Mosin Nagant recoil?

[Antihero]

So ive been looking at the various posts about mosins and i keep reading how it has terrible recoil, my question is compared to what? Im more of a big bore revolver guy so ive fired 4 non rimfire long guns:

Marlin 336cw in 30-30
Ishapore 2a in 308
Maverick 6lb 12 gauge firing 2 3/4 1 oz slugs
Mossburg 7 lb 20 gauge

What would the recoil be like compared to these? Does the m44 kick more than the m91/30?

Im just looking for a fun cheap rifle to play around with and since ive been out of work for the last month it cant be too expensive. I dont really care about barrel length as long as its accurate and doesnt kill me on recoil.

Which mosin would you recommend for my purposes?

 

[Hoppy590]

m44 does kick more than a 91/30

id say its just under the 12 gauge. but iv never shot a 30-30 but just from numbers and size, i assume its not as strong kick

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have a 91/30 and a M44 and I don't find the recoil bad at all. As a matter of fact I was surprised it was so light. The gun is so heavy it absorbs the energy. I have been shooting 147 gr surplus Military ammo through both. The Military ammo is a little stronger than the factory stuff and I still don't find the recoil stiff. I am shooting both with the metal backplate on the stock without a recoil pad. The recoil is lighter than both my 12 gage shotguns by far.

 

[270Win]

I'm with ArchAngelCD ... I have no problems with the recoil of either my M38 or my dad's 91/30. I'd compare the M38, with light-ball, to .308 or 7.5 Swiss. Maybe up to .30-06 levels with heavy ball loads, but no rougher. With a stout jacket on, it's surprisingly unnoticeable, almost pleasant.

 

[Rugerdaddy]

Just bought an M44

Hello guys,

I just bought an M44 (waiting for it to get here). Where can I learn about the practical aspects of owning and shooting one? Questions that come to mind are: What should I do to it before firing it the first time? How do I break it down to clean it? Where's the best place to get ammo? What's the best ammo? Questions like that. Can you steer me in the right direction? Thanks for your advice.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Run a few patches through the barrel to make sure there is none nasty left in there. My 91/30 was clean when I got it but the M44 was VERY nasty and took over 20 passes to clean it out!! The bolt comes right out and it's very easy to clean the whole rifle, you will see when you get it. Here is a good site that takes you through the disassembly and cleaning procedure. http://www.russian-mosin-nagant.com/cleaning.htm

This is very important and I found this out only after have a lot of trouble!

After you fire a few rounds, if the bolt seems to stick (and a lot do) there is an easy way to fix that. Here is a site that explains why and how to fix the problem: http://www.russian-mosin-nagant.com/sticking_bolt.htm

As for ammo, I've been shooting some surplus Czech Silvertip stuff that's very accurate. I bought it from a local dealer for $3.00 a box. I found this site just a few days ago and the prices look good. http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/7_62x54R.html

Have fun with your new rifle.

 

[enoch_zembecowicz]

As far as milsurps that use full power cartridges go I have a M44, a Yugo M24/47 Mauser, and a K-31.
The recoil on the M44 is very abrupt. I don't know what kind of ammo I'm running through it, I got a lot of it in unmarked paper bundles for very little money.
The K-31 and the M24/47 seem to kick just as much, but take longer to do it. I shoot GP11 out of the K-31 and 50s Yugo surplus out of the Mauser. I ended up spending $8 on a slip on recoil pad for the M44 and have been happy with it ever since.

 

[rhtwist]

I've read that the M44 should kick less than the full length 91/30. The reason stated was that the shorter barrel does not allow the powder to burn as much and push the bullet. The excess powder just causes a fireball and no added recoil. I can say that the 91/30 using a benchrest did cause quite a bit of bruising after 25 rounds. Part of that may be poor technique but a limbsaver slip on recoil pad easily makes it unnoticeable. A lot more fun...
pascal

 

[rustymaggot]

felt recoil has a lot to do with the size of the butt pad. my friends mosin wasnt very pleasant to shoot untill i gave him a slip on pad. now its not bad at all.

ever try one of those folding stocks with the thin little butts on a 12 gauge? or one of those ramline stocks for a sks? i tried a sks with a ramline once and it was worse than the mosin. stupid little 1 inch wide butts suck.

 

[Fu-man Shoe]

Mosin-Nagant recoil, (especially for the M-44) is very over-rated.

JMHO, but it's really not that bad. I find a singleshot 12 ga much
more unpleasant to shoot than my M-44.

YMMV

 

[max popenker]

IMO FELT recoil is a very personal thing
it depends not only on the mass of the gun and the impulse of the projectile, but also on the shape of the buttpad, your statute and your hold on the gun

For me, recoil of m1891/30 is acceptable, and roughly on par with recoil of my 12ga semiauto.
For me, the worst thing recoil-wise was a single-shot break-open mountain rifle (kipplauf ) in .300 Win Mag
Just 2 shots and my shoulder gave me aches for next 3 days. Ouch.
After that, most anything is acceptable

 

[Fingolfin]

The only time I had problems with the M44 was shooting it over rest with 200gr softpoints. Standing in the open shooting some of the lighter ball isn't too bad.

 

[Rugerdaddy]

M-N Info

ArchAngelCD,
Thanks for the great info. That's very helpful.

