SKS or Mosin Nagant?

Savage Axis:
-easy to scope
-has already bent bolt
-probably weighs less
-shorter, more overall compact design
-more accurate (you full of sh!t if you disagree with this)
-bigger ammo selection
-NON CORROSIVE AMMO

I know LOTS of people who have a Savage Axis, they are fine rifles for the money. And reading all the nonsense youve been posting, your obviously a Moist nugget fanboy who has lost touch with reality, and totally forgot about what the OP is looking for in a firearm. AKA best bang for your buck plinker/shooter which he wants to throw into a modern stock and most likely scope; hence why a mosin is a poor choice.

And yes I have had the displeasure of shooting Mosins, including a sniper, before.

edit* plus too your comparing an $700+ mosin sniper to a $400 Savage, even bigger fail.
 
As I said in an earlier post I've looked closely at the MN (M38 being only one that interests me) , strictly because of surplus ammo..... no other reason.

Once I weighed the MN/surplus ammo against a decent .308 the entire MN idea went entirely out the window and will never be contemplated again.

I'd probably choose a different .308 than the Axis for my tastes, but agree with warrenlikesboats, I'd take an Axis over an MN. This cheap bolt action stuff shoots well.
 
I have a couple SKS's, and a Mosin sniper variant. Very different rifles, enjoy them both. For me, the Mosin is more fun and accurate (the crappy 3-4 power scope helps). If I didn't have a scope though, I would just go SKS.
 
I've got both, bought them both the same day actually haha. Nice thing is they're cheap and still readily available. 7.62x39, which feeds the sks is cheaper and more easy to come by, but still plenty of 54r around for the mosin if you look around. Another one you can consider is the SVT-40. Basically the big brother to the sks, or the semi auto mosin. They can still be had from Lever Arms for around $400, and there're a few nice ones here on CGN. A fair bit more maintenance cleaning with a semi than a bolt gun, but I've heard they're decently accurate.

Because most of the ammo is corrosively primed, you need to keep up on cleaning your gun. As mentioned, the mosin bolt action is by far the easiest, but being a bolt gun, the mosin has quite a lot more felt recoil - ie it "kicks a little harder". So you can weigh that out as well.

SKS has a ton of aftermarket support, so while what you see is what you get - to start with - it isn't what you necessarily have to be stuck with. Matadar Arms is a Canadian company that has a ton of cool kit for these.

If you're not already familiar with all the rifles, check out youtube. Guys like hickok45 have nice reviews on all 3 of these.

In summary:

Cleaning: semi is more, bolt is less
Recoil: bolt is more, semi is less
$$ of firearm: semi is more, bolt is less
$$ of ammo: SKS ammo is cheaper and more readily available, but in general semi's cost you more per outing because you can just keep pulling that trigger ;) on that note, beware of the SVT haha.

Cheers bud!
 
warrenlikesboats said:
Savage Axis:
-easy to scope
-has already bent bolt
-probably weighs less
-shorter, more overall compact design
-more accurate (you full of sh!t if you disagree with this)
-bigger ammo selection
-NON CORROSIVE AMMO

I know LOTS of people who have a Savage Axis, they are fine rifles for the money. And reading all the nonsense youve been posting, your obviously a Moist nugget fanboy who has lost touch with reality, and totally forgot about what the OP is looking for in a firearm. AKA best bang for your buck plinker/shooter which he wants to throw into a modern stock and most likely scope; hence why a mosin is a poor choice.

And yes I have had the displeasure of shooting Mosins, including a sniper, before.

edit* plus too your comparing an $700+ mosin sniper to a $400 Savage, even bigger fail.
Click to expand...

Excuse me?

1) What is a "Moist Nugget"?
2) I'm not a Fanboy anything. I have LOTS of different types of rifles, from AR's to custom safari rifles in magnum calibers, to much higher-end milsurps. A nice 91/30 is a better rifle than an Axis. It's all machined steel in a well made birch stock (not crappy/bendy nylon) And I DO mean a regular infantry rifle, not a "$700+ sniper". I can shoot 1.5"-2" groups all day with irons at 100m with any of my mosins that have a nice bore. I can't do any better with a crappy Axis made in a dead-heat race to the bottom of the quality barrel between Remington and Savage.
3) I know lots of people who love their Remington 742 or 710, or their Ruger American or Savage Axis. It does not change the fact that they are JUNK sold for under $400 with a cheap $20 Chinese scope included. I would not wish one on my worst enemy unless there literally was nothing else to be had.
4) The OP only fessed up to being a mall Ninja in post 32, at which point, I advised he get something ELSE.

