Which surplus rifle?

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Prodigalshooter

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I'm tempted to buy one of the many mil-surp rifles I see advertised at Big 5 and in Shotgun News all the time. You know, the Mosin-Nagants, M44 Russians etc. I'm very unknowledge-able when it comes to rifles in general, I know about my lever action, my 10/22 and my shotgun, but that's really about it. Much more a pistol person.
Anyway, I see these mil-surps for sale for less than $100 most of the time, they seem to be in decent condition. But I'm not sure which caliber would be best to get in terms of availibility, recoil, accuracy (combat accuracy) etc.
Most of them seem to be bolt actions with 5 round magazines. I don't "need" one, just, you know, want one for the heck of it.
Any advice on what would be the all around best in this category?
Oh, also bear in mind that I reside in California, so that does mean no pistol gripped rifles. I mean, I might put my eye out!;)
 
Yup. Noisy Magnets are a great value. Lots of threads about them here. Or go get a copy of "Enemy at the Gates" and that'll motivate you to get a Nagant. Or a Mauser.

I'm partial to the Enfield. .303 British is more widely available than 7.62X54R, which the Nagants shoot. Enfields are featured pretty prominently in Mummy II.

Doesn't really matter which one you get first. If you get one, you'll likely end up with most of 'em sooner or later.








Just kidding....maybe.....
 
I have a Czech VZ 24 Mauser that's really fun to shoot. I would say that as far as ammunition availability goes, it's easiest to find cheap mauser ammo. That said, 7.62x54R can be had for very little as well. I would suggest heading to the local gun store and feeling a couple. To me the mauser style milsurps feel nicer than nagants. Enfields are very nice as well, but i don't see 303 ammunition as often.
 
Does wolf ammo offer 7.62x54R? What does R mean BTW? Which is better Nagant, the 44 or 38?

vega
 
Generally, you'd want to get the M44 over the M38. The M44s are usually rearsenaled, unissued and many were made post war. If you can inspect them first hand, just get the nicest one. Inspect the bores carefully for any pitting, worn chambers or worn rifling.

While you can get very good new ammo from Wolf or S&B, surplus 7.62x54R is very cheap and usually good quality. Check www.aimsurplus.com for Czech Silvertip.

Just be aware that surplus '54R is corrosive. Not a big deal at all in a bolt action, just swab out the bore with warm ammonia/water mixed, or flush it out good with windex with ammonia when you get home. After that clean normally. IMO, that's no big deal for eight cents a round.
 
The "R" is for "Rimmed"

Just like the 8x56mmR Austro-Hungarian. The "R" in many cartridges refers to those that have a rim (like the 30-30 or .22 LR) rather than an extractor groove (like the .223 or .308)

Along the lines of buying milsurps, I'm a big fan of putting aperture sights onto any rifle I have that lacks them. So, check out the THR reviews of Mojo Sights (www.mojosights.com). Fortunately, my Enfield came pre-equipped with issue peep sights, so that saved me a step.

As an Enfield owner, I'm very pleased with the Brit .303, but I disagree with some here as to ammo availability. Modern, non-corrosive ammo costs half as much for 7.62x54R as for .303 Brit (see www.ammoman.com). The Russians aren't churning out .303 Brit by the boatload, like they do for the 54R, and there's precious little .303 surplus left to buy. So, unless you reload, you should find Nagant ammo considerably more common and cheaper.
 
Easy, get a Yugo SKS for your price range. Cheap ammo and loads of fun. Enough said.:D
 
What caliber is the Yugo SKS?
Oh, thanks for all the replies so far. I did fire a Nagant (I think) last year, while out in the desert with friends, it had one heck of a kick and a monster fireball (shot it at night).
I guess I should also add that I'd like to end up with the most "fun" to shoot rifle too, that I can shoot fairly accuately, not one that's gonna give me a hellish flinch;)
Sorta like why (in handguns) I prefer .45ACP over .44 Magnum.
 
If you want a BIG fire ball in the evening, Enfield No5Mk1 Jungle Carbines are just the ticket, and still going for $159 at SOG. Enfields are great quality rifles, and reasonably priced (for a while) still.
 
