I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I thought I would give my opinion on the matter to see what others thought. Over the past few months I've had a lot of experience with my M44 Mosin Nagant and my M48 Yugo Mauser. They are rifles that had the same purpose, and were made about the same time. Here's the pro's/cons/differences I perceive between them:
Mauser 98:
pros:
can hold 5 rounds in the magazine and allow bolt to slide over
strong action
large-bore caliber (7.92x57)
cons:
large recoil
heavy rifle
long, bent bolt (although some have straight bolts)
Mosin-Nagant:
pros:
single stack magazine gives a smooth action
sufficient caliber (7.62x54)
only moderately heavy
short, straight bolt
cons:
only holds 4 rounds with bolt sliding over
rimmed cartridge makes proper loading essential
With all this said, I believe I like the Mosin-Nagant design better. Another aspect that is neither pro nor con is that the rear ring of the Nagant action is open at the top. This makes cleaning, inserting the bolt, and working the action much easier than the Mauser closed-ring design. Another feature that is worth mentioning is that the Mosin-Nagant's ejector is built into the bolt (if memory serves me, someone please confirm this). This means that a faulty ejector requires replacing the bolt. The Mauser's ejector is secured to the side of the action, and would be easily replaced.
Thoughts?
Mauser 98:
pros:
can hold 5 rounds in the magazine and allow bolt to slide over
strong action
large-bore caliber (7.92x57)
cons:
large recoil
heavy rifle
long, bent bolt (although some have straight bolts)
Mosin-Nagant:
pros:
single stack magazine gives a smooth action
sufficient caliber (7.62x54)
only moderately heavy
short, straight bolt
cons:
only holds 4 rounds with bolt sliding over
rimmed cartridge makes proper loading essential
With all this said, I believe I like the Mosin-Nagant design better. Another aspect that is neither pro nor con is that the rear ring of the Nagant action is open at the top. This makes cleaning, inserting the bolt, and working the action much easier than the Mauser closed-ring design. Another feature that is worth mentioning is that the Mosin-Nagant's ejector is built into the bolt (if memory serves me, someone please confirm this). This means that a faulty ejector requires replacing the bolt. The Mauser's ejector is secured to the side of the action, and would be easily replaced.
Thoughts?