My first Mosin-Nagant, a 91/30! And questions about it. (lots o' pics!)

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MrSpiffy

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I just picked up my second firearm ever, a Russian Mosin-Nagant M91/30. It's a little beat up on the hand guard, but looks to be in good shape as far as the important parts are concerned. It also looks to have all-matching numbers! (Although it's not technically "all-matching" because of a importer's barrel stamp...) I wanted to share my find and also ask for any advice about these rifles. If anyone has anything to share about them, please do! I just picked it up yesterday, and have questions regarding the markings on it, as well as tips and suggestions for shooting, cleaning, and protecting this neat historical firearm.

(P.S. I have plenty of pics of the markings on the stock and metal parts, if anyone's interested. Just let me know and I'll post 'em!)

So... enough of the chit chat! Here she is:

MosinNagant2-1.jpg

Markings-Barrel-1.jpg

Markings-Magazine-1.jpg

Markings-ButtStock-1.jpg

This last one's a little tough to see, but there are some strange markings on the tang behind the bolt. It looks like a circle with a star in it or something. But it also appears there's a triangle stamped over that, and another triangle with possibly an arrow above those markings, and some numbers or letters to the right of that marking. I have no idea what they are.

Markings-Bolt3.jpg
 
Thanks for the link, but I've already been over there. I found a few markings on their site (like the Izhevsk marks), but some of them aren't even mentioned. Here's a cobbled-together pic of the markings I found on the stock just to show some of them. I know one of them is a Ukrainian refurbishing depot mark. The rest are kinda hard to ID.

Stockmarkingscompiled.png
 
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Actually, the camera's just a point-and-shoot Fuji Finepix F30. But it does pretty well, considering. Thanks. :)
 
Nice gun, I was actually going to comment on the photowork as well, but looks like someone else already did.

The more important question is: How does she shoot?
 
Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the photos. :) They say it takes several shots to get a good one... they're definitely right! I took lots of pics.

As for how it shoots, I have no clue, yet. I just picked it up yesterday. But the gunsmith at Gander Mountain said the barrel was in decent shape. I still need to clean/lube it. And I need to get ammo. AND find a range to shoot it at.

I'm still new to guns in general. This is only my second firearm that I own. I've only ever shot pellet/bb guns or handguns (.22LR, 9mm, .40FMJ, nothing else), never a "real" rifle. I picked this one up because it was cheap, looked decent, had matching numbers, and I've heard great things about them from other owners on the message boards. I'm anxious to give it a try!
 
1943 Izhevsk refurbished in the Ukraine? Exactly what I've got. Your forearm wood is in a little nicer shape than mine, though. Yours still has all the finish. Overall condition is about the same, though. They're nice guns, they just tend to abuse your shoulder.
 
How about that? We have the same gun! :cool: Do you have any of those markings on yours, too? I'd love to know what some of them mean.

If these guns abuse the shoulder, perhaps I should invest in a pad. Considering I've never shot a rifle, yet, a little protection probably would be a good thing. And I definitely want to find some ammo for this puppy. Any suggestions on where to find some at a decent price?
 
I have a shoulder pad on mine. Cheap, generic, about $10, small. Adds enough length to the stock so it is comfortable to put up on my shoulder.

Look at getting some Czech silvertip surplus. Also I have had REALLY good luck with PRVI 7,62x54R 150gr soft points, but that costs over 2x what the Czech stuff does. I bought it from Ammunitiontogo.com
 
Look on 54R.com to see how to check your firing pin protrusion, then firing pin head looks to be screwed too far in on the bolt.

Not a huge deal, but if you pierce primers it can get dangerious, and its fun finding out what that little wacky tool does!
 
But, if the pin is screwed too far into the bolt, wouldn't it not hit hard enough to shoot? I'm guessing you're meaning the pin sticks out too far toward the chamber side? I'll have to check the firing pin.
 
Nevermind... In any case, I checked the pin with the tool and it's exactly where it should be. Touches the 75, doesn't touch the 95. What are the numbers for, anyway..?
 
That it a 1943 "Izzy". They are the most plentiful (garden variety) out there on the market. They really hold no collectors value so enjoy it and do what you want to it (strip it, whatever). They were made when the Russians were really trying to spit them out fast since the Germans were all over. Thus the very poor finish on the receiver. Compare it to a pre war 1938 Tula and you will see the difference. Remember when you're at the range that they shoot very high. When I first got mine it couldn't hit paper at 100 yds and it drove me nuts. The bullets just disappeared. My advice is to aim at the bottom of the target at 100 yards. I ended up selling both of mine. Good luck and have fun!
 
Thanks for the advice on aiming low. I definitely saw mine going high, and a bit to the right. Although, that may have been wind. (Or my crappy aim...:barf: ) I'll see if I can pick up some binoculars or a spotting scope for next time... I couldn't see where anything shot until we had a cease-fire to put up new targets.
 
Yup, I've already been looking around their site. I ended up ordering the Barska 20-60x 60mm spotting scope. I'll definitely make good use of it, because I just ordered a Savage MKII FV .22LR. Man, this stuff's addicting! :D
 
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