What is the best military rifle for under $300?

[spiroxlii]

Ignition Override, SMLE means Short Magazine Lee Enfield. It's an acronym used for the Lee-Enfield No1MkIII. Sometimes you will see a No4 labeled as an "SMLE No4," but that's incorrect. No4 rifles were not called SMLEs.

The term SMLE can be a bit confusing. Short refers to the rifle itself, not to the rifle's magazine. It's a SHORT rifle with a removable MAGAZINE and it's a LEE ENFIELD.

 

[mukluk]

Lee Enfield, anything else is just a rifle

 

[mia cruz]

K31 is much better

 

[Ash]

Better is not quantitative. The k31's are indeed in better shape, as a rule, but that is because they never fought in war. In the trenches of WWI how would it have faired? The SMLE came out with flying colors, but the straight-pull Ross, built like a swiss watch they say, did not. The other fine-tolerance weapon, the P08 Parabellum, did not do well at all even though it is a real fine pistol. Better? I'd most certainly take the proven Enfield or Mosin should I find myself looking at going into combat over the K31.

Of course, the k31 is a fine rifle and is accurate and nicely made and finished. I don't like the stock personally, but that is just preference. The k31 would be a fine rifle to go with, but some of the Finnish Mosins are considerably rarer while being very nicely made themselves. Plus they have something more than garrison duty under their belts for those who are interested in history.

In the end, the OP will do just fine if he buys a K31 of course.

Ash

 

[Essex County]

Hands down the K-31, with a really nice Swede as runner up. I've had Mine for a number of years now and I'm not shure you can find a really nice 96 for three bills anymore. Notice I said really nice. Maybe someone out there could enlighten me as far as current prices. Essex

 

[cracked butt]

I'd most certainly take the proven Enfield or Mosin should I find myself looking at going into combat over the K31.

Trench warfare is not likely to ever happen again and you are more likely to get by an asteroid than to ever need the features of a bolt action with sloppy tolerances to fight in a war. The K-31 for all practical purposes is a better rifle than a enfield or mosin nagant in every way imaginable.

 

[Cosmoline]

I'm a die-hard Mosin fan but I admit that the business about K-31's being delicate or not up to warfare is pure mythology. They have tighter tolerances than most war rifles, but are a far cry from the Ross or the Steyr-Mannlicher straight pulls. They're not jam prone and they don't have the same bolt assembly problems that plagued some versions of the Ross. Many folks have taken them hunting in rough conditions up here and in Canada without incident. Plus the Swiss didn't treat them delicate during their training, as you can tell from the stocks on a lot of them.

The advantage most Mosins have is the ability to feed a much wider range of ammo and loads than a K-31. K-31's were built around GP-11 and don't like going too far from that paradigm. But that's not too much of a problem. It's not as though there are dozens of types of 7.5 ammo out there, as there are with 54R.

 

[spiroxlii]

As you can see, you opened a can of worms with this question. I own all of the rifles that have been recommended so far, with the exception of an Enfield No4, but I do own an Enfield No1 and an Ishapore 2A.

Enfields are wonderful. I love both of my Enfield-type rifles. But if you're looking for the "best" buy under $300, then I guess you have to think about what you want the rifle for.

The Enfield may very well be the "best" if you want a collector's piece with rich historical value. They're rugged and proven on the battlefield, but many of them have seen decades of hard use and less than loving storage. They're built a little loose intentionally, which goes a long way toward maintaining reliability in mud and dirt, and their bolts function quickly and smoothly with a little TLC. You may hear people warning you about the problem with excessive headspace on Enfields, but the good news is that it's easily corrected simply by replacing the bolt face. On some other military bolt actions, you'd have to rebarrel the weapon. Generally, the No4 rifles are in better condition than the No1 rifles, but that isn't always the case. If you buy a No5 "Jungle Carbine," be aware that it may not be a real No5. It could be a converted No1 or No4.

