[l tavman l]

Hi everybody,
I am interested in buying a mosin nagant. I have never owned a rifle and I was hoping for some pointers on what to look for when I am inspecting a possible purchase.

Thanks in advance

 

[Jvance325]

Check out this page. It has a lot of great resources.
7.62x54r.net

 

[PacoJose]

Mosin Nagants are really great rifles. Lots of history there. You can have a lot of fun collecting and shooting them and not spend a lot of money. The 7.62x54R site is a great place to learn about all the types and variations that were produced over the years.

A local department store chain in my area called Mills Fleet Farm sells decent, round receiver 1943-44 Izhevsk M91/30 rifles for a regular price $99, but when they go on sale, they are $89. That includes the bayonet, two ammo pouches, an oil bottle, a sling, and a cleaning kit. They also sell 440 round surplus ammo cans for as low as $85.

 

[JustRick]

I have a field gauge I will take with me if I am thinking of adding another mosin. Most rifles I can get to still have cosmoline throughout, so I'll see if I can wipe off the bolt and clean the chamber enough to check for proper spacing. I haven't seen one out of spec, but for about $35 better safe than blowing up in your face at the range. You can also check the crown, if it is damaged then you know the rifle will not be accurate. If it is counterbored then it may be fixed or not. Checking the barrel for pitting is a lot less precise if it is filled with cosmo so that is always a question, but for the money it is not too big of a deal as long as it is safe to fire and has a good crown. I also look at serial numbers, I like matching numbers and not frankenrifles. Mostly personal preference there as I like these for their historic value and having one that came from the arsenal as one unit means more to me than one someone cobbled together later. Next you also need to look at hex or round receiver, if round then high wall or regular, manufacture date, and arsenal stamp. All of this would be personal preference and I would suggest looking over the link from Jvance325 as that site has tons of good info on all this. If you're just looking for a shooter then most of that won't matter to you.

If you do pick one up, then welcome to the club and good luck on surviving the mosin bug. These rifles are a ton of fun to shoot, and where else are you going to be able to find a high power round for under 20 cents each! Very cheap to shoot, especially if you are not used to shooting a rifle. You'll know what I'm talking about the first time you take it out to shoot

 

[PacoJose]

Speaking of cosmoline, when you buy your rifle, make sure you disassemble and clean it thoroughly before you try to shoot it. Mosin Nagants are military surplus rifles that have been in storage for decades. Cosmoline is a type of grease that keeps steel from rusting while in storage. My M91/30 was just caked with it. The Russians even packed it into the bolt. It took me about 2 hours to disassemble, clean, check, adjust, reassemble, and lube the rifle. BTW, make sure you pick up a .30 caliber rifle cleaning kit.

There are plenty of great YouTube videos out there to show you how to assemble/disassemble the bolt, check the firing pin, improve accuracy, etc.

 

[Bonehead]

mine is ok but not anywhere like what a modern rifle would be.

its fun and I like it. maybe I need to learn to shoot it a bit better than I do now because right now I am thinking its potential might be somewhat limited. rather than spending cash to hook up an old (worn abused) rifle I might be better suited to start out with a new one.

your mileage may very. every mosin has its own history. mine just appears to be an average example.


edit: if you are wanting to learn to shoot a rifle a .22 is pretty cheap. 150-250 bucks and ammo will save you a ton of cash. it will probably pay for its self in 6 months of regular shooting vs almost any center fire rifle.

besides that if you go "new" its easier to determine that its not the rifle that's giving you an issue and you can focus on your learning the skill. get confident with the barney basic stuff and move up.

if you can find the 10 ring pretty much every time you pull the trigger at 50 or 75 yards (100?) with your .22 you might not get discouraged when you get a mosin and find yourself way off paper at first.

just sayin'

 

[PacoJose]

The Mosin Nagant is what it is: a throwback to the early 1890s. It was pretty much obsolete as an infantry weapon by the 1930s, but the Soviets kept producing it in huge quantities.