96 Swede.....6.5x55 Swedish...absolutely the finest in surplus turnbolt guns. Insanely accurate, cheap ammo, fun to shoot, low recoil, awesome workmanship. The prices have risen slightly, buit good examples can still be found for under 200 bucks.
 
The Yugo SKS (and all SKS's, for that matter) shoots 7.62x39 (AKA 7.62 Soviet or "That ammo for the AK-47" ;) ). You can buy Wolf ammo for about $2 a box of 20 or even less at a gun show. It's supposed to be an "intermediate" size round and in the SKS recoil is like nothing, and the SKS rubber buttplate doesn't hurt, either. But the accuracy is not as good as a good bolt-action.

Actually, it's kinda tough for me to recommend only one milsurp rifle. I have one Enfield, one Yugo SKS, one Swedish Mauser, two Finnish Mosin Nagants, and one Russian Mosin Nagant. I love'em all the same.

As far as recoil, I think the 8mm Mauser has the most recoil and I can't tell the difference between the .303 Brit (PMP) and the 7.62x54r (Wolf 148 gr.) but you can always get a recoil pad and/or padded shooting jacket. Hmmm. . .I would say get a Yugo SKS (it's the cheapest semi-auto you can buy in California and who knows when our DoJ will ban it) and the bolt action milsurp that appeals to you the most, regardless of the recoil. Then get a rubber pad to put over the butt of the rifle as well as a shooting jacket. Then you have the rifle you like best and don't have to compromise because of caliber. HTH and let us know what you decide and how your first day shooting went.
 
Hmmm, the SKS is sounding pretty good, I like the fact that the ammo is shared by the AK, that means there will be plenty around for awhile;)
Thanks again for the input.
 
Yeah, I don't think 7.62x39 will go away in our lifetime unless Star Trek phasers come out next year for $20 each, and then, only maybe ;) . Also, if you get a Yugo SKS (which IMHO is the best one to get price/quality wise) in California, it will already have the grenade launcher disabled because the DoJ doesn't want you to have a "destructive device" (it's more of an insult than a utility loss IMHO). BUT, if you want to get one shipped in from out of state (you might end up paying a bit more or a bit less but probably will get a better condition one than the one you see sitting in the store) do the following: Go to your favorite FFl dealer who doesn't currently have a Yugo SKS sitting in his store and tell him you want to have one shipped to his store and need a copy of his FFL. Then go to www.interordnance.com and order the unissued Yugo SKS (IIRC about $110) with the California-legal alteration ($20). Do it over the phone and tell'em you will send the FFL in the mail. When it gets to your FFL, you pay transfer fee (anywhere from $25-50 so find a good deal) and that background check (IIRC $20) and ten days later it's yours. Then buy some ammo from your FFL guy to make him happy and go clean up your like-new milsurp :) .

Also, try a search for "Yugo SKS" in this forum. Lotsa info. HTH.
 
Gotta love the No5Mk1 Jungle Carbine!

Just remember to hold it tight to your shoulder when shooting 174-180gr ammo!

jc-3.gif


If recoil ain't your thing, there's always the Jungle Carbine's older, longer brother, the NoIMkIII* SMLE:



smle-3.gif
 
Just checked I/O website and the "new" Yugo SKS's are now $120, and I forgot about shipping, but there aren't too many places that you can get the "California-Legal conversion" so I think it's still a good way to go. Down the road you could still get a good milsurp bolt-action for when you're going for accuracy.

Gewehr98 Do you have any pictures of ugly or even plain looking rifles ;) ? Just kidding, those are really nice Enfields.
 
Beetle, how ugly do you want a surplus rifle to be?

There's this one:

vz52-3.gif

And this Yugo SKS ain't particularly pretty, either:

yugosks-3.gif
 
Showoff. ;)

Looks like someone replaced the infamous red rifle vise with a tactical tray and bag.

Is that a VZ-52? How does it shoot?

(Oops. Edited to change CZ-52 to VZ-52. One's a pistol, the other's a rifle. Duh.)
 
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No no no, I mean do you have a muddy, rusted, blood-pitted, non-headspacing, 0% blueing, pitted sewer-pipe bore rifle that isn't even allowed in the house type rifle? (I'm just jealous of the No. 1 Mk III* ;) ).
 
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