Sniper mosin Nagant with reproduction scope. Worth it?

[Dakk]

There is a very shallow market for any Mosin that costs more than $100.

That's because everyone thinks their $100 has bought them a sniper rifle. Oh, if I had a $1 for every time I've read a comment from someone wondering why their $100 mosin infantry rifle isn't shooting MOA.

$500 isn't terrible for a reproduction scoped milsurp. But its getting close to that price point where you're buying it partially for the historical nostalgia, and not its effectiveness. There's a lot of nice things to buy in that price range.

 

[Dakk]

The MN is like most rifles. If you have a decent bore to start with, it will shoot...... one way or another. If it doesn't then you MAKE it shoot.
.

I agree with you smellie. But there is an inherent accuracy factor built into barrel itself. If a less accurate barrel can be compensated for with other tweaks to the rifle, a barrel with greater inherent accuracy will have a head start on the benefits of tweaking. Assuming of course the barrel & bore (& crown) are in good condition, and haven't been damaged or worn.

 

[Dakk]

Here's an Ex-Sniper I re-scoped.

Very nice bryan! Looks like an original scope too. Maybe I'll get to see it in action at the local range some time?

 

[cantom]

That's because everyone thinks their $100 has bought them a sniper rifle. Oh, if I had a $1 for every time I've read a comment from someone wondering why their $100 mosin infantry rifle isn't shooting MOA.

$500 isn't terrible for a reproduction scoped milsurp. But its getting close to that price point where you're buying it partially for the historical nostalgia, and not its effectiveness. There's a lot of nice things to buy in that price range.

I'll add another reason. The people who collect Mosins may not be able to afford more pricey specimens like Lee Enfield No 4 Mk I(T) snipers etc but still want a quality milsurp rifle in a price range that they can afford.

So when you have a $1500 original Mosin sniper, the Mosin enthusiasts either can't afford it or don't want to pay that much.

Thus, you're most likely stuck with it.

 

[mg4201]

You're forgetting the bent bolt handle. Those alone cost quite a bit of cash.

If you're not a do-it yourself type of guy then I would say yes - worth it.

... And where are you getting the mount from for 30 bux? Tin foil folded into shape doesn't count.

Quite a bit of cash? I bought 3/8 bolt and did it myself its easy.

 

[Dakk]

I'll add another reason. The people who collect Mosins may not be able to afford more pricey specimens like Lee Enfield No 4 Mk I(T) snipers etc but still want a quality milsurp rifle in a price range that they can afford.

I'm looking forward to getting my Enfield P14 out to the range to try it out. There's a rifle that I seen come up pretty cheap because its been sporterized. It's about the same price range as the mosin, and accurate enough that the British apparently used them for snipers, and even better than the mosin for hunting. In fact, I've seen it refered to as the most advanced rifle of WWI, by someone who seems to know a lot about them. Granted, they don't come in original full wood for that price. But then many Mosin don't have their original wood either. So I think there are other cheaper options out there as well.

To be honest, I think there's a certain, almost 'romantic notion' about milsurp sniper rifles, and as far as sniper rifles go, the reproduction mosin has a higher profile, its what's available, and its relatively inexpensive. Not the best analogy, but a $100 mosin is a bit like a 6 cylinder Mustang.

 

[cantom]

I bought one of the repro Mosins when they first came out a few years ago.

It was a very high quality rifle! Bore was mint, shiny, perfect. Really nice machine work to mount the scope and base, perfect bent bolt etc. Lovely wood. The new Ukranian made scope was of excellent quality.

The only thing it wasn't was an original factory sniper.

Depends on how important that point is to you I guess.

But I know a guy who's been hauling an original Mosin sniper to gun shows for years and he always seems to still have it. (@ $1500) I even worked at putting him together with someone who was looking for one and I am not sure if that ever worked out.

 

[Coyote Ugly]

Just like the Reitman's TV Commercial, I had a dream that everyone dressed Horribly! lol

Maybe these guys can Critique and Analyse your rifle!

[youtube]UaAn4BgY5iI[/youtube]

Not worth it at all in my mind.

$150 rifle
$200 scope
$30 mount

Well under $520 and lots of money left for ammo.

 

[Travis Bickle]

I was contemplating chasing the "Mosin Sniper" fairy down the money hole.
I opted to buy a $100 shipped Mosin off a private seller.
The barrel was average.
I did some research, got it recrowned by a weapon tech buddy, floated the barrel from the receiver to the tip of the stock with some sandpaper.
Did a non permanent trigger job on it (shimming and a home made "two stage" trigger spring).
I modified the front post with a wire insulation slip on and trimmed it down to get my POA directly to my POI.
She shoots a hell of lot more accurate than without all the real cheap mods I did to it.
Anyhow, long story short, you probably never know what you're really buying with milsurps and some Mosin "snipers" can climb to stupid prices.
It's risky business when there are better foundations to start with if you're looking to do seriously accurate shooting, like the "poor mans sniper rifle" aka a Savage Stevens 200

 

[Grove]

I was contemplating chasing the "Mosin Sniper" fairy down the money hole.
I opted to buy a $100 shipped Mosin off a private seller.
The barrel was average.
I did some research, got it recrowned by a weapon tech buddy, floated the barrel from the receiver to the tip of the stock with some sandpaper.
Did a non permanent trigger job on it (shimming and a home made "two stage" trigger spring).
I modified the front post with a wire insulation slip on and trimmed it down to get my POA directly to my POI.
She shoots a hell of lot more accurate than without all the real cheap mods I did to it.
Anyhow, long story short, you probably never know what you're really buying with milsurps and some Mosin "snipers" can climb to stupid prices.
It's risky business when there are better foundations to start with if you're looking to do seriously accurate shooting, like the "poor mans sniper rifle" aka a Savage Stevens 200

Indeed you have to go through quite a few rifles to find what you are looking for.

