matsaleh
Member
Just got my first Mosin-Nagant today. It's an M38 from Aztec. I'm really happy with it, and can't wait to shoot it. The base price was $50, and I paid an extra $10 for an original M38 (i.e. not M44) stock. Shipping was $10 on top of that.
Overall, this was an excellent deal, IMO. I don't have much experience with surplus rifles, but from all my web research, this is a fine little shooter, and the price and quality from Aztec can't be beat.
The gun I got looks to be in fantastic shape. It was not slathered in cosmoline, because Aztec cleans them up to grade and inspect them. It's not yet ready to shoot, however, because their cleaning job was just enough to see the gun -- it's still a little sticky and goopy in the cracks and crevices.
The stock is really nice. Only a couple of dents, which add character, IMO, and no scratches. There's one spot near the rear of the receiver where the finish has worn a little, but it's barely noticeable. The stock is one piece, i.e. it doesn't have any splices in it, as I have seen in some photos.
The bore looks pretty good. Hard to tell until I swab it out, but I don't see any pits. It is not counterbored. Incidentally, the twist rate on this gun seems pretty tight. It spirals a lot more than I expected.
The date stamp on the gun is 1943. Anyone know how likely it is that this gun saw action?
Anyway, this has to be one of the best $60 purchases I've ever made. The only problem is that I'm already thinking about getting another one, or another MN variety.
Cheers.
Overall, this was an excellent deal, IMO. I don't have much experience with surplus rifles, but from all my web research, this is a fine little shooter, and the price and quality from Aztec can't be beat.
The gun I got looks to be in fantastic shape. It was not slathered in cosmoline, because Aztec cleans them up to grade and inspect them. It's not yet ready to shoot, however, because their cleaning job was just enough to see the gun -- it's still a little sticky and goopy in the cracks and crevices.
The stock is really nice. Only a couple of dents, which add character, IMO, and no scratches. There's one spot near the rear of the receiver where the finish has worn a little, but it's barely noticeable. The stock is one piece, i.e. it doesn't have any splices in it, as I have seen in some photos.
The bore looks pretty good. Hard to tell until I swab it out, but I don't see any pits. It is not counterbored. Incidentally, the twist rate on this gun seems pretty tight. It spirals a lot more than I expected.
The date stamp on the gun is 1943. Anyone know how likely it is that this gun saw action?
Anyway, this has to be one of the best $60 purchases I've ever made. The only problem is that I'm already thinking about getting another one, or another MN variety.
Cheers.
