Mosin Sniper

Bowie

Bowie

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I am trying to convince myself that I need a Mosin sniper. I need some input: How well do these typically shoot? Is the optic a POS or is it serviceable? Are there any obvious pitfalls to avoid?

Thanks
 
Mine shoots about 2.5"-3.5" at 100m with surplus ammo. Handloading brought my groups down to around 1.5". It's a different rifle to shoot, more of a chin weld instead of a cheek weld. I like mine, optics on mine are as good as can be expected for a 72 year old scope. Mine is a refurb that I acquired last year. Not sure about how the repo's are.
 
If you've got your modern eyes on, it's going to leave you wanting, if you've got your rosy safety goggles, then it's cool, and the last of the great milsurp snipers that the average guy can afford.

I've shot both a refurb and a repro and at the range that I can make use of a 3x optic I see no real diff. My refurb is the nicer gun, though, and I'm not even certain that the repro isn't a bog standard rifle that has been scoped, since there's no original serial number on the receiver for the scope and the bolt body has tool marks.

I'd say go for the real thing. Repros will never be worth a great deal and if you don't like the original scope, take it off and buy the new made one to use and keep the old one safe.

I got my rifle from Weimajack several months back. Excellent condition.

Pitfalls.... Not much I can think of. Get on to one of the mosin sites and learn how to properly adjust the scope and mount. The reticle does not stay in the center of the glass, so if its way off to the side or top or bottom when youve sited it in then you need to adjust the mount to compensate. Elevation is easy - just a couple set screws. Windage requires filing or shimming. Neither rifle that I shot required windage adjustments, however.

Otherwise it's a 91/30, picked out of the production run for having the potential for above average accuracy, and has a basic scope. If you're the sort who wants only one mosin, and you don't just want a noisemaker to blast surplus ammo through, then it's probably the one to get.


....actually, that was my attitude at first. Several months later I have 9 or 10 mosin nagants.....
 
I agree with Mark-II, if you buy a 91/30 pu sniper it will probably be the first of many 91/30's. I own one also purchased from Weimajack and it's one of my favorite rifles. The 3.5 power scope is very cool and easy to sight in. My old eyes have seen better days but I can hit a two liter pop bottle at 210 yards, probably further but that's all the distance our range has. One thing I learned was when looking through the scope you'll see a ghost image of the front sight ring, by lining up the ghost post and the reticle your shot will be more accurate. It's difficult to see at first and took me some time to find but it is there.
 
Two things to say.

First off. If you get a PU Mosin and want to put modern optics on it you can. Accumounts has 1" split ring mount (top part of mount) for mounting modern 1" scopes.

Second. Don't think you need a scoped rifle to get great groups out of your Mosin. I have a stock '42 Tula. I had a friend make me an adjustable front sight (much like what Smith Sights is selling). Using Prvi 182gr FMJ's I was getting a 2 inch group. I've started working up a hand load for it too. After the first round of testing, I have a load that is shooting 2 1/8". Both the Prvi and my hand loads were shot at 100 yds, from a rest on days were there was a 10-20 kph crosswind.
 
All I can say is that the PU scope takes a bit of getting used to it, other than that it's just the same as any other mosin. The only problem you can have with it is loading the rifle if you're the kind of guy that likes to use clips. Best way to convince yourself into buying one is to watch enemy at the gates.
 
skookumchuck said:
I agree with Mark-II, if you buy a 91/30 pu sniper it will probably be the first of many 91/30's. I own one also purchased from Weimajack and it's one of my favorite rifles. The 3.5 power scope is very cool and easy to sight in. My old eyes have seen better days but I can hit a two liter pop bottle at 210 yards, probably further but that's all the distance our range has. One thing I learned was when looking through the scope you'll see a ghost image of the front sight ring, by lining up the ghost post and the reticle your shot will be more accurate. It's difficult to see at first and took me some time to find but it is there.
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I hadn't noticed a ghost image in mine. I'll look more carefully the next time I'm out.

In all honesty I'd buy another one, particularly if I found a Tula (and it didn't cost more than the Izhevsk ones.)

....come to think of it I don't even have a Tula-made Mosin. Even the Finns have Izhevskii receivers, as I recall. (I should have documented the buggers when I had them apart for cleaning...)

*sigh* guess I need to buy another one.
 
I love mine. I'm shooting better than what it allows for bench rested paper punching precision shooting, so I've since upgraded to a modern platform.

That being said: I LOVE the mosin PU. It's reasonable accuracy wise - and some folks use them for impressive distances.
I've shot *some* sub MOA groups at 100 yards with PRVI commercial ammo. Mainly it shoots 1.5-2 inch groups though.

The PU optics are great for a war time use. It's not a modern scope and has a fat reticle - but they are not exactly precision reticle.
 
But the Mauser Oberndorf Sporting Rifles had the 8X, and with Officers who had private purchase rifles, you just never know.
 
After reading the book and watching Enemy at the Gates the rifles were not correct for the era in any case.
The German sniper was from a higher class and could afford a specialty rifle no doubt.
What was the truth, I'm curious?
 
In the book what I found interesting was the appendix with the re-printed war time interview where he implies that they were using the SVT-40, yet I don't recall its mention in the main body of the book.

Subtle propaganda? Or did I miss something..
 
Mark-II said:
In all honesty I'd buy another one, particularly if I found a Tula (and it didn't cost more than the Izhevsk ones.)

.
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Finding a nice Tula is on my list as well. I was originally concerned about the veracity of my Izhevsk because it lacked the C N sniper markings but recently read in Military Surplus magazine that the Izhevsk snipers weren't marked.
 
The izhevesk sniper rifle hade the scope serial# stamped on the left side of the reciver near the wood line only the Tula had the CH marking but did not have the scope serial on the receiver.The recent import of referb sniper rifles have the scope serial# on the receiver of the Tula snipers that should only be stamped CH????????
 
I don't know if Tula rifles had serials or not, but they were the only ones marked C H or C N (upside down U). According to the little yellow book, and my spotty memory, Izhevsk began numbering the rifles to scopes in late '42 and beyond, so prior to that they might not be.

My '43 has 2 sets of receiver numbers. I suppose the first was for the scope it wore in '43 and the second for the one that it was fitted with during refurb.
 
If you like Russian guns, I think you would be quite happy with one. I have a couple snipers, and they are among my favorites.
 
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