Lee Enfield vs Mosin Nagant.

[shredder]

If I had to choose only one, I'd take the Lee-Enfield over the Mosin-Nagant.

I find the L-E to be a much smoother, faster handling rifle than the Mosin.

When the Imperial German Army in WWI first came up against the BEF at Mons in Aug 1914, they were so surprised at the fast rate of fire the L-E put out that they thought the British Army had many more machine guns than it in fact did (IIRC the TO&E at the time was 2 Vickers MG's per battalion-the Brits trained their men to put out at least 15 rnds/minute at a 200 yd target, all rounds had to hit-known as the Mad Minute).

The safety on the Mosin is awkward, to say the least.

Accuracy from both with decent ammo is a wash, as both are more than "minute of enemy soldier" at any reasonable distance.

If you can, get both!! You'll love them for what they are, battle rifles that have stood the test of time.

 

[Magellann]

I agree with shredders comments, they are both great rifles but if it came down to one it would be the LE. The Mosins are great to shoot at the range, but I doubt I would ever take one as a hunting rifle.

 

[volkov956]

After shooting an assortment of Enfields I went and purchased a crate of Mosin Nagants and never looked back...

I am terrible with Peep and Enfield style Sights, even in the Military (c7 sights) I had trouble with it but give me a russian or german iron sight and I have no problems

 

[blue collar]

The Lee Enfield. I cannot do it justice.

 

[silverfoxdj]

Would love to have either..

 

[Northman999]

I have both and shoot both. I like both. If you're new in the game, now is the time to grab up your Mosins, both for economy of rifles and cost of shooting. There are still lots of LE out there to be had, so keep your eye out.

This.

 

[pw58]

out of bullets,and bayonets only I think the mosin reaches out further

 

[kennymo]

After shooting an assortment of Enfields I went and purchased a crate of Mosin Nagants and never looked back...

I am terrible with Peep and Enfield style Sights, even in the Military (c7 sights) I had trouble with it but give me a russian or german iron sight and I have no problems

Why not an LE SMLE? No peep sights on the earlier or Australian models...

 

[mwjones]

If I had to choose only one, I'd take the Lee-Enfield over the Mosin-Nagant.

I find the L-E to be a much smoother, faster handling rifle than the Mosin.

When the Imperial German Army in WWI first came up against the BEF at Mons in Aug 1914, they were so surprised at the fast rate of fire the L-E put out that they thought the British Army had many more machine guns than it in fact did (IIRC the TO&E at the time was 2 Vickers MG's per battalion-the Brits trained their men to put out at least 15 rnds/minute at a 200 yd target, all rounds had to hit-known as the Mad Minute).

The safety on the Mosin is awkward, to say the least.

Accuracy from both with decent ammo is a wash, as both are more than "minute of enemy soldier" at any reasonable distance.

If you can, get both!! You'll love them for what they are, battle rifles that have stood the test of time.

Good luck doing this with mosins

 

[Magellann]

They went through a pile of ammo in a hurry there.

 

[volkov956]

Why not an LE SMLE? No peep sights on the earlier or Australian models...

Are u refering to either of these if so the one on the right I cant hit a broad side of a barn with http://candrsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Lee-Enfield-No5-MkI-Up-POV-double.jpg

 

[smellie]

Those are both the same sight: Sight, Mark 1 for a Number 4 Rifle, shown in Battle Sight and then Longer Range positions.

Actually, they are the easiest sight ever made to use accurately.

What you do is look THROUGH the aperture and then IGNORE it. Your eyes will center everything up for you, so just ignore it. Then you shoot with the FRONT sight only.

Very easy. Even I can do it.

Original SMLE uses an entirely different, barrel-mounted adjustable sight.

 

[smellie]

I own 6 Moisin-Nagants, of which 5 are out of Finland.

OTOH, I also own about 25 Lee rifles of various models and ages and a dozen Rosses.

That says it, right there.

For SPEED: Lee-Enfield.

For ACCURACY: a Ross.

For something to carry around and hurt your shoulder: Moisin-Nagant.

Any of them can be made to shoot accurately, but the Ross is easiest. It also has the best trigger.

LE can have stocking issues but these can be dealt with if you know what you are doing. Nice drag trigger, too.

MN has an impossible safety, clunky action, terrible trigger. But with decent ammo they can shoot very well indeed.

