Which bolt action milsurp rifle should I buy?

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GunNewb

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Hey gun nutz. Im looking to pick up a nice bolt action milsurp rifle. I am biting the bullet pun intended and getting into reloading as i know most older milsurp is pretty dry up here in Canada especially. keeping that in mind, and that I dont really like mosins, these are my options

Schmidt-Rubin/ k31- There are 2 rubins in a local store here and they look great. Hear amazing things but from what i hear reloading components might be hard to find/expensive?

Lee Enfield- Gorgeous IMO but have heard mixed reviews on quality, plenty available in canada. might have an easier time finding components?

mauser- available. reloading components hard to find?

ability to find reloading components is a big factor here so if anyone has experience trying to find components for these? am i missing your favorite?
 
I reload for all the above and have no problems finding components or commercial loads. Mausers come in many calibers, some very common.
 
Which one?

While you are at it, you might consider the 6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser. You should be able to find one at a reasonable price, and they are known for their quality of workmanship and accuracy. Reloading components are readily available.

You might want to check out the Trade-Ex website. ( A CGN Sponsor - you can click on the TEC-Canada link above). Along with sporting rifles and shotguns, they also have Military Rifles.
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Buying a $135 Mosin Nagant, and getting a crate or two of surplus ammo, then you're ok for a little while for a minimum amount of money.

You, of course, must also have a Lee Enfield. :)

Lou
 
I tried a mosin

great rifles the mosin small issue is that they are highly addictive I now have 4 and am picking up a fifth this week. Lee enfield is a piece of history and a bada$$ rifle. I don't own a k31 or k11 but I think that one is next on my list. mausers are the rock that almost all sporting rifles are built on rem 700 m70 savage 110 all mauser derivatives. arisaka are a dark horse in Canada they have an underground reputation for being quite accurate. I would grab a mosin now as they are dirt cheap at the moment prvi make hunting and FMJ ammo with excellant brass.
 
Of the rifles listed, a Mauser will be the easiest to get shooting. If you get one in 7.62 (.308) or 8mm Mauser, ammo is readily available.

The Lee Enfield is another solid choice and .303 is everywhere for sale (commercial ammo), BUT, the Lee can be finicky to tweak if the rifle doesn't shoot.

Really though, any of those choices would be fine. If you don't reload, avoid the K31 though.
 
Enfield all the way No4Mk2 is my preference. Look for an unmolested sporter and if it shoots well fit it with full military furniture. Mine was fitted with a scope mount which bummed me out a bit.....now however I kind of like that "option". It's all matching '52 Faz. so it's not a war horse, ser. # is before "Irish Contract" I think it's collect-ability is almost nil anyhow but it has all the "updated" features built in....ie 5 groove, hung trigger and improved bolt catch {from the older smle}...Look for a sporter, chances are good it hasn't seen many rounds down the pipe and then bring it back to military configuration....you won't go wrong IMHO
 
Handloading is the key thing.
Can't go wrong with any of the milsurps mentioned, IMO.

Way back in the day, I started out with 6.5X55 Swedes .... and to this day cannot even imagine life without my 100 year old tackdrivers.

Get two, a full wood and an already bubba'd sporter with a VG bore and a scope ..... you'll soon be whistling Dixie :rockOn:
 
In no particular order:
a) German/Czech/Polish Mauser 98 - less and less common in original condition, parts and knowledge up the hoop
b) Israeli Mauser - mixers with no particular value except converted to a common cartridge
c) Yugoslavian Mausers - oddball action length means no replacement parts except from another Yugo' Mauser
d) Swedish Mauser - common but an odd cartridge
e) Spanish FR-7 and 8 carbine - fun little guns in 7.62x51 NATO ** AND DON'T BELIEVE THE INTERNET HYSTERIA ABOUT THEM BEING 7.62 CETME **
f) Lee Enfield No.1, No.4 and No.5 - good all around historic guns, with lots of supplies, parts and knowledge
g) Swiss straightpulls - extremely accurate!, limited ammunition supplies and parts
h) Moisin Nagants - don't have one, not interested either, rugged to the point of crudeness
i) Springfield '03 - overpriced in the USA, very few in Canada, great shooters and often sporterized, a patent infringement on Mauser
j) Pattern 1914 - .303BR WWI battle rifle, underappreciated because they are heavy and long
k) Model of 1917 - .30-06 ditto above
l) Japanese Arisaka - uncommon and often more valuable than guys think
m) Italian Carcano - ugly, Kennedy assination reputation, oddball cartridges
 
Israeli Mauser in 308, refurb Mosin+ crate of ammo,yugo Mauser and LE in 308 or 303 would me my suggestions if you don't reload.
 
louthepou said:
Buying a $135 Mosin Nagant, and getting a crate or two of surplus ammo, then you're ok for a little while for a minimum amount of money.

You, of course, must also have a Lee Enfield. :)

Lou
Click to expand...

I agree with Lou. When you buy ammo in 7.62x54 get the brass cased, boxer primed PRVI stuff from SFRC. It's more than twice the cost of surplus, but will give you a good supply of brass for reloading.
Westrifle has the best deal going on Mosin Nagants right now. Free shipping.
I just got one last week. It's a 1940 Izhevsk with a great bore and dark furniture.
 
buffdog said:
While you are at it, