Lee Enfield vs Mosin Nagant.
- Thread starter dante_mags
- Start date
BAAAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!Seriously, though.... In my experience, the Lee Enfield is generally more accurate, with better machining, fit and finish. They are a little more complicated. They're also more expensive. They were designed to be thrust into the hands of volunteers whose lives had value, not dime a dozen conscripts.
Not knocking the Mosin Nagants. For what they are, they're great. Surplus ammo is relatively cheap, and they shoot minute of Nazi or better.
If I had to pick one of the two to take into battle, the Lee Enfield would win that argument hands down.
Overall rifle in fit and finish would go to lee enfield. The problem with the enfield is that ammo is expensive ~$1 a round.
Mosin Nagant is much more crude, but functional. If you want a higher end mosin-nagant buy a finnish model. The better side is that you can buy surplus ammo for about 25 cents a round.
I currently have a mosin nagant sniper and I love it. I don't have an enfield, but I love shooting them as well. If I had both I could see myself shooting the mosin nagant more just based on the expense.
Mosin Nagant is much more crude, but functional. If you want a higher end mosin-nagant buy a finnish model. The better side is that you can buy surplus ammo for about 25 cents a round.
I currently have a mosin nagant sniper and I love it. I don't have an enfield, but I love shooting them as well. If I had both I could see myself shooting the mosin nagant more just based on the expense.
The Enfield is just a way better rifle when it's put together properly IMO. The Nagant is quite accurate, more than some will give it credit for, plus it's utterly simple and reliable. But the Enfield is faster and better handling, quicker to reload as well. As long as it's not suffering from the notorious 'dammed crack' or some other ailment it'll keep up with the Mosin accuracy wise too. Plus you won't have to deal with the awful Mosin trigger, though it's easily improved.
Hi dante_mags, welcome to the milsurp section,
Are you asking the question because you are considering acquiring one of these rifles? If so, be aware that milsurps are very addictive.
Both rifles are oozing with history, and offer a genuine unique experience. The Lee Enfield is expensive to feed, reloading your own ammo for it is somewhat unavoidable if you shoot more than a box or two per year... The Mosin, at the moment, can shoot on the cheap side because currently there's lots of surplus ammunition. Who knows how long that'll last, but there's lots around at the moment.
A Lee Enfield in good shape will cost around $400 and up, a Mosin, $150 to $200...
And for both rifles, most of them will shoot better than I can.
And, lots, lots of really good info in this section of CGN, plus there's also milsurps.com...
Happy reading
Lou
Are you asking the question because you are considering acquiring one of these rifles? If so, be aware that milsurps are very addictive.
Both rifles are oozing with history, and offer a genuine unique experience. The Lee Enfield is expensive to feed, reloading your own ammo for it is somewhat unavoidable if you shoot more than a box or two per year... The Mosin, at the moment, can shoot on the cheap side because currently there's lots of surplus ammunition. Who knows how long that'll last, but there's lots around at the moment.
A Lee Enfield in good shape will cost around $400 and up, a Mosin, $150 to $200...
And for both rifles, most of them will shoot better than I can.
And, lots, lots of really good info in this section of CGN, plus there's also milsurps.com...
Happy reading
Lou
No bolt action battle rifle is better than any other.
Better for what? Which Lee-Enfield? However, the one serious advantage any Lee-Enfield has over nearly every other bolt action battle rifle is that 10 round mag.
You need at least one example of all of 'em. Your only decision should be which one you want first.
Better for what? Which Lee-Enfield? However, the one serious advantage any Lee-Enfield has over nearly every other bolt action battle rifle is that 10 round mag.
You need at least one example of all of 'em. Your only decision should be which one you want first.
Yup, both great rifles.
The Enfield wins for fit, finish and function. British/Canadian/Commonwealth history points, too. They're wonderful guns, and a joy to shoot.
The Mosin?? Cheap, simple, intimidating, and basically immortal. The Mosin is one of your default "Zombie Apocalypse" guns for a reason - they just work. And they don't stop working. It's a 123 year old rifle, designed for use by untrained conscripts, it's served through BOTH world wars and something like 40 other conflicts, and most still perform like they're fresh from the factory.
And honestly? You just can't hold a Mosin with its bayonet fixed, and not find yourself grinning at least a little. Six feet of wood, steel and attitude.
The Enfield wins for fit, finish and function. British/Canadian/Commonwealth history points, too. They're wonderful guns, and a joy to shoot.
The Mosin?? Cheap, simple, intimidating, and basically immortal. The Mosin is one of your default "Zombie Apocalypse" guns for a reason - they just work. And they don't stop working. It's a 123 year old rifle, designed for use by untrained conscripts, it's served through BOTH world wars and something like 40 other conflicts, and most still perform like they're fresh from the factory.
