Mosin Nagant M44 as Hunting gun?

[Dosing]

I'm not a Nagant owner (but am thinking about one...), just curious--can you be specific about problems with the safety, is it positioned in a funny place or noisy to deactivate or hard to find with gloves...?

The safety is the rear disk on the bolt (part of the sear section), you pull it back and rotate it to disengage the sear. As safeties go its a qualty item, meaning its a good SOLID safety, but engaging it and disengaging it can be a real pain in the azz, and frankly in anything more than thin gloves I wouldn't eveny your chances. It can also be a little noisy without practice. Once you do practice you can engage and disengage them pretty smoothly, but its not a simple little switch to flick. Likewise to engage and disengage you are pulling against your main-spring, so it can get tiring. This is why most MN owners in truth, seldom use the safety. I used to use the bolt self-close position as an erzatz safety myself. Not the best but quicker and easier.