What to look for in a Mosin??

[JustOneMore]

First off i want to say that i am dumb when it comes to long guns. I have shot them before, but have never bought or owned one before. I have owned handguns on and off for around 20 years but just never took an intrest in long guns till around a month or so ago. I feel a Mosin would be an interesting first long gun just for their history and from what i understand, fairly easy opperation.
Soooo now that you all understand that i am a noob school me on what i need to look out for and what a good Mosin would have.

 

[AFA1CY]

Depends on what you want to do with it. Strong lands and grooves if you want to shoot it, matching serial numbers if you just want to collect it. The latter was what I wanted when I got mine eventhough I intend to shoot it. If you want a real collector item go with the older models and or the Finnish ones.

eta: WELCOME to the forum!

 

[littletommy]

This place can tell you all you want to know 7.62x54r.net

 

[clyde]

If a shooter, I would first look for a matching bolt and receiver serial number. Everything else is just parts, but those two you are gonna want to match. If they don't, then you have what is referred to as a line out, or forced match. Best avoided if at all possible. If looking at the Russian variants, a common practice was to counterbore the muzzle about two inches down to get rid of the potentially damaged rifling at the muzzle which is where the corrosive salts in the primers of the day do their worse damage. If you have a good bullet seal at the muzzle, and it is a Russian arm, then it was prolly never issued. Some say it doesn't matter, and I believe that for the intended mission concerning the Mosin it prolly doesn't. 91/30's have a 28in. barrel, M38 M44 have a 20in. barrel, much easier to carry around. M44 also has a bayonet which I'm told only shoots to point of aim if bayonet is extended, barrel harmonics. Never fired the M44, but that is what I've been told. Ammo can be cheap. Ammo that is cheap for the caliber is also corrosive. I like to use windex after shooting to break up the salts then clean as you would any other rifle. These rifles are cheap, reasonably accurate and would be a very good starter rifle for those wanting to get some range time with the long bore.

 

[jblomenberg16]

Check out the 7.62x54r.net that another poster linked to. Great info on collectability, features, etc.


Whichever Mosin you get, look to get one with the small accessories, such as sling, oiler, ammo pouch, cleaning jag, and take down tool (a tear drop shaped item with a screwdriver end). You don't need this to make your mosin complete, but they are nice to have. Some of the take down tools also have a firing pin protrusion gage built in for when you do a detail strip of the bolt.


The bolts are easy to remove to inspect the chamber and to look down the chamber. Once you have determined the chamber is empty, point it in a safe direction, and cycle the bolt while pulling the trigger. Yuu will be able to pull the bolt straight out the back of the action. This will let you look down the barrel to see the condition of it.


I have an M38 (carbine, no bayo) that is a great shooter, and throws and AWESOME fireball out the end when using most surplus ammo.


I would also say don't pay more than $150 if you buy one complete with all the goodies unless you find it to be a collectable one. You can probably easily find one for less than $100 if you look around a bit. The Mosin is about like the AK47...the Ruskies made millions of them, and as a result there are plenty out there on the market.

Good luck!

 

[2cool9031]

Remington and Westinghouse also made Mosins for the Russian Government in the early 1900's I wouldn't mind having one of them.

 

[clyde]

Sorry to keep at it, but I must let you know of something. Most rifles come with a ton of cosmoline on them. russian-mosin-nagant.com and surplusrifle.com can help with detailed removal of the preservative. This also must be done. You do not want to send a projectile down the bore with a build up of cosmoline stuck in the rifling. I saw someone do this, no injuries or anything, but the rifle started to smoke, I don't even want to recall the smell. Oddly enough it didn't even damage the bore noticeably. Still not recommended though. If there was a large build up it could cause pressure issues.

 

[jblomenberg16]

Sorry to keep at it, but I must let you know of something. Most rifles come with a ton of cosmoline on them. russian-mosin-nagant.com and surplusrifle.com can help with detailed removal of the preservative. This also must be done. You do not want to send a projectile down the bore with a build up of cosmoline stuck in the rifling. I saw someone do this, no injuries or anything, but the rifle started to smoke, I don't even want to recall the smell. Oddly enough it didn't even damage the bore noticeably. Still not recommended though. If there was a large build up it could cause pressure issues.

That is a very good point. Don't forget to give your baby a good cleaning before you take it out the first time!!

 

[PTinbound]

Also, classicarms.us has some pretty good Mosins for sale and some general info about them on their C+R page.

 

[Thumper317]

I found mine at Gander Mountain for $90. I have owned it for about 3 years now and i love shooting it. i hope you find one and enjoy as much as everyone else.

 

[Shootin'IN]

Be sure to check the riflings in the bore & do the bullet test on the muzzle.
I picked up this one recently, and mounted a scout scope on it.

It is a Russian M38. It shoots great.

 

[printcraft]

Be sure to check the riflings in the bore & do the bullet test on the muzzle.
I picked up this one recently, and mounted a scout scope on it.

It is a Russian M38. It shoots great.

That's purty!



To the OP: Yes clean extensively. You do not want anything in the bore.

 

[hunter962]

just sold my mosin this week it was excelent condition shot great groups sold it for 110.00

 

[Shootin'IN]

That's purty!



To the OP: Yes clean extensively. You do not want anything in the bore.

Thanks, I bought it refinished. But I would have liked to got to it before the stamps and numbers were sanded off the stock. But still it is a nice gun, it will hold a 3" pattern at 100yds. with surplus ammo.
　
You need to check the bore on these guns because most of the ammo for these guns is corrosive. And will eat up the bores if not cared for properly.

 

[Srtsi4wd]

Are the hex receivers any better than the round?

AIM Surplus has had both for awhile now.

 

[PTinbound]

The hex's were made in an earlier time period before WW2, so they have a reputation of being higher quality. I think they actually made both before the war, but during the war they only made round as they were in a hurry to pump them off the assembly line. Chances are you'd be fine with a round, but if you can swing a good deal on a hex I'd go for it.

Also, something big to look for is counterboring - which is bad. Info on question 20 on this page: Mosin Nagant FAQs

 

[roundball]

I really like mine too. I have only shot it at the range two times but it shot really well and as I said before, I like how it feels. Also I found the ammo cheeper than a lot and it very well may not hav boxer primers so clean really well but you can use the brass to reload I'm pretty sure.

 

[billt]

Also, classicarms.us has some pretty good Mosins for sale and some general info about them on their C+R page.

+1.

I purchased 2 hex receiver, Tula manufactured Mosin's from Classic Arms a few months back, and was very pleased. All numbers matched including the bayonet, and both came with all of the accessories. Classic Arms ships promptly, and they are very good to deal with. Bill T.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/long_guns/116765-anyone_into_mosins.html

 

[88E30M50]

The biggest problem with Mosin's is that they can be addicting. For around $100, it's cheap enough to buy interesting ones when you see them. My son bought our first one (an M44) a couple of years ago and I was not initially impressed. Two years later, there are 8 around the house in the form of Finns, M44s, an M38, a Hungarian and a Westinghouse. My favorite is a Finnish M91/30. It's both good looking and accurate. The Finnish furniture has a different look that I really like. The next favorite is the M38. That fireball keeps you smiling for a solid week after a day at the range.

If your in the Indianapolis area, check out Bradis. They usually have and easy 40 or so to peruse. You never know what you'll find on the rack. I've seen several ex-snipers, bought our Westinghouse there, and you can compare build quality of the early ones vs wartime production.