Quick ammo heads-up for you AR freaks

[DanTheEldest]

Just caught this over at Aim Surplus:

AIM Silver Bear .223 62grn Boat Tail JHP Silver Bear .223 62grn Boat Tail JHP

From some of the prices I've seen for new-manufacture brass-cased 5.56 lately this doesn't seem like too bad of a price. I've used 7.62x54R Silver Bear in my Mosins and it shoots nicely. Just letting you know if you're in the market....

[xjedix]

Hey Dan,

You mention you have a couple Mosins, I have been looking at them for awhile now and wanted to get your thoughts. I would like to pick one up the is in good shape, do you have a suggestion for a local store that might have a good selection of Mosins?? I don't want to get sock with one that requires a hammer to open the bolt after each shot. Also I would like to pick out a model that might have some value down the road. I've been looking at the 91/30s; does the hex receiver mean anything???

Thanks,


-Derek

[nikon777]

Pretty good price.

[Amkus]

Originally Posted by xjedix

Hey Dan,

You mention you have a couple Mosins, I have been looking at them for awhile now and wanted to get your thoughts. I would like to pick one up the is in good shape, do you have a suggestion for a local store that might have a good selection of Mosins?? I don't want to get sock with one that requires a hammer to open the bolt after each shot. Also I would like to pick out a model that might have some value down the road. I've been looking at the 91/30s; does the hex receiver mean anything???

Thanks,


-Derek

The hex reciever just means it was made during war time. A quicker way to produce the rifles. A friend of mine told me to avoid the Yugoslavian models as they have crappy barrels. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[DanTheEldest]

Originally Posted by xjedix

Hey Dan,

You mention you have a couple Mosins, I have been looking at them for awhile now and wanted to get your thoughts. I would like to pick one up the is in good shape, do you have a suggestion for a local store that might have a good selection of Mosins?? I don't want to get sock with one that requires a hammer to open the bolt after each shot. Also I would like to pick out a model that might have some value down the road. I've been looking at the 91/30s; does the hex receiver mean anything???

Thanks,


-Derek

I'm not sure where in AZ you are, but Big 5 usually has a handful to choose from ranging from about $79-$99 depending on model and condition. If it's a slow day and you're up-front with the sales clerk about being serious about purchasing, they might let you go through the inventory a bit and hand-pick which one you want. Don't bother with Cabela's; they sometimes have them in their used racks, but they're so ridiculously overpriced it's insulting.

My favorite place for C&R guns of all types (at least here in AZ) is J&G up in Prescott. Here's a link to their store: J&G Sales They have M-N's of all types and models ranging from $69 for a beater/shooter to about $400 for an excellent-condition Finnish model. I'm in Phoenix, so Mrs. theEldest and I will occasionally take a day trip up there and peruse what they've got in person. I actually had the good fortune to pick up a beautiful '54 Tula SKS that wasn't on their website, so making the trip in person is sometimes nice.

The Model 91/30 is the medium-length model; it was shortened somewhat from the original Model of 1891 (M91), but is still quite a bit longer than the carbines, the Model of 1938 (M38--no fixed bayonet), and the Model of 1944 (M44--permanent foldable bayonet). For sheer fun, I like the carbines. The short barrel gives a rather impressive fireball (think basketball-sized or bigger) and a nice BOOM--great for startling the people next to you at the range. The longer models are a bit more accurate, as you'd expect. For more info on all things Mosin, check out 7.62x54r.net; it's a great resource for manufacturer's marks, stampings, variants, and a bunch of other things.

For collectibility, Tula's are a bit more desireable because they didn't make as many. Of the carbines, the M38 is rarer than the M44. The Finnish models (M39) are the best shooters of the bunch (and the highest quality), but you'll pay for the privilege (think $350-$450). I guess I'd just figure out if I wanted the carbine-length or the longer 91/30, and then just hunt until I found one in nice shape. Unless it's something really rare, don't expect to pay more than $100 for a garden-variety shooter in arsenal-refurbished shape.

A couple things when shopping Mosins:

1. Ask the salesman to remove the trigger lock (if there is one) so you can remove the bolt and look at the bore. These rifles shot corrosive ammo, so a very dark, pitted bore is a rifle you want to stay away from. Most will still have some good rifling visible, and a dull shine to the metal is good enough. They weren't chrome-lined, so don't expect a really shiny bore like with an SKS.

2. Numbers-matching is always good, but there are many "forced-match" rifles (combining bits and pieces from different ones and renumbering them) floating around that are still good shooters if you're not really hung up on collectibility. Check the headspace (or have a 'smith do it), though, before shooting just to be sure.

3. Most of the time, "sticky-bolt syndrome" occurs from not getting the chamber clean enough, so if you're shooting lacquered ammo, the lacquer combines with residual cosmoline and glues the empty case in the chamber. Pretty easy to fix with an aggressive cleaning (think power drill on low-speed and a stiff-bristled brush soaked in solvent). It can also be fixed by switching ammo; my M44 doesn't like Czech silvertip surplus, but absolutely loves the Bulgarian brass-cased 54R. You never know what each rifle will like, so try a couple different kinds of ammo. Another occasional problem is burrs inside the chamber that catch on the case and prevent extraction. With the bolt open, just feel around inside the chamber with your pinky finger for anything sharp or irregular.

As previously mentioned, they shoot corrosive ammo, so after shooting spray some Windex or a mix of ammonia and water down the barrel prior to cleaning. This neutralizes the primer salts that eat the metal, and with good care, that bore will stay in good shape for a long time.

As for the hex receiver, it's just the way they made them until they phased in newer production machinery around 1935-1936. My Tula 91/30 is a 1934 with a hex receiver, but my M44 is the round one. Pay particular attention to the stampings on the top of the receiver. If you happen to see one with a number "1" inside a triangle, grab it. I got lucky and received an M44 with this marking as a gift, and found out it's a DDR inventory marking (means it spent time in East Germany). The site I linked you to earlier has a photographic catalog of all the markings to help you decode them.

As for the Yugo models and the crappy barrels, I think you're confusing the SKS with the Mosin-Nagant. I don't ever remember hearing of a Yugo-produced M-N. The Yugo SKS didn't come with a chrome-lined barrel while others did, but no M-N (at least to my knowledge) ever had a chrome barrel, but I could be wrong as there were so many variants produced.

And in conclusion, the most important thing to know about Mosins, is, if you have any questions, just PM Einheit. Most of what I know I learned because of websites he turned me on to, but if you really can't find the info you need, he's the man (or I'll give it a shot if he's not around). Enjoy the hunt, and keep me posted on what you find.

[ForTehNguyen]

aim surplus was selling mosins for $70

[Deadcenter]

Good writeup Mr TheEldest. I have a M91/30 made in 1933 at Ishevsk, octagonal receiver. I also have a pristine Romanian M44 made in 1954 - all matching, it looked new when I got it. One M-N isn't enough. One must have at least one each of the M91/30 and perhaps a M44. Surplus ammo for it is still decently priced, and makes for an impressive BOOM and Fireball at the range.



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