Mosin-Nagant M91/30 Advice needed

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Mosin-Nagant M91/30 7.62x54 milled receiver labeled in the add as good-excellent condition. Surplus Russian 27 1/4 inch barrel 48" overall length.

They are having a "big sale" and they are going for 89 bucks a pop. Worth it if they are in good condition? Up to how bad a condition can they be in and still be worth the 89 bucks?

Also what kind of power does the round have? How hard is the recoil? If you have been following my other thread you know I'm planning on a remington 700 to be a paper puncher and will be my "go to" gun. But I have heard Mosin-Nagant thrown around a bit and thought it might be fun to pick one up while on sale if its a good price and it be worth to get one.
 
It's a good price. I suggest you take it. The 7.62x54R will take down anything you'll be facing. You can get 150-209 grain soft points for it through Wolf, and the ammunition is dirt cheap.
 
thats good

how would the recoil compare to something liek a 30-30? Know it wouldn't be exact but I have nothing agianst ball park figures lol Just asking cause of my bum shoulder so I can get an idea how much I'd actually get to shoot it.
 
Think 30-06 recoil wise. It's pretty stout. Won't be as bad out of the full size rifle you are thinking of, but it can be pretty hard on people out of the carbine length models (M38, M44, M91/59).
 
If others concur that the price is good and they do indeed turn out to be in good shape (and they fit me well) I think I will add it to the layaway with the remington. If nothing else I can sell it later on and for 89 bucks I can experament with liking it or not.
 
Some webpages that you'll find useful.

http://7.62x54r.net
http://mosinnagant.net/
http://www.surplusrifle.com/russianmosin189130/index.asp

If you want a shooter, the two most important things IMO are the bore/barrel and the headspace. If the bore looks good (not perfect) and the headspace checks out OK, $89 is worth it. If you can't check either before you buy it, it's a crap shoot. Obviously, rusty guns and/or cracked stocks should be passed over. If you want to make the investment. Yankee Engineers has coin-type gauges that can be used to check headspace before purchasing without any modification to the rifle.

Don't let me dissuade you from getting one. I have seven of them, including an $89 Big 5 special. It turned out to shoot very consistently with heavy ball ammo, if a bit high (normal for that type of gun).

It kicks more than a .30-30 out of your typical levergun. If you're shooting while standing or kneeling, and you use a buttpad or recoil shield, you should have no problem at all even with the shorter length rifles. The blast and flash of the shorter rifles adds to the perception that they kick like mules.

jmm
 
just out of curiosity is their value on the up or on the down or seems to be the same for the forseeable future?
 
The value depends on a number of factors. The price you cite is pretty good for Soviet 91/30's. You may also find that more valuable Mosins are mixed into the batch. Who's selling these? Will you be able to lay hands on them? If not, I'd be wary about buying. There are some real dogs among the 91/30's--parts guns that the importers have tossed together.

If you can hand inspect them, look for:

[SA] stamps
Two-piece birch stocks
Hex receivers
Tula arsenal stamps, if Soviet
Finnish arsenal stamps
A nice loose-fitting bolt. It should NOT be stiff.
A good bore with good crown
Etc.
 
This may sound stupid, but the bet source for spare parts for a MN is another MN. Including shipping and less the receiver, buying all the parts spearately will cost about three times as much as the single rifle.

Check for matching stamped serial numbers on the receiver, bolt and magazine plate. Not necessary, but nice. Check to see that the front and rear sights are not canted to the left or right, and that the rear sight base is firmly mixed to the barrel. If it comes with a bayonet, make sure it actually fits on the end of the rifle.
 
I abso-friggin'-lutely love my Mosin. Definitly check out www.surplusrifles.com for info on how to break her down (which is very, very simple) and some of the more common issues that you might face. I find the kick manageable, and I can shoot it about as much as I care to on any given day. One thing that I will point out is that these puppies are L-O-U-D! I actually think thats part of the appeal for me, because it just makes shooting them that much more fun. I use mine solely as a "fun gun", but the 7.62x54 is more than capable of taking down virtually any game you can think of on this continent, up to and including bears. If you desire, there are also sporterized stocks available for them. 89.00$ is a fine price for them, made even better if they are de-cosmolined.
 
definatly going to look into one and see what kind of shape they happen to be in when I go friday morning
 
MrTwigg - I just decided to pull the bullets from some of my surplus ammo for 7.62 x 54 R rifles and weigh the powder in each cartridge. I think I got about 47 + grains in each one. I replaced 42 grains in each of them and reseated the bullets and crimped them. I found the recoil much lighter with no other problems on a 100 yard range. Works for me but I do not endorse this action for anyone else.
 
If you hold the rifle at closer to a right angle, with enough room to cylce the bolt as you hold it, the butt will tend to move over on your muscle. Don't dig into the rifle as though it had a scope, because that's what drives the steel plate right onto your shoulder bone.
 
Neat trick

Deles136 said:
MrTwigg - I just decided to pull the bullets from some of my surplus ammo for 7.62 x 54 R rifles and weigh the powder in each cartridge. I think I got about 47 + grains in each one. I replaced 42 grains in each of them and reseated the bullets and crimped them. I found the recoil much lighter with no other problems on a 100 yard range. Works for me but I do not endorse this action for anyone else.
Click to expand...

I'll have to try it.
 
Mosins are great rifles, and most of them are in pretty good shape as well. After WW II they were basically brought back to spec, dunked in cosmoline, and stuck in a warehouse. The USSR probably planned on giving them to the first line of peasants/cannon fodder if the cold war ever turned hot. After the USSR collapsed they found they needed money more than obsolete rifles and sold perfectly functional, mill-spec bolt action rifles for a song. They're not much good as combat weapons but they're perfectly OK for hunting or target shooting, there's not much any other boltie will do that they won't.

Ammo is cheap, and nothing you shoot with it will be able to tell it's not a 30 '06.

As far as headspace is concerned, if the serial number on the bolt matches the one on the receiver you're almost certainly fine in that respect, if they don't match you really need to use a gauge on it.
 
I agree

I agree, Mosin's are great guns. My suggestion is to stay away from WW2 years unless the gun had been rearsenaled and cosmolined/stored immediately afterwards. I recently bought a soviet M44 carbine for $99 that looks to have been unissued...paid $99, bore is mirror-bright, lands sharp. There are some really good Mosins out there waiting to be found, you just need to weed thru some of them until you find the one that speaks to you.
 
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