 

[foghornl]

The recoil in my M-44 is fairly stout, particularly with some of that Barnaul Arsenal 200-Gr "Soft Point Hunting Ammo". With the 147-150-Gr or so light ball, not so bad.

The < $10 Butler Creek medium slip-on pad helps A BUNCH. That skinny steel butt-plate on the M-N rifles help make them serious thumpers on both ends.

 

[_N4Z_]

My 2 cent.

My current shoulder fired toy calibers ranked in order of recoil - top down, least to most.

.22lr
7.62x39
30-30
7.62x54r
12 guage (slugs and buck)

My M39 hurts off a rest, or prone, without some type of recoil pad or alot of clothing. Shooting the same rifle either standing and sitting can be done no-prob in nothing more than a t-shirt. It is in the same ball park as a .270 or 30.06, imho.

 

[270Win]

On a side note, at a gun show about a year ago - maybe a little more - I was VERY tempted to pick up a single-shot .375 H&H, a round I've always been very curious about.

Until I overheard the dealer tell another customer, pointing at the rifle, "It broke me."

At the time, alarming. Looking back, funny

 

[krell]

Mosin-Nagant Recoil

Unless you weigh below 130lbs. or so the recoil on an M44 or M38 will be about average for a high power 30 cal. cartridge in a carbine. The kick is not nearly as stout as a 303 Jungle Carbine because it's lighter than the M44. The easiest way to lessen ACTUAL recoil is to shoot lighter weight bullets like the surplus Czech or Hungarian light ball - 147gr. It's physics, the equal and opposite reaction law. The more weight that's forced forward, the greater the force is that comes back at you. The heavier the bullet, the heavier the recoil.

 

[max popenker]

It just occurred to me that Mosin butt has to cause pains
remember that butt-stroke was a standard move in hands-to-hands combat, once you've broken your BBQ spike a.k.a. Model 1891/30 bayonet

 

[rangerruck]

the m38 kicks more than all of those, especially without the bayonet, and you are shooting the 205 grainers. But get a butler creek small size, slip on pad, and it becomes 270ish. It is what I use for my regular hunting rifle.

 

[Clipper]

Between the lousy shape (and this seems to be the case with most european milsurps) of the stock, and that sharp-edged steel buttplate, I don't even plan to try shooting mine before installing it into an ATI stock. I have nothing to prove, and I know how easy my old Mosin was to shoot with a sporting stock on it.

 

[bartsimpson123844]

I way a little less than 120 pounds and after about 100 rounds through my Mosin, I have gotten used to the recoil and metal buttplate. It's not bad at all. Of course, it is a 91/30, too.

 

[depicts]

I can put 100 rounds through my 91/30 without feeling sore. I'd rather shoot that many rounds from a 91/30 than to shoot 5 or 6 rounds from a 12 gauge. The 12 gage, especially in single shot, is a monster

 

[dstorm1911]

Rugerdaddy, the main thing is to be sure the cosmoline is clear, I'm sure the link provided is a tutorial on cleaning the chamber, I always do a complete dissasembly on all my milsurps then soak the cosmoline outa the metal with Laquer thinner, the Mosin is an extremally simple design, use Regular odorless mineral spirits on the wood as to avoid stripping the shellac which laquer thinner will do, pay particular attention to the chamber area use some small stiff brushes to work the thinner around the bolt lug locking area as Cosmoline and old dirt tend to hide there, getting all the cosmo out with a good soaking in laquer thinner will prevent it from running out when the rifle gets hot, the bolt is really simple to tear down do so as the inside is packed with cosmoline, this cosmo will lead to problems later if not removed.

After its clean reoil with your favorite flavor oil and enjoy.

As to recoil, it depends on the person, I'm not very recoil sensitive and it annoys some of my friends when I start blasting away with one of my lil M95 carbines, these lil gems are about like shooting a 30/06 that weighs as much as a single shot .22, really makes ya respect how tough them Austrians and Hungarians were in WWI to be packin these things As to the Mosins the condition of the bore as well as the ammo will determin the recoil, a tighter bore (yes they do vary with milsurp rifles some that are like new can be very close to original spec while ones that have been used alot will get worn out to larger diameter) A rough bore creates more friction on the bullet creating a very sharp recoil while a shiny bore creates less resistance a loose worn bore will creat more of a push for recoil. In general using the guns ya mention having experience with the M44 is going to be closer to the .308

An M38 is very comparable to the average Sporting bolt action like a rem 700 or Winchester 70 in .270 or 30/06, the low butt design of the mosin stock makes the recoil feel heavier a stock that puts the butt plate more in line with the bore will reduce the felt recoil

 

[Rugerdaddy]

Still Waiting!

Thanks dstorm1911, that's great advice. I've got plenty of mineral spirits around, as I've built some guitars that have a hand rubbed laquer finish. I lubricate the sand paper with mineral spitits when I rub the laquer.

I'll follow your (and others) directions, and it should work out well. I'll post a note after I get the rifle, clean it , and fire it. Thanks again.

 

[Essex County]

First step purcase a Styer 95 Carbine, then switch to the M44. It will seem like a pussycat. Seriously a slip on recoil pad is a good ten dollar investment.