Mosin Nagants...

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Shinbone

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I saw several of these for sale this morning at a local gun shop for $139. A friend of mine picked on up awhile ago and said it was very accurate.
Is this a good price?
How is ammo and reloading components availability?
What needs to be watched for in purchasing one?
Thanks.
 
Surplus ammo is inexpensive, although somewhat corrosive, so thorough cleaning after a trip to the range is important. Not worth reloading the surplus brass, as it's all Berdan primed.

Boxer primed, higher accuracy ammo is available but I don't bother with it. Back when I bought my first Mosin surplus ammo was just not available.... we bought Norma ammo, great brass but quite pricey, especially for a sixty dollar rifle.

If you're hunting or want a special load you might want to reload for it, otherwise it's probably not worthwhile.
 
M-N's...

Shinbone--If you want a centerfire rifle @ a cheap price, the M-N will fill that bill nicely. Accuracy is catch-as-catch-can. The rifle was made for illiterate conscripts to sling volumes of lead with, and not break down no matter how badly mistreated. If one was found to be notably accurate, it was often fitted with a 'scope (one we would call "crude," today) and assigned to a sniper, but that was a hit-and-miss process; the Russians never deliberately made specially accurate Mosins.

Mebbe your friend found one that is accurate--by his definition. That does not guarantee that the one you buy will be equally accurate: His was probably the exception. (Or, he has a very loose definition of "accurate.")

If I were looking for a centerfire rifle I would call accurate, I would look elsewhere. In C&R rifles, I think I'd look at Mausers, although they will all be pricier than the Mosins nowadays. And we are still talking accuracy only in the military sense. A serious target rifle (which would cost several times as much, of course) could shoot rings around a military Mauser, and double rings around a common Mosin-Nagant.

Good luck in your search. I hope you find a rifle that pleases you. Suggestion: The more research you do before buying a rifle--especially a C&R rifle--the happier you will be after the purchase.

www.surplusrifle.com has a ton of info on a wide variety of C&R rifles.
 
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just my 2 cents

Try to find one of the Finnish mosins. They are more accurate that the russians are and worth the money. Even with one of the russian ones you will not be disappointed. Well worth the money and the ammo is cheap.:eek:
 
If the bore is shiny, do yourself a favor and keep it that way...the surplus ammo is very cheap but also corrosive. Non-corrosive is available from Brown Bear and the price is still reasonable. While it can't be reloaded, you can swap in different bullets for a worthwhile increase in accuracy. Try Sierra .311 diameter 150, 174 and 180 grain. I have found this caliber to work very well with IMR 4320.
 
Yugo Mauser 24/47s in excellent condition are still listed for $199 at SAMCO.
Their long Persian Mausers, built by the Czechs at Brno, are in "very good condition": $240.

For about $230, you can buy two MN 91/30s (to find a decent one) from a stranger for about the same price as one nice classic Mauser. Which is a safer gamble?
My original Yugo Mauser 48A is not quite in excellent condition, but it killed a deer (one shot) at 200 yards with the iron sights.
Ammo is .25/rd. (this is not cheap?), and the bolts are very smooth-Not So with very many MN bolts.

One day military Mausers and their 8mm ammo will be the next "Enfields":). You can easily research what happened to LE prices and almost non-existent (surplus) ammo:(.
Mosin Nagants will be widely available for a while; a store in Clarkesville TN still receives them in crates, covered in cosmoline.
 
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I currently reload for my Mosin. Brass is a little hard to find, and a little expensive. So, I bought some commercial brass loads (Privi) for the Mosin and I reload that brass after I shoot it. I think the Privi, loaded, cost me about what the brass would have been!

I'm working up some nice mild target loads using both FMJ and hard lead bullets. A "full military load" for a Mosin isn't something you want to be shooting all afternoon for fun!

Oh, and get yourself a nice slip on recoil pad, you'll thank me later!

Brett Parks
Columbia Arms
 
your friend found one that is accurate--by his definition. That does not guarantee that the one you buy will be equally accurate: His was probably the exception.
Click to expand...

My 1932 hex receiver 91/30 is plenty accurate. I can regularly pick off clay birds at 120 yards and make COM shots at 300 yards on a silhouette target. I had a 1944 M44 that couldn't hit the broad side of the barn. M/N's are hit or miss as far as accuracy. If you find a good one, keep it and shoot the hell out of it;)
 
FYI

c&r price at AIM is $69 right now. the norm is $79-89.

$100-139 is the norm at gun shows for the full length ones 91-30.
carbines will be higher, any were from $150-300.

local buys are always better as you can see what your getting and TAKE a pass on the ship fees.

on line all the fees kill a good deal.

BUT i just picked up a M44 for $125 shipped so you have to watch for them.

also as stated a recoil pad is a good idea on the M44 carbine for sure
 
if you go with a 91/30 i would buy the hex receivers version.
hex receiver actions have full threads, round receiver mosins have two large sections of the threads broached out when the bolt raceways were cut. hex receivers also have a mauser style inner c-ring & round receivers dont.
these two things make the receiver stronger. every round receiver mosin i've pulled the barrel on had thread stretch, none of the hex receivers mosins i've pulled barrels on did.
 
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