Should I buy a mosin?

[rduchateau2954]

Through all my wheeling and dealing I've got my collection right to where I want it, almost. I've still got the SKS I inherited. This is now my only center fire rifle. I'm bound and determined to make the SKS a more enjoyable shooter, and part of that will be reloading for it when I get that setup in the spring.

My gut has been telling two things: I'd be stupid to get rid of a perfect shtf rifle like the SKS, and I need to get something with more range. I originally thought about an ar10 but I'm not looking for another $1500 rifle.

So I think why not a mosin? Throw a timber smith stock on it, change out the bolt handle. It's winter, is cold. A mosin is cheap and I have nothing better to do than tinker.

I do not gun deer hunt, and if the opportunity arises, I would prefer to try and use the .44 if possible. So while not intended for hunting, the possibility is there.

Is this a good idea or am I just going stir crazy?

 

[jbauch357]

You can't find a cheaper gun to tinker with, and they are about the cheapest centerfire rifle out there to feed - so why not?

For years I found no reason to own a Mosin, then I bought one so my PSL had something to share ammo with, now I have 4 of the stupid things. People aren't lying when they say that Mosins somehow magically multiply.

 

[C-grunt]

They are cheap enough why not?

Ive owned a few over the years but I cant get by the horribly stiff sticky bolt and always end up selling them. If there was a way to solve that Id own 5 of them.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

Definitely. So cheap, and will only get more pricey (not that the will ever be "collector's items" so to speak). Fun and cheap to shoot.

I recommend an M44. Nothing gets more looks and more giggles when that howitzer goes BOOOOMMMM and a fireball spits out!!

 

[rduchateau2954]

Step father uses lapping compound on sticky bolts, haven't done a research on it but that's a solution. Timmeny trigger is like $100, curved bolt handle, throw like a fixed 4x on it maybe? I think what killed my other bolt guns is that I did all this research, paired them with scopes, bought all different kinds of ammo, shot groups, recorded data, shot groups, recorded data... Etc etc etc. I was so serious I stopped having fun.

I kind of want something where I can setup pop cans at different ranges and mess around with ya know?

 

[rduchateau2954]

Can anyone point me in the direction of some info on cutting down the barrels?

 

[rduchateau2954]

Mmmhmm
http://www.boydsgunstocks.com/ProductDetail/373561V06110

 

[Normandy]

If I were in the market for a Mosin-Nagant, I'd opt for the 91/59. I've owned a dozen Mosins over the years, and the only two I regret selling are the 91/59 and the 27. The 27 is now just about priced out of the market.

 

[docsleepy]

You'll find extensive information on Mosin-Nagant's available. Yesterday, I was hitting my 22" gong at 600 and 800 yards with my Mosin-Nagant. And inexpensive pistol scope NcStar will fit on the dovetail that is beneath the rear sight. The muzzle can be re-crowned with a Lee case trimming tool if you are patient and handy with plastic shims on the pilot. If the rifling is damaged at the muzzle, cut an inch or two off with a hacksaw or better yet a cut off tool, cut as square as you possibly can. It will make the recrowning much quicker.

Norma brass is available, you can reload with several techniques. I prefer slightly underpowered rounds to make the brass last longer. 42 grains of Varget pushing a 150 grain spire point is a mild load. You can slug the barrel with a quarter ounce lead sinker. Great learning experience. Most have a bore diameter of .311 but you need to look out for the Finn barrels that may be real .308

If you search on this site you'll find my sleeved barrel, which was a hoot to make and now fairly accurate.

 

[docsleepy]

If you're determined to adjust the bolt handle, that can be done very easily with an acetylene torch if you are careful. Bend it just a little bit, slowly.

 

[Oldschool shooter]

Buy one, maybe even a couple. They are cheap to buy, cheap to feed, which means cheap to practice with. They ain't pretty, they ain't smoothe, but they darn well go bang every time! I bought a sporter type bolt handle from Numrich and welded it on, looks good and works great, but you have to be careful with the heat and not changing the hardness of the bolt body. Just a real "blast" ( pun intended) to shoot and nothing to feel guilty about modifying.

 

[justin22885]

i hate mosins, and yes, i own one.. the ergonomics suck, the caliber sucks, the surplus ammo is inaccurate as all hell forcing you to reload, brass and .311 bullets are far and few between.. if you can get something else, get it.. if it was perhaps a finnish mosin with the more ergonomic stock that has a contoured comb, and if it was in a different caliber then it wouldnt be so bad

 

[RainDodger]

I don't know, should you? Only you know the answer to that.

Personally, I've never had the urge to own something like that.

