Mosin, and is just about the handiest and lightest brush gun I've seen.

It's a lot of fun to shoot, and does not seem to have appreciably higher recoil or blast from my stock Mosins. Accuracy is about 2-3 MOA.

 

[jbweld]

what about the safety????

Mosin would be all right for hunting if you don't use your safety when you hunt. ( a big no no in my book). Try using it in your house and then imagine if you were cold and needed it off quickly and quietly. Good luck!!!!

 

[GD]

I've used my mosin safety during a hunt and had no problems with speed and quietness. Last year I got a 10 pt buck with my Finnish B-barrel M39 Mosin.