You really need several of each.

 

[Mumbles Marble Mouth]

I have two Lee Enfields. A No1 MK III and a No 4 MK I. I have one very odd triple dated Mosin Nagant. 1935, 1949, and 1950.

I'll take my Enfields over my Mosin but I will take my Mosin over a sporterized Enfield.

 

[flying pig]

I actually really like sporterized Lee-Enfields too. I have three of them here, two are Parker-Hale conversions, one was bought out of a bin at a surplus store by my Grandmother in 1956 as a wedding present for my Grandfather. That rifle has killed more animals than I care to think about, all after serving all over the world, including a trip to India and a re-barrel after WWI.

I own only one Russian rifle. A 1944 91/30 PU. I really like it, and had I never shot the Lee system before I would have quite enjoyed it. However, the Lee-Enfield was the first rifle I ever shot. I love them. The No1 MkIII rifle has decent open sights, I like them much more than the irons on the Mosin. The bolt on a LE is very smooth, unlike the Mosin. When the rifle has been tuned properly the trigger pull on a LE is very good, so is let off. They also scream quality. Not to the extreme of a Ross, but close. They just feel like a serious piece of kit, built by the love of a thousand mothers and sisters who wanted their husbands, brothers and sons to come home alive, and whom put their faith in the rifle they were building for them to do it. In my opinion there is no better battle rifle. Utterly reliable.

 

[mbogo3]

Don't see the point of spaying the snot out of point blank targets with a bolt action.It's a precision weapon, not a SMG. Waste of ammo and hard on the barrels IMO..........get some firecrackers.............Harold

 

[bushwhacker]

Never fired a MN. Have a Long Branch LE in like new condition, FTR'd in Fazrekerly in 1952, full of cosmoline when I got it. Also have a Ross Mk III in very good condition (restored forend). I haven't really shot them for comparison at long range yet, but suspect the Ross will be more accurate. If I had to pick one to carry around the bush, the LE would win hands-down. Easier to get in and out of a vehicle, can carry a loaded mag and slap it in if you see a moose in a clear-cut. If I had a MN I think the same logic would apply. If you just want to burn lots of cheap Ammo at a range, go for the MN.

 

[Tinman204]

Oh no, the Ross got mentioned!!

The Ross rifle is hands down the winner in this group!! As for Ross Accuracy, mine holds .75 MOA on a daily basis out to 200 yards but I suspect that it would do the same at 300 or perhapse 400.

As for "cheap ammo", I shot cast in both my lee enfields and mosin and at $.10 for 303 and $.12 for the mosin they are both so cheap that they are almost free!!

 

[John Sukey]

Don't see the point of spaying the snot out of point blank targets with a bolt action.It's a precision weapon, not a SMG. Waste of ammo and hard on the barrels IMO..........get some firecrackers.............Harold

Remember the "Kindermord" at the start of WW1? The Germans advanced with Bands playing and flags flying, UNTIL the British opened up with 10 rounds rapid fire! We are NOT talking about shooting at paper targets but rather enemy soldiers!
The pre-war British army was TRAINED to do that

Oh, and while the Ross was more accurate, it didn't do well in the MUD of the trenches, though as a sniper rifle it was great.

 

[Kirk1701]

I do have a Lee Enfield and a sks, but I was thinking of buying a mosin. From what I heard the bolts are pretty crappy.

What are you intending to do with your Mosin? Hunt? Target? Admire? It'll work for all three. It'll also give you an idea about what a Communist state considers "acceptable workmanship." These stories and impressions of a particular period of history are embedded directly into all milsurp rifles. Hence, the joy of owning many. They each have a unique and fascinating story.

"Crappy bolt" is a personal opinion, not an accurate appraisal of a rifle's capability and purpose. The Mosin-Nagant served Tsarist Russia through the Soviet period and is still seeing action in Syria. If you're any fan of history, that's a helluva sales pitch.

If you just want a cheap gun to shoot a lot, it'll serve you better than you might imagine. They're not getting any cheaper, so if you're interested now is the time to buy.

Let me also just say that just because you buy a rifle with a sticky bolt, you don't have to leave it a sticky bolt. There are many tricks to smooth the action without ruining the collectibility. I'm sure many Russian soldiers did just the same in the field. It's a good way to gain at least cursory knowledge of how your gun functions.