Mossin nagant, it's ammo, and more info?

[caribou]

For a beginning collector that cant afford the higher priced surplus, Mosins are still affordable and in a myrid of variation. They are also ''out there' to find, in odd ways and usual ways...LOL!!
The import bans on milsurp rifles and pistols changed as politics and trade agreements with other country's changed in the 70's, 80's and 90's.
Mausers were that way in the 80's. Chinese imports in rifles and pistols was a tidal wave. Finn surplus rifles were the first sort of trickle in the flood of Euro milsurps comming to the US before the Soviets gave it up and eastern Europe added to the flood.
It used to be Japanese Arisakas were cheap 'junk', but I owned a type38 carbine that drove tacks, but where can a guy find any ammo? At least theres quality American produced 7.62x54r ammo available, so when the rifle comes off the rack, its good for hunting.

 

[fpgt72]

It used to be Japanese Arisakas were cheap 'junk', but I owned a type38 carbine that drove tacks, but where can a guy find any ammo? At least theres quality American produced 7.62x54r ammo available, so when the rifle comes off the rack, its good for hunting.

You can say that for any surplus that is not German, American, then British.....in that order. People are getting smart, looking at Japanese French and even Italy. None of these service weapons are "junk"

 

[Blue Brick]

Mine shoots like a lazer.

 

[caribou]

Im open arms to any and all milsurps
Ive hunted with a Springfield, K98k, #5 Lee Enfeild Jungle Carbine, Berdan II, all sorts of flavors of Mosin, and an SKS. Some only once, some till death did us part, or rather the rifle died and is in parts...
Still, I just cannot do any better with a semi auto than I can with my M-39. Theres just 'something' there with feel, fit and accuracy , as well as durability.
But Im no strict Mosin nut, either. I like variety....
Ive craved a 6.5 Carcano Moschotto (sp?) Carbine, and ah well, any and all carbines are as interesting as the rifle models...LOL!!
I have a lot of collection building to do before someone inherits it all.
That collection starts with some gun, the first gun. Once the OP gets with armed with a rifle and educated on its use, perhaps marksmanship skills and some responsibility to self and country, that only a free person knows, will come with it.

 

[kozak6]

Eh. If you aren't interested in the historical aspects, it might not be worthwhile. They are a bit of a gamble. Not everybody gets a smooth shooting sub-MOA war hero.

I didn't get a good one. I just about need a mallet to work the bolt, and it appears physically impossible to degrease the stock. I've tried most of the tricks. Yeah, I did whatever you are thinking of. Didn't really help.

The problem is that with prices approaching (or possibly exceeding) $400, you might be happier with a lighter and more accurate rifle that fires cheaper ammo and comes with a scope rail, usable safety, recoil pad, and a better trigger.

 

[fpgt72]

Eh. If you aren't interested in the historical aspects, it might not be worthwhile. They are a bit of a gamble. Not everybody gets a smooth shooting sub-MOA war hero.

I didn't get a good one. I just about need a mallet to work the bolt, and it appears physically impossible to degrease the stock. I've tried most of the tricks. Yeah, I did whatever you are thinking of. Didn't really help.

The problem is that with prices approaching (or possibly exceeding) $400, you might be happier with a lighter and more accurate rifle that fires cheaper ammo and comes with a scope rail, usable safety, recoil pad, and a better trigger.

Agree there is something to be said to a gun that eats what it can find at the local wally world.

 

[Slamfire]

It used to be Japanese Arisakas were cheap 'junk', but I owned a type38 carbine that drove tacks, but where can a guy find any ammo? At least theres quality American produced 7.62x54r ammo available, so when the rifle comes off the rack, its good for hunting.

My dear old Dad was a WW2 veteran and I remember some of the prejudices of the WW2 generation. The Italian nation quickly realized that they had gotten into a war for all the wrong reasons, and it was a war they could not win. Given the incompetence of the Italian leaders, moral at all levels was pretty awful and their armies fought poorly. The WW2 generation disrespected the Italians, and disrespected everything Italian. Basic Italian firearms were fine, but, they were tainted by association with a "loser" military.

The Japanese nation was viewed with hatred and loathing. The Japanese fought hard, they were fanatical, and they absolutely mistreated anyone not Japanese. If you go to Japan today, it will take time, but you will find that you are a Gaijin. Given how the Japanese military brutalized their own people, it is no wonder they played beheading games in every country they invaded. Encountering the fanaticism of Japanese soldiers, American GI's believed, and told me, of Japanese cast iron service rifles that would blow up when shot. It just made sense, Japanese view the lives of their soldiers as cheap, therefore, they must have cheap service weapons. Well, what the American's did not know, the cast iron rifles that were blowing up were Cadet weapons, things issued at schools, meant only to look like a service rifle and function like a service rifle, shoot blanks, but not constructed to shoot real ammunition. These training rifles look like a real rifle, and if you are unfamiliar with weapons, you can stuff a round in the chamber, pull the trigger, and blow yourself and the toy gun all to pieces.



A local gunstore had this on the shelf and did not know it was a training rifle. I probably paid more than it is worth, but still, it was the first one I had every seen. From about ten feet, it looks like an Arisaka rifle. There is no rifling in the barrel, the barrel is a tube that is not screwed or pinned in the receiver. The receiver may be cast iron, the bolt does not have forward locking lugs, this is a toy gun that looks like a real gun.

































It has taken time for the US market to figure it out, but the standard Arisaka service rifles were excellent designs and fine weapons in their own right. But back until the mid 1980's, you could pick them up for cheap.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Slamfire. The rifle you have pictured is a 7/8 Type 38 Trainer.
The Japanese 7/8 Type 38 training rifles had short magazine boxes and could not be loaded with standard ammo or blanks. There was two Gallery rounds for the smooth bore trainers.
This photo is from Forgotten Weapons.

6.5×50 Japanese. From left to right, standard Type 38 Arisaka 6.5X50SR round, early round-nosed Type 30 6.5 round, wooden bullet blank, paper blank, gallery round with short flat projectile, gallery round with round lead ball.

And you are correct in that if you put a standard round in the chambered and fired it, it would not make for a good day. I have a 7/8 Type 38 in my collection. I did a post on it a while back.
Now there were some School Rifles. These were standard rifles with different markings and they were made to fire standard ammo. And then there was another trainer that has a squared forestock, I can"t remember the model, but have one stashed away at the house.

 

[Slamfire]

The Japanese 7/8 Type 38 training rifles had short magazine boxes and could not be loaded with standard ammo or blanks.

The magazine box in mine is 3.10" long, it was missing the original floorplate, follower, and spring. With a little grinding a Type 38 floorplate fit, it has a 6.5 X 55 magazine follower, and a Japanese spring that came from Guadalcanal. I am pretty sure this will accept standard length service rounds.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

The magazine box in mine is 3.10" long, it was missing the original floorplate, follower, and spring. With a little grinding a Type 38 floorplate fit, it has a 6.5 X 55 magazine follower, and a Japanese spring that came from Guadalcanal. I am pretty sure this will accept standard length service rounds.

There is some odd stuff out there.

 

[entropy]

Agree there is something to be said to a gun that eats what it can find at the local wally world.

Many Walmarts stock 7.62x54R. Ours certainly does, though that could be because I got the Sporting Goods manager, who is my best friend, into collecting Mosins.