 

[rust collector]

Some things are fun because they're different

The Mosin is one of them. After all the bench rest and precision shooting, it can be fun to rediscover the joy that comes from standing on your hind legs, punching fat rimmed cartridge out of a stripper clip, and trying to achieve anything like accuracy from an implement designed to be peasant proof, firing ammo built to keep a foundering munitions plant operating during the depths of the Cold War.

Then you actually have to dismantle your gun, clean it every time, and maybe figure out how to make it work better for you. Come up to speed with the help of sites like http://7.62x54r.net/ and have fun with your gun.

 

[GBExpat]

So I think why not a mosin? Throw a timber smith stock on it, change out the bolt handle. It's winter, is cold. A mosin is cheap and I have nothing better to do than tinker. ...

Is this a good idea or am I just going stir crazy?

Since The Idea seems to be to buy a Mosin-Nagant 91/30 rifle and then bubba the poor thing as an outlet for your winter boredom, no, that does not sound like a good idea to me.

I have found that Winter is a good time to fight off such boredom by reloading for Spring/Summer/Fall.

 

[HammsBeer]

Please do not bubba a Mosin, or any other surplus guns out there. There are only a finite number of these guns produced, and yes they are cheap but so were plenty of mausers and springfields and schmidts, and the values of unmolested ones have gone up drastically in recent years. Nobody wants a bubba'd rifle.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

Justin: I reload .303 British, 7.7 Jap, and 7.65 Argentine Mauser which all use .311 bullets and I have not had trouble finding them yet. Where do you look for them?

 

[TenDriver]

They are cheap enough why not?

Ive owned a few over the years but I cant get by the horribly stiff sticky bolt and always end up selling them. If there was a way to solve that Id own 5 of them.

Go buy another. The sticky bolt is generally a build up of lacquer from firing milsurp ammo. It comes out handily with some #9, a 20 gauge bore brush and a power drill along with some elbow grease. Add some real grease to the bolt channels, float the barrel and a stock Mosin becomes a smooth running, reasonably accurate muy bad jose for cheap.

I agree on not bubba-ing these rifles. For the most part. That being said, I'm going to find a basket case 44 Izzy at some point and redneck it out. My '34 Tula will stay as-is.

 

[montanaoffroader]

Yes, you should buy one.

They are relatively cheap and ammo is still reasonable right now, especially if you buy the 440 round spam cans.

If you want a shorter barrel, the Chinese Type 53 or Soviet M44 are available, albeit at a somewhat higher price.

I personally own a 91/30 and most of my friends and relatives own one as well. They are a blast to shoot (literally!) and as long as you clean them after shooting the corrosive ammo is no problem.

I wish I would have bought more of them when they were being sold for less than $100, as they are already starting to climb in price. :banghead:

 

[Mosin Bubba]

$250 can still get you a 91/30 and a spam can of ammo, so for that price, I see no reason not to. They make great project guns

 

[HankC]

If you want a piece of history, buy it if you don't have one yet. If you want a shooter, buy a modern gun and some will not cost you much more than a Mosin. If you want one for investment, there are better ones!

 

[rduchateau2954]

If you're determined to adjust the bolt handle, that can be done very easily with an acetylene torch if you are careful. Bend it just a little bit, slowly.

There are replacement bolts, I have always wanted to polish and jewel a bolt, so the factory bolt might be the perfect guinea pig.

 

[denton]

They aren't so cheap anymore. M44s are going for $250 here, and almost all the local shops are out of the 91/30s.

I casually checked Cabelas a few times in the past month, and they are out. My nearby basement dealer says he can't get anymore. Those available on UtahGunExchange carry ridiculous prices. Maybe it's just a local thing, but I think the days of $100 Mosins in good condition are past. Or even $129. Or $149.

 

[dusty14u]

I have found a pre-bubba'd Mosin for you. Looks like it meet you requirements.

http://www.armslist.com/posts/37804...for-sale--7-62-bolt-action--highly-customized

 

[rduchateau2954]

i hate mosins, and yes, i own one.. the ergonomics suck, the caliber sucks, the surplus ammo is inaccurate as all hell forcing you to reload, brass and .311 bullets are far and few between.. if you can get something else, get it.. if it was perhaps a finnish mosin with the more ergonomic stock that has a contoured comb, and if it was in a different caliber then it wouldnt be so bad

Did you see the link to the boyds thumbhole laminate stock I posted? As far a reloading, the little bit I've done so far has been immensely enjoyable. I've never slugged a barrel, never jeweled a bolt, never cut and recrowned a barrel, and never installed a timmeny trigger. If I screw up a cheap rifle, I can buy another!

Like I said earlier, in the past I've taken myself way too seriously with bolt guns. If I do all that and don't like it, I can just sell it. There are yahoos on Facebook selling factory 91/30s on Facebook for $250 and getting it.