Looking at a Mosin 91/30

vinver

vinver

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Don't ask me why but all of a sudden I am interested in getting a Mosin-nagant. So what should I be looking for in a new purchase? Not looking for a collection, just a good representative of the breed. I see there are Tula, Ishvesk, Round, hex receivers. I was reading the "most bang for your buck thread" and they keep coming up as a bargain- maybe someday they'll be looked back at as a "wish I had bought one when they were cheap? rifle.
All you Experts come out of your caves and weigh in ...Thanks!
 
Honestly bore condition is the key. My brother has 4 or 5 mosin nagants that he hand picked fresh out of the crate. They range from counterbored, pitted and dark to shiny and as new. my thought is find one with the nicest bore possible if you are planning on shooting it.

Some people say say get a hex reciever vs the later round reciever. It's all in what you prefer, to me a refurb 91/30 is a refurb 91/30 no matter what. They will usually have electro pencilled serial numbers from the refurb. It's par for the course.

If you are looking to spend a little more money and want something a little more collector quality look for a Finnish captured 91 which will usually have an SA stamp on the reciever.

Finnish Mosins are usually very accurate and seem to have a better trigger pull then a standard russian 91/30.

No matter which one you choose they are fine rifles that don't get much respect.
 
They are a bargain at the moment, grab the nicest one you can find, most are available still under $200.00 Youll regret not getting one or more later on.
 
Hex receivers and pre war rounds have a nicer finish generally. Wartime production has some rough machining but still functions just fine. I have accurate rifles in both hex and round. Great bang for the buck, and if there are any young kids around they'll be awestruck by the oversized toothpick on the end of the muzzle.
 
Yeah, bore quality is priority one, followed by lack of rust. Check the bore, chamber and bolt for rust, pitting and such - someone may not have cleaned up after shooting corrosive. After that... there's not really much else to a Mosin, really. Overall fit and finish is obvious. Check to see if the bayonet fits nicely on the gun - they're almost all mismatched, and are often WAY too tight to fit on the end of the barrel.
 
If you can, go to a place that you get to pick from the crate - work the action and avoid the 'sticky bolt" issue - it is solveable but why bother if you can have a smooth one from the start. Try to get one that includes the bayonet even if you never intend to shoot with it (although it is meant for it...). Hex receivers have the current attention, I have one of each, both good shooters but ultimately if you want to resell try for a hex if the price is the same or not much more - perception becomes reality even though they are both equally good at shooting.
 
I bought mine off Corwin-Arms, and I can say that when they say "select-grade" - they mean it. Fantastic bore and wood in great shape, a very "smooth for a Mosin" bolt (I'd shot a number of different friends' Mosins before I bought my own, so I was familiar with the range in how smooth the bolt could be).

Buying from a dealer with a really good rep might cost an extra $10 or $15, but worth it for the peace of mind. P&S Guns and Militaria also has a good rep, and so does Weimajack(sp?) in the Equipment Exchange. I specifically bought off Corwin-Arms because I just hadn't heard a bad thing about them.

If you want to save a few $$ then you can find better deals at Canadian Tire and Wholesale Sports, but very definitely inspect what you're buying before you put your money down, as the ones they're selling will vary wildly in quality. And take some latex gloves with you, otherwise your hands will be covered in Cosmo-goo by the time you're done checking them over and picking one you're satisfied with.

You'll be hard pressed to find an unreliable Mosin. It can happen, but by and large they're built like tanks and even by bolt action standards, very simple, so not much to go wrong with them other than a pitted chamber or bore.
 
Picking a surplus rifle is like picking used car-There are many to choose from.

Look for complete, matching numbers(forced matching is fine),undamaged,tight (shake it-it shouldn't rattle much) rifle.

Best possible bore is a great plus but it can me misleading -bore size is much more important.Stick bullet into the muzzle.You will tell if bore is worn out.

For shooting purposes year of manufacture,maker and round or hex receiver is totaly irrelevant.If you collect of want history pick and choose to your desire.
 
kennymo said:
Hex receivers and pre war rounds have a nicer finish generally. Wartime production has some rough machining but still functions just fine. I have accurate rifles in both hex and round. Great bang for the buck, and if there are any young kids around they'll be awestruck by the oversized toothpick on the end of the muzzle.
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LOL!! Not just the kids,judging from some of the comments I've seen and heard over the years.Quite a toothpick for sure.....
 
grelmar said:
I bought mine off Corwin-Arms, and I can say that when they say "select-grade" - they mean it. Fantastic bore and wood in great shape, a very "smooth for a Mosin" bolt (I'd shot a number of different friends' Mosins before I bought my own, so I was familiar with the range in how smooth the bolt could be).

Buying from a dealer with a really good rep might cost an extra $10 or $15, but worth it for the peace of mind. P&S Guns and Militaria also has a good rep, and so does Weimajack(sp?) in the Equipment Exchange. I specifically bought off Corwin-Arms because I just hadn't heard a bad thing about them.

If you want to save a few $$ then you can find better deals at Canadian Tire and Wholesale Sports, but very definitely inspect what you're buying before you put your money down, as the ones they're selling will vary wildly in quality. And take some latex gloves with you, otherwise your hands will be covered in Cosmo-goo by the time you're done checking them over and picking one you're satisfied with.

You'll be hard pressed to find an unreliable Mosin. It can happen, but by and large they're built like tanks and even by bolt action standards, very simple, so not much to go wrong with them other than a pitted chamber or bore.
Click to expand...

Excellent advice why play around to save a couple of bucks.. Corwin has a good rep and at least checks out their guns..
 
Funny how they can creep up on you. For years I had considered the M-N the "Ugly Betty" of MILSURPS and never felt any inclination to own one. Then I had a table at the old Cornwall, ON gunshow near a guy who had several and really wanted to sell them. He kept pestering me to buy one and just before pack up time I finally did....for $50. As it turned out it was a Finnish M27 with a nice Tikka barrel which shoots .308 bullets very well, has a very good trigger and was in ex condition overall. It sat in the safe for a long time before I got hold of some Lapua 7.62x53 brass and got into reloading for it in a serious way.
 
purple said:
Funny how they can creep up on you. For years I had considered the M-N the "Ugly Betty" of MILSURPS and never felt any inclination to own one. Then I had a table at the old Cornwall, ON gunshow near a guy who had several and really wanted to sell them. He kept pestering me to buy one and just before pack up time I finally did....for $50. As it turned out it was a Finnish M27 with a nice Tikka barrel which shoots .308 bullets very well, has a very good trigger and was in ex condition overall. It sat in the safe for a long time before I got hold of some Lapua 7.62x53 brass and got into reloading for it in a serious way.
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$50 WOW even if you want to sell it later you can't lose.. but shoot it awhile first.. congrats
 
If you want to see some up close and personal, the CTC in Clayton Park has a good few and they are in nice shape! He is a tad high on price($199) but says they will be having a special on some red guns at the sports section grand opening in a couple months! you can at least fondle them and sks and svt-40! Corwin arms is great to deal with and you get a really nice polish spec forces knife,, plus you don't pay provincial tax!!!! The Knives are nice,I have about 8 left, bought a bunch for gifts! The Mosins kick like a pi$$ed off mule and blow fire and brimstone, very cool, I think in the war half the enemy were not hit but scared to death by the noise and flames! Make room in your safe or buy another red rifle safe, red rifles have been know to multiply in captivity!
SOO,, what did you get!!?? :0)
 
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