Oh, and PS, I don't shoot any corrosive ammo. non-corrosive ammo is literally EVERYWHERE and cheaper than .308 too. Look at Barnaul, MFS, etc. I also reload.

Another aside, there are plenty of Mosin carbine variants that are shorter and lighter than an axis. Like an M38, for example. Still less $ than an axis and a better rifle.

Shot last Saturday with irons through an M38 at 100m prone in the rain (!). 1.5" group. I look forward to your axis target, same distance, no sandbags.

IMG_1283_zpstcnovuyr.jpg


Or you can just call me full of sh!t again. Classy.
 
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Ok, so a new gun guy like myself, owns a TT-33, a break open 12 gauge, Rem 870 12ga, and .22lr rifle. I like the sounds of a Mosin Nagant for pushing accuracy and skill of myself, but can you get soft tipped ammo fairly easily to hunt with? I saw someone mention they had taken a deer every hunting season with theirs.
 
Thanks, I'll take a look. Since I'm looking to spend as little as I can at the moment, how do i know what year Mosin will give me the best chance to get one that is capable of the greatest accuracy right off the bat? Maybe if someone has a decent one that shoots well but I could spend some time amd effort refurbing, and is looking to get rid of it, PM me. Otherwise I'm open to suggestions.
 
DRE369 said:
Thanks, I'll take a look. Since I'm looking to spend as little as I can at the moment, how do i know what year Mosin will give me the best chance to get one that is capable of the greatest accuracy right off the bat? Maybe if someone has a decent one that shoots well but I could spend some time amd effort refurbing, and is looking to get rid of it, PM me. Otherwise I'm open to suggestions.
Click to expand...

It's all about bore. Inspect in person if you can.
 
DRE369 said:
Thanks, I'll take a look. Since I'm looking to spend as little as I can at the moment, how do i know what year Mosin will give me the best chance to get one that is capable of the greatest accuracy right off the bat? Maybe if someone has a decent one that shoots well but I could spend some time and effort refurbing, and is looking to get rid of it, PM me. Otherwise I'm open to suggestions.
Click to expand...

It's less about the year and more about the individual rifle, prewar rifles generally have a nicer fit and finish as more time was given to them. Accuracy can be had from even the dirtiest, most beat up Mosin. It's a combination of luck and maximizing your luckiness by carefully inspecting the crown, rifling, stock to metal fitment and breach. Lately I've seen more SP ammo than FMJ on the shelves, I can't see SP disappearing anytime soon.
 
DRE369 said:
Thanks, I'll take a look. Since I'm looking to spend as little as I can at the moment, how do i know what year Mosin will give me the best chance to get one that is capable of the greatest accuracy right off the bat? Maybe if someone has a decent one that shoots well but I could spend some time amd effort refurbing, and is looking to get rid of it, PM me. Otherwise I'm open to suggestions.
Click to expand...

There's no specific year. It all comes down to condition. If I were in the market I'd look at Weimajack here on CGN and ask him to pick you his best bore one.
 
I would say a Mosin i have owned both an got tired of the sks didnt like to just blast away thats just me though, I know lots of people ask why i bought a Mosin put it in a Archangel stock, bent bolt, Trueshot scope mount an looking to replace the barrel with a bull barrel plus I reload all my rounds for it why because i can even with out the new barrel .5 moa at 100 ya even Axis would do that but not look as cool ... i see guys with Tikkas, Remington, Brownings Savage etc... that cant shoot .5 Moa its my toy. Only thing its heavey to carry in the bush I take it once a year to get a deer otherwise it just stays on the range
 
Buy both as both are cheap. I own both and if I had to sell one I probably wouldn't be able to make a choice between which to give us. Ammo for Mosin is cheaper in my opinion since using corrosive surplus is not a problem. It's not a problem to use corrosive ammo on the SKS either but the cleaning that goes into doing it for SKS vs Mosin is a lot of work comparing to just cleaning Mosin. You can literarily clean a mosin in about 3 minutes but SKS will take 10-15 if you're good.
 