I'm still keeping an eye out for a bent bolt for my M44.

I was lucky that the bore is friggin SHINY!!! Like it's been barely used at all, minus my thousands of rounds through it.

 

[Mills]

For all you guys who have bought the repro snipers from West Rifle, or just their repro pu scopes, how are they working out for you? Are the markings on the scopes othentic? Did they go the extra mile and make the serial numbers and arsenal markings on the scope the same as those on the rifle? How was the welding on the bent bolt?

 

[Longshot84]

No serial numbers on my scope or mount, the Mosin was not an issued sniper (no sniper markings) and the welds weren't ground flush to the rest of the bolt. It's basically one of their $100 Mosins with a reproduced scope and scope mount. I'm not overly thrilled.

 

[mg4201]

No serial numbers on my scope or mount, the Mosin was not an issued sniper (no sniper markings) and the welds weren't ground flush to the rest of the bolt. It's basically one of their $100 Mosins with a reproduced scope and scope mount. I'm not overly thrilled.

Contact sergey at westrifle, he always trys to make it right

 

[Mills]

someone on here said the their repro snipers were selected from regular infantry rifles, but they were hand picked for accuracy and bore condition. Maybe you got the odd one. The folks at West Rifle were very nice to me when I called them with a million questions.

 

[Dakk]

someone on here said the their repro snipers were selected from regular infantry rifles, but they were hand picked for accuracy and bore condition. Maybe you got the odd one. The folks at West Rifle were very nice to me when I called them with a million questions.

I doubt they were picked for accuracy. Most of these rifles haven't been fired since being refurbed decades ago. The only way to gain a bit of potential inherent accuracy is to actually buy a barrel that was at one time tested and designated for sniper use and then stamped such. If they are using the regular $100 infantry rifles as the basis of their repro snipers, then that won't be the case.

 

[Kayser Sose]

Hell man...

IMHO, all we're looking for is a taste of the 'thrill' involved when handling something, how shall I say, 'snipery'. Take the M14-M21 'I wanna put a scope on my Norinco and get all Carlos Hathcock on the deer!' kick. (tho he used a Winchester, I believe )

Yeah, so, the real thing is super spendy, so I blame not a soul looking to get close to the real thing, but within a realistic, shooting budget. I wish I still had my G3, so I guess I'll settle for my M14s (at least back in the day I had one of the originals... gettin all misty here....)

Because COME ON, the thing is to shoot the damn gun, isn't it?

 

[sergey96]

Now I do not want to answer this but can someone who actually bought Sniper repro can say something please

Sergey

I doubt they were picked for accuracy. Most of these rifles haven't been fired since being refurbed decades ago. The only way to gain a bit of potential inherent accuracy is to actually buy a barrel that was at one time tested and designated for sniper use and then stamped such. If they are using the regular $100 infantry rifles as the basis of their repro snipers, then that won't be the case.

 

[protostrongylus]

I ordered the sniper repro from Westrifle and it arrived in 4 days. It was exactly what I was expecting. The repro scope - made in Novosibirsk - and mount are very nice and probably account for most of the cost. I cleaned the rifle today and pushed rusty, then blue gunk out of the barrel, and it shined up very nicely - rifling not bad. Grinding on the bolt handle is a bit rough. Bayonet and bolt look force-matched, but I wasn't expecting all original matching. Trigger pull is very heavy, so it will need some work. I'll take it to the range in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Longshot84]

At the end of the day I'll be satisfied if it's a good shooter. I'm a little disappointed that it wasn't an ex-sniper with the appropriate markings, but the overall condition of the mosin is pretty good. Like I said, the bolt wasn't welded very straight but it has been ground smooth with no rough edges. All the serial numbers match on the rifle, including the bayo. The scope itself looks pretty sweet but I can't vouch for its authenticity when compared to an original PU, and the bore is still pretty dark after two good cleanings with Wipeout/Nitro/G96. I picked up a brass brush, so I'll give it a thorough scrubbing sometime this week.

At the end of the day, you get what you pay for with this bad boy. $280 scope/mount, $110 rifle, $30 bent bolt and $60 to install the scope mount. The math adds up. I wasn't overly thrilled, but my expectations were somewhat realistic. As long as it shoots straight at 300m I'll be a happy camper with a cool looking Russian sniper repro.

 

[mr.e moose]

So when you have a $1500 original Mosin sniper, the Mosin enthusiasts either can't afford it or don't want to pay that much.

Thus, you're most likely stuck with it.[/QUOTE]

Damn,I guess I'll be stuck with one the rest of my life,And hopefully my daughter and her kids and so on and so on,,,Buy the best you can afford you never will be sorry.Like Land they aren't making them anymore.