And honestly? You just can't hold a Mosin with its bayonet fixed, and not find yourself grinning at least a little. Six feet of wood, steel and attitude.
Eaglelord17
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Sault Ste. Marie
I only have used my Ishapore 2A1 Lee Enfield which uses 7.62 NATO and in comparison to my Mosin Nagants (I have three of them) it wins hands down. That being said the Mosins are still solid dependable rifles. The biggest issue I have seen with the Mosins are lack of quality control. Some are just better than others and you won't find out until you pick couple different ones up. For example I never thought that a Mosin could have anything close to a smooth bolt until I got my M38.
Both are pretty reliable though and both from what I have seen are fairly accurate. Also the Lee Enfields have much better sights then the Mosins (especially No 4 Mk 1's). Also if you want to remove your bayonet a Lee Enfield is a better option as well.
If I was given the option between the two a Lee Enfield would definitely be my first choice with the Mosin being a distant second
Both are pretty reliable though and both from what I have seen are fairly accurate. Also the Lee Enfields have much better sights then the Mosins (especially No 4 Mk 1's). Also if you want to remove your bayonet a Lee Enfield is a better option as well.
If I was given the option between the two a Lee Enfield would definitely be my first choice with the Mosin being a distant second
tungngroove2000
CGN Regular
- Location
- Beautiful BC
well from what you've "heard" means nothing....no offense......some mosins suffer from a "sticky bolt" that can be tweaked. i have multiple mosins, 91/30, M38's, M44's and none of them have "pretty crappy bolts"....rather very smooth and very dependable with easy tear down.
i also have multiple Enfields, i don't play favorites, i reload for both and they both receive ample range time.
Yes, you don't want to look at a Mosin with too critical an eye. The first one I bought has the ugliest bolt I've ever seen, and they're all ugly to start with. Efforts to beautify it require removing a lot of the metal from bolt handle.
They sure as heck got the job done tho'!
samsplacci71
Regular
- Location
- Toronto area
I've owned and shot several mosins. They are #### on opening whereas the L-E is #### on close. The bolt on the L-E is superior in fit, function and workmanship. That being said, if you're handy and know how to polish metal and convert the Mosin handle to a bent bolt, you'd be surprised at what you can achieve as far as improvement.
Both are damn good rifles...with the 10 round mag in the Enfield giving it an advantage on the battlefield. ..They are pieces of history, and bloody fun to shoot too!!...Get both ..you will not regret it!!
Definitely not as butter smooth as an SMLE, from my small sample pool I've found the earlier pre war actions on the Mosins are a little better. A longer handle probably would've helped the original design as well, but it was reliable and durable enough to serve as a front line rifle for 60 years. Plus it looks freakin awesome when you have the bayonet mounted.
I own and shoot both.
If we're talking a smooth bolt, large ammo capacity in a nice medium size rifle then the title goes to the lee enfield. They are fast, smooth and accurate during fast shooting.
But on the other hand, in my experience a mosin with good handloads and a skilled shooter is capable of very accurate shooting. Also they get a bum rap for several reasons. The first is their price is attractive to newer shooters who may flinch from the recoil of a big Russian beast. Second is more experienced shooters dismiss them also because of their price. Third, the surplus ammo available goes bang but the accuracy of it is poor.
Now all that being said with the about mentioned handloads it is quite the shooter, infact I've yet to shoot better groups with any of my lee enfields then I do with my model 91 mosin.
I love and shoot well with them both so it's hard to choose just one!!
If we're talking a smooth bolt, large ammo capacity in a nice medium size rifle then the title goes to the lee enfield. They are fast, smooth and accurate during fast shooting.
But on the other hand, in my experience a mosin with good handloads and a skilled shooter is capable of very accurate shooting. Also they get a bum rap for several reasons. The first is their price is attractive to newer shooters who may flinch from the recoil of a big Russian beast. Second is more experienced shooters dismiss them also because of their price. Third, the surplus ammo available goes bang but the accuracy of it is poor.
Now all that being said with the about mentioned handloads it is quite the shooter, infact I've yet to shoot better groups with any of my lee enfields then I do with my model 91 mosin.
I love and shoot well with them both so it's hard to choose just one!!
I had the opportunity to compare an essentially unused NZ-marked 1942 Long Branch No.4 Mk.1 (3-9x scope, Fulton's scope mount) with a refurb 1943 Tula Mosin Nagant sniper rifle at 100 yards. The Lee Enfield was getting 0.7 MOA (calculated using On Target software), and the Mosin was getting 0.71 MOA. The values were a wash at that range, but remember that the PU scope is only 3.5 magnification, and that longer range would have quite an impact. I had also had time to practice with the Long Branch and to work up handloads, and I had only shot the Mosin once before. I have a new NZ-marked Long Branch on the way, and I wil see what it can do with the scope dialed to 3.5 magnification.
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.