I have 2 sks one all tricked out and one pretty well standard both are a lot of fun, now I am leaning towards a mosin just something about those old war era guns...22 lr is alot of fun too depending what you buy.... If your buying online, check out westrifle I have not bought from them but thier website describes each gun in depth inc condition. That way you pick the one you want and it isnt just grabbed off a shelf....Do your homework on cleaning if you want to shoot cheap you will shoot corrosive ammo...both non corrosive and corrosive leave these guns dirty and they should be cleaned after use..as for corrosive some say dont use it, but ive shot hundreds of rds of it but i clean her up after...if it was good enough for the lads storming the beaches its good enough for me...
 
Claven2 said:
Excuse me?

1) What is a "Moist Nugget"?
2) I'm not a Fanboy anything. I have LOTS of different types of rifles, from AR's to custom safari rifles in magnum calibers, to much higher-end milsurps. A nice 91/30 is a better rifle than an Axis. It's all machined steel in a well made birch stock (not crappy/bendy nylon) And I DO mean a regular infantry rifle, not a "$700+ sniper". I can shoot 1.5"-2" groups all day with irons at 100m with any of my mosins that have a nice bore. I can't do any better with a crappy Axis made in a dead-heat race to the bottom of the quality barrel between Remington and Savage.
3) I know lots of people who love their Remington 742 or 710, or their Ruger American or Savage Axis. It does not change the fact that they are JUNK sold for under $400 with a cheap $20 Chinese scope included. I would not wish one on my worst enemy unless there literally was nothing else to be had.
4) The OP only fessed up to being a mall Ninja in post 32, at which point, I advised he get something ELSE.

Oh, and PS, I don't shoot any corrosive ammo. non-corrosive ammo is literally EVERYWHERE and cheaper than .308 too. Look at Barnaul, MFS, etc. I also reload.

Another aside, there are plenty of Mosin carbine variants that are shorter and lighter than an axis. Like an M38, for example. Still less $ than an axis and a better rifle.

Shot last Saturday with irons through an M38 at 100m prone in the rain (!). 1.5" group. I look forward to your axis target, same distance, no sandbags.

IMG_1283_zpstcnovuyr.jpg


Or you can just call me full of sh!t again. Classy.
Click to expand...

A 1.5" 3 shot group at 100yards does not support ur agument lol, my SKS will do that quite regularly, and a Axis I'm sure will pattern under MOA too, I shot a quick 3 rnd sight in group 2 nights ago with my .300WM tc venture ($400 gun used), simple Winchester ammo, and it measured .75".... Its not that I hate mosins.... It's just that for the money a modded one costs, you can have something so much better. But I agree building a mosin is a novelty in itself.
 
warrenlikesboats said:
A 1.5" 3 shot group at 100yards does not support ur agument lol, my SKS will do that quite regularly, and a Axis I'm sure will pattern under MOA too, I shot a quick 3 rnd sight in group 2 nights ago with my .300WM tc venture ($400 gun used), simple Winchester ammo, and it measured .75".... Its not that I hate mosins.... It's just that for the money a modded one costs, you can have something so much better. But I agree building a mosin is a novelty in itself.
Click to expand...

Talk is just talk - I would challenge you to post your best 3-shot unsupported target. This means no lead sled, no sandbag, no mechanical support, etc. Go shoot your axis lying prone or kneeling or whatever, like in a real world hunting situation, and post your sub-MOA target. The rest is just noise or bravado. I would suggest 1.5" is REALLY good for not using a rest. In fact, I know it is.

If you can actually produce a 0.75" group and hand-on-heart attest that it was from an unsupported shooting position, then your talents are being wasted. Savage should be sponsoring you to shoot an Axis competitively for big money in the States so your results can be used to boost sales.

I agree with you on one thing though. Modding a mosin to something it was not meant to be is a stupid endeavour that is not cost effective or smart. You will spend money to end up with a gun that is worth less than before you started.

The beauty of a nice Mosin is that it's an excellent iron sight gun for general purpose field use. It can be stripped and cleaned without tools and is really reliable in the cold weather. The simple sear mechanism also makes it a good choice for a northern animal defence platform as there is basically nothing to freeze up or fail mechanically. I like a nice M38 as a deer stand gun for when I want to use something less conventional than my Marlin 336S.
 
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