Hey guys,
So I have recieved lots of questions lately asking me about reloading for the Mosins, which models to look for, collecting, rarity etc... And let me just say I am very honored to be asked these questions! I have also had a few people asking me for another range report, so here it is...
Today I figured would be the day I would finally fire my all original, original matched 1919 Tula "Big Hammer" M1891 Mosin Nagant. I purchased the rifle a while back and had my doubts on shooting it, as I purchased it mainly as a collection piece. I will not however, under any circumstances own a firearm I wont shoot. To me its like having a car you won't drive - doesnt make sense to me (hairlooms and REALLY rare pieces aside of course
).
Anyway, so a little background on this particular rifle. This rifle was obviously made a time of great turmoil for Russia, and the quality of the machining on the rifle reflect this. The "Big Hammer" Tula arsenal marking was only used for a VERY Brief time during/following the Russian Revolution. The Tula Hammer was a symbol of Bolshevik resistance to the Tsar, and was used as the very first Communist stamp on a rifle (one could almost say the "original" red rifle). The Tula arms factory itself was close to Moscow, and as such was under control of the reds during this time, hence the lack of an Imperial Tsarist eagle or any other Imperial marking on the rifle. Interesting note - this rifle has a proper 1919 dated reciever aswell!
Barrel markings - No Imperal markings anywhere!
Tula (original matched) bolt
Reciever stamp - The first "Red" markings!
The rifle was also at one point in time acquired by the Finns. This is evident by the "SA" stamp on the rifle, the Finn sling swivels and the "AK" carving on the pistol grip. These hand made carvings tend to appear on Finish made/captured weapons from time period of the bitter struggle between Finland and the Soviet Union. Here is a link to learn more about these markings http://mosinnagant.net/finland/stock_markings_from_finnish.asp
Judging by all of this and the condition of the rifle itself, I am certain it has been used in some form of combat. The stock itself is the original stock (I believe), and is quite beat up. The bore is fairly dark but with decent rifling. The blueing is VERY worn, and a nice patina is setting in, with of course a little rust and pitting. It is however, a battle rifle which fought in one of the most grueling battles man has ever fought...
On to the shooting....
Today was a pretty crappy day to start. When I first arrived at the range it was about 10 degrees and raining, with some light winds. After a short time the sun came out, the wind died down and the temperature rose to a decent 15ish degrees.
I prepared 15 rounds of handloaded ammunition, using some left over 180gr Sierra .311 flat base bullets. Just a note, the M1891s I have found HATE boat tail ammuniton - they fly wildly out of these rifles.
The ammo
The sights were a bit of a pain with this rifle, as some of you know these older M1891s are marked in Arshini, a very old unit of measurement. I set the sights to the lowest setting and proceeded to sight in at 50m. The rifle cycled and fed beautifully. The only issue was the extractor worked too well, and flung my brass about 10ft to the right! The trigger wasnt too bad all things considered, and the rifle fired off all the rounds without a single hiccup - in true Mosin Nagant style. The bolt was actually very smooth and overall the rifle was a real joy to shoot.
After the 50m shoot I moved on to shoot at 100m and I was not dissapointed. The rifle shot to the right and I had to use a bit of "Kentucky windage", however the rifle had no problems grouping on paper and keeping on target.
here are a few pictures of the rifle
50m
the VERY user friendly Iron sights
Me hoping for a decent group to report back on....
The rifle far exceeded my expectations in terms of accuracy. At 50m I was able to put two shots in one decent hole, with an avg of about an inchish give or take. At 100m with my shooting off, the groups were also acceptable. The one flier you see was the first shot at 100m, and im not going to lie - my crappy trigger pull. I pulled the shot - it happens The two shots there were fairly typical of my 100m groupings however! Enough excuses, pictures
Overall this rifle is a great shooter, and a real piece of history that I am happy to own. Any and all comments/feedback GREATLY appreciated!
Thanks for reading!