I must say that I once took my Mosin out to the range along with my .22 rifle. After shooting 20 rounds with the Mosin, I picked up the .22 and squeezed the trigger a few times. I had to check the target to see if it was firing. The .22 felt like a pellet gun compared to the Mosin!

The Mosin is an accurate rifle, but you have to practice. It would help greatly to have someone call your shots by looking through a spotting scope.

 

[Bonehead]

The Mosin Nagant is what it is: a throwback to the early 1890s. It was pretty much obsolete as an infantry weapon by the 1930s, but the Soviets kept producing it in huge quantities.

I must say that I once took my Mosin out to the range along with my .22 rifle. After shooting 20 rounds with the Mosin, I picked up the .22 and squeezed the trigger a few times. I had to check the target to see if it was firing. The .22 felt like a pellet gun compared to the Mosin!

The Mosin is an accurate rifle, but you have to practice. It would help greatly to have someone call your shots by looking through a spotting scope.

lol I know right... holding a .22 is like holding a bb gun. holding a mosin is like holding a shoulder cannon. :twisted:

personally I am going to put a few thousand .22's down range and get my barney basics polished up, then see what I can do with the old battle rifle.

 

[l tavman l]

Thanks for the info everybody. I will definitely check out that site and I will post pictures as soon as I get mine.

Bonehead - I have shot close to 100 rounds of 30-06 out of a friends rifle, but I would love to refine my technique with a 22. Once again I have never owned a rifle so any suggestions/opinions on a 22 rifle?

 

[Bonehead]

I just scored a really sweet stainless ruger 10/22 with a composite stock for 250 bucks.

ruger 10/22 is supposed to be the one to have. the beauty is the simplicity. the lightness. the inexpensive investment.

the composite stock is pretty nice. I like it a lot and don't think I will be changing it any time soon.

 

[Aceoiler]

I recently purchased a 1943 m91/30 mosin nagant and love shooting it. I did not care to much for the sloppy red varnish finish on the gun and decided to strip it and refinish the stock and hand guard. I made a discovery by accidentally getting Safariland brand powder blaster on the stock while spraying the receiver. This immediately cut through the layers of varnish on the stock better than any stripper I have ever used. I began spraying the stock and then wiping it off. I had the entire stock down to bare wood in less than 10 minutes. I stained with a minwax red oak and a semi gloss polyurethane and it turned out beautiful. I hope this tip helps someone looking to restore their stocks.

 

[LCFD#22]

I recently purchased a 1943 m91/30 mosin nagant and love shooting it. I did not care to much for the sloppy red varnish finish on the gun and decided to strip it and refinish the stock and hand guard. I made a discovery by accidentally getting Safariland brand powder blaster on the stock while spraying the receiver. This immediately cut through the layers of varnish on the stock better than any stripper I have ever used. I began spraying the stock and then wiping it off. I had the entire stock down to bare wood in less than 10 minutes. I stained with a minwax red oak and a semi gloss polyurethane and it turned out beautiful. I hope this tip helps someone looking to restore their stocks.

Pictures please. I was thinking the same or going with a fiber stock.

 

[LCFD#22]

I recently picked up a Mosin where PacoJose was speaking of. I found a scope mount on e-bay that requires drilling the rear sight aperture and then using steel pins. Very stable. Requires a scout scope though. I have around $300 invested with mount, scope and 880 rounds of ammo. Hard to beat that for just fun shooting. Just remember this is not a "tack driver" rifle but fun to shoot. I use a lead sled to compensate for the recoil.

 

[shawn1911]

my west of the mississippi from WI friends have the same advantage I have of having a mills fleet farm. they have a nice supply of 91/30s and m44s for the right price. although i bought the m44 at a now very overpriced gander and the 91/30 from a friend. i might pic up another of each from fleet. check gun shows, some times they might be over priced but you never know.