If you're talking about the best bang for your buck in a rifle that you're going to frequently shoot, I'd go with a Mosin-Nagant of some sort. M38s, M44s, and 91/30s are all easily available for well under $100 in very good condition. These rifles are simple and rugged, and the design was proven on the battle field in the Winter War, World War II, and other conflicts. These rifles were produced in very high numbers, so they may not be as "collectible" as Enfields yet, though some, like the Finnish models, fetch higher prices than others.

As for the K31, it could be the "best" if you're looking for a finely built, interesting, accurate rifle. The straight-pull bolt, properly cleaned and greased, is slick and a joy to operate. Accuracy is amazing, especially considering the price of the rifle. These weapons have the advantage of never having been used in front-line combat. They were carried under harsh conditions, but not fired as much as other military rifles their age, which is why the metal is usually in fantastic condition while the wood stocks can look a little "beaver chewed." As an added historical bonus, many of these rifles have a little name tag beneath the buttplate that lists the name, birth year, assignment, and hometown of the soldier who carried the rifle.

 

[fletcher]

Another for the SKS. You might even be able to find a cheap AK for right around $300.

 

[spiroxlii]

In all the talk about bolt-actions, I did forget to mention the SKS. I've got two of those as well!

If you prefer a semi-auto milsurp over a bolt-action under $300, an SKS gets my vote. Both of mine work fine now that I've stripped them and cleaned them, but I like the way the Chinese SKS handles better than the slightly larger, heavier Yugo SKS. The Yugo does look "cooler" because it has the grenade launcher and grenade sight built in, along with a switch so you can turn off the gas system. I got mY Chinese SKS for under $200, but prices on those seem to be climbing. I see a lot of Yugos on the market now. Looks like suddenly everybody's got them. You may not be able to find rifle grenades but there are some fun golf ball and tennis ball launchers you can use with the Yugo SKS and blanks.

 

[Ash]

The K31 was never proven in battle is the point. It may have done well, but it may not have. Firearms made to very tight tolerances are known to fail in combat under combat conditions. We don't know how well they would have survived.

For civilians, the K31 would be just fine, but I cannot say that it is in all ways better than the Enfield or M39 Mosin.

However, the Finnish mosin production is very, very small. More Russian Mosins were produced in a single year than the sum total production of Finnish Mosins, start to finish, including every model. The most common Finnish Mosin is the SAKO M39, of those barely more than 50,000 total. Others, like the stepped-barrel M91, saw a total production run of 3,000 rifles.

Ash

 

[Mr White]

If you want a semiauto... SKS hands down.
If you're looking for a bolt gun, K31 IMO is the better rifle, but ammo is a lot pricier. The Finn M39s are very good rifles, not made quites as well as the K31s but ammo is a whole lot cheaper. The Enfields are excellent rifles too but .303 ammo is kind of expensive too and is getting harder to come by.

 

[candr44]

Swiss K-31 or 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser.

 

[Win75]

Finnish m39 or M28/30 Mosin Nagant

My vote would be for the Swedish Mauser, if you can find one for less than $300.00 in today's market.

BTW, I will take that M28/30 for under $300.00 any day.

 

[Average Joe]

K-31 or an SKS

 

[dstorm1911]

The K-31 was designed for service in Switzerland no blowing dust or sand etc.. it functioned flawlessly in the environment it was designed for all of mine also work flawlessly in Arizona but these aren't combat conditions however very fine blowing sand does get into everything especially where I live and shoot out here in Marana. Now the Swiss fielded some of the best mercenaries in history the favorite rifle of choice with these Mercs was the Mas 36, probably had something to do with familiarity though as many of them were trained and served in the French Foreign legion, the Swiss Mercenaries are hands down among the best Snipers in the World only lead by the Finns and followed by Sweden and Canadian Shooters if you note that all of these countries have one thing in common... precision rifles

