Question for Mosin owners please
- Thread starter joe2004
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Don't Tread On Me
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M38's don't have a bayonet. M44's have a bayonet attached. M39's are completely different - they are full sized rifles whereas the M44 and M38 are carbines. The M39 is a Finnish Mosin (rebuild) that is more accurate because it's Finnish and they had a different outlook. The M38 & M44 are Russian made. M39's are considerably more expensive and rare than M44's or M38's. M38's are a bit more rare than M44's.
silverlance
Member
my only thing to add to that is twofold:
1. m39s are about 150-300. even the 150 0% finish ones will blow up soda cans at 200 yards. the russian mns will blow up soda cans at 25 yards.
2. HEADSPACE your gun. preferably, do this befor eyou buy. as a shameless plug i do sell headspace gages, but to make up for that plug, if you live near me I will headspace any gun you own for free. if you are a senior member you can also borrow any gage from me for free, just pay shipping.
1. m39s are about 150-300. even the 150 0% finish ones will blow up soda cans at 200 yards. the russian mns will blow up soda cans at 25 yards.
2. HEADSPACE your gun. preferably, do this befor eyou buy. as a shameless plug i do sell headspace gages, but to make up for that plug, if you live near me I will headspace any gun you own for free. if you are a senior member you can also borrow any gage from me for free, just pay shipping.
Belgiboy
Member
I pay the most attention to the inside of the barrel, the rifling needs to be strong and rust-free but most of them tend to be in good condition. Then choose the one that looks the nicest. After that get a spam can full of ammo, a sore shoulder and a smile on your face...
The M38 was made for rear infantry so it didn't have a bayonet. The M44 was made for forward infantry so it was given a bayonet. I got one of the Big 5 specials last year for my birthday. Never regretted it, and I even lucked out with an M44 from the Tula plant, not the Ishvesk plant. Check for rust, check the action. Should be smooth even with the cosmo coating.
Other than that, buy lots of ammo, and make many booms!
Check this site out, lots of information on all the Mosin models.
http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinM.htm
Other than that, buy lots of ammo, and make many booms!
Check this site out, lots of information on all the Mosin models.
http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinM.htm
DMK
Member
I agree with Belgiboy. Inspect and get the one with the best bore. Eeverything else is cosmetics. Bring a penlight with you.
Pull the bolt (open the bolt but don't pull it back, pull the trigger, pull the bolt back and out). Check the crown for dings. Look for the one with the sharpest rifling. Check the rifling at both the muzzle and at the throat (chamber side). Check the chamber for pitting (could cause extraction issues). The bores will likely be dirty and covered in cosmoline grease so don't let that distract you.
You also might want to try and find the one with the best trigger pull.
Pull the bolt (open the bolt but don't pull it back, pull the trigger, pull the bolt back and out). Check the crown for dings. Look for the one with the sharpest rifling. Check the rifling at both the muzzle and at the throat (chamber side). Check the chamber for pitting (could cause extraction issues). The bores will likely be dirty and covered in cosmoline grease so don't let that distract you.
You also might want to try and find the one with the best trigger pull.
sctman800
Member
If you don't mind tinkering with it the trigger pull can be vastly improved for nothing more than a little time spent shimming and polishing. Another good web site is www.surplusrifle.com. Mosins are a lot of fun, especially the carbines shooting surplus ammo give one impressive muzzle blast. Jim.
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