So I have recieved lots of questions lately asking me about reloading for the Mosins, which models to look for, collecting, rarity etc... And let me just say I am very honored to be asked these questions! I have also had a few people asking me for another range report, so here it is...
Today I figured would be the day I would finally fire my all original, original matched 1919 Tula "Big Hammer" M1891 Mosin Nagant. I purchased the rifle a while back and had my doubts on shooting it, as I purchased it mainly as a collection piece. I will not however, under any circumstances own a firearm I wont shoot. To me its like having a car you won't drive - doesnt make sense to me (hairlooms and REALLY rare pieces aside of course
). Anyway, so a little background on this particular rifle. This rifle was obviously made a time of great turmoil for Russia, and the quality of the machining on the rifle reflect this. The "Big Hammer" Tula arsenal marking was only used for a VERY Brief time during/following the Russian Revolution. The Tula Hammer was a symbol of Bolshevik resistance to the Tsar, and was used as the very first Communist stamp on a rifle (one could almost say the "original" red rifle
). The Tula arms factory itself was close to Moscow, and as such was under control of the reds during this time, hence the lack of an Imperial Tsarist eagle or any other Imperial marking on the rifle. Interesting note - this rifle has a proper 1919 dated reciever aswell!Barrel markings - No Imperal markings anywhere!
Tula (original matched) bolt
Reciever stamp - The first "Red" markings!
The rifle was also at one point in time acquired by the Finns. This is evident by the "SA" stamp on the rifle, the Finn sling swivels and the "AK" carving on the pistol grip. These hand made carvings tend to appear on Finish made/captured weapons from time period of the bitter struggle between Finland and the Soviet Union. Here is a link to learn more about these markings http://mosinnagant.net/finland/stock_markings_from_finnish.asp
Judging by all of this and the condition of the rifle itself, I am certain it has been used in some form of combat. The stock itself is the original stock (I believe), and is quite beat up. The bore is fairly dark but with decent rifling. The blueing is VERY worn, and a nice patina is setting in, with of course a little rust and pitting. It is however, a battle rifle which fought in one of the most grueling battles man has ever fought...
On to the shooting....
Today was a pretty crappy day to start. When I first arrived at the range it was about 10 degrees and raining, with some light winds. After a short time the sun came out, the wind died down and the temperature rose to a decent 15ish degrees.
I prepared 15 rounds of handloaded ammunition, using some left over 180gr Sierra .311 flat base bullets. Just a note, the M1891s I have found HATE boat tail ammuniton - they fly wildly out of these rifles.
The ammo
The sights were a bit of a pain with this rifle, as some of you know these older M1891s are marked in Arshini, a very old unit of measurement. I set the sights to the lowest setting and proceeded to sight in at 50m. The rifle cycled and fed beautifully. The only issue was the extractor worked too well, and flung my brass about 10ft to the right! The trigger wasnt too bad all things considered, and the rifle fired off all the rounds without a single hiccup - in true Mosin Nagant style. The bolt was actually very smooth and overall the rifle was a real joy to shoot.
After the 50m shoot I moved on to shoot at 100m and I was not dissapointed. The rifle shot to the right and I had to use a bit of "Kentucky windage", however the rifle had no problems grouping on paper and keeping on target.
here are a few pictures of the rifle
50m
the VERY user friendly Iron sights
Me hoping for a decent group to report back on....
The rifle far exceeded my expectations in terms of accuracy. At 50m I was able to put two shots in one decent hole, with an avg of about an inchish give or take. At 100m with my shooting off, the groups were also acceptable. The one flier you see was the first shot at 100m, and im not going to lie - my crappy trigger pull. I pulled the shot - it happens
The two shots there were fairly typical of my 100m groupings however! Enough excuses, pictures
Overall this rifle is a great shooter, and a real piece of history that I am happy to own. Any and all comments/feedback GREATLY appreciated!
Thanks for reading!