The K31 is an excellent choice, Enfields are great as well as a battle rifle but if accuracy is your goal the Enfield (The NO4MK1 got a leap forward in the sight dept with the reciever mounted peep but it still isn't enough) isn't going to even keep up with the K-31 as shown by the rifles of choice for those who compete in military long range competition limited to as issued bolt guns you won't find an Enfield anywhere in the top nor will ya find Finish Mosin based rifles the top of the field is completely dominated by Swedish, Swiss and only a few German rifles..... the top contenders are pretty evenly split between Swedes and Swiss If your going to be shooting for accuracy the cost of surplus ammo isn't an issue as its only going to provide mediocr accuracy at best and some cals like .303 and 7.55 Swiss are a commercial ammo option anyhow..... same price per 20 rnds the K-31 does still have top quality Surplus available while the .303 does not and in fact never did as the British surplus was never any match for Swiss GP 11 to begin with....


Now if ya want plain blasting fun, find ya a clean Chicom SKS in a threaded military barrel flavor

 

[jkingrph]

I previously said K-31, and stand by that. Others have menitoned Swedish Mausers, my other interest. They are also excellent, and generally not used in combat except for a few sold to the Finns I believe. Like the Swiss their workmanship and quality is top notch, but you would be hard pressed to find a good one for less than $300. Probably not impossible, but improbable.

I do not know about Mosins, Enfields, ect ect, Most I have seen have been a bit rough so did not interest me. The Yugo 48 is an excellent Mauser 98 varient and can be found at good prices in good shape,

All that said, my most accurate milsurp is a M 1911 Swiss, long rifle, not a K-31 and it was a bit less than your benchmark price, via a group buy importation deal a couple of years ago.

 

[spiroxlii]

I just got back from the range. I shot my K31 using Prvi Partizan ammo (not Swiss milsurp), since it was the cheapest ammo at the shop.

Ok... it was accurate. It is probably capable of better accuracy in the hands of a better shooter, but I shot some of the best groups I've ever shot with it. The only rifle I own that I'm as good with is my Lee-Enfield No1MkIII. The K31 trigger was very very pleasant. And the straight-pull bolt worked smoothly and sweetly. You won't go wrong if you choose a K31 as your "best" under $300.

Still, as somebody who owns many other sub-$300 milsurps, I think most of the others mentioned would be good choices as well. Hold them. Look at ammo prices. Ask yourself what you will use the rifle for. Then choose.

 

[wcwhitey]

Mosin M44 with ONE MILLION rounds of ammo! Just about what it takes to shoot one out.

 

[elmerfudd]

I've got to agree with everyone who recommended the K31. They are some fantastically built rifles that are still available at bargain basement prices. MOA accuracy isn't at all unusual for them and good optic mounts are available.

My second choice would be a Finn Mosin Nagant, but they are going to cost you more and they're also probably going to look like they went through a brutal war, which they did. They've got a heck of a lot more history to them than a K31, they shoot a much more available and cheaper cartridge and they also are capable of fine accuracy, but I think the K31's still beat them. The problem with Finnish Mosin's is that the bores tend to be more shot out and mounting optics is more difficult and less satisfactory.

My M39 takes me about 10 times as long to clean as my K31. With the K31 I run a few patches through it and maybe brush it out with some Hoppes and the patches come out clean. With the M39 I can never get all the dirt out of it.

Enfields were also good rifles, but I think you'll have a much harder time finding one as nice as the K31 you could get for the same amount of money and while you could probably find a nice Enfield in comparable condition for the same price as a Finnish Mosin, you wouldn't have the cheap ammo available.

Russian Mosin Nagants tend to be mediocre rifles. They've got an interesting history and fantastic prices, but generally they're just don't have the same level of accuracy or refinement as the rifles listed above.

Yugo Mausers tend to be nice rifles with lousy sights. I like mine, but it's not on a par with my K31, M39 or 2A1. I rate it higher than the average Mosin Nagant, but if you get one of the good Mosin Nagants, (1 out of 4 of mine was very good), I'd opt for the MN instead simply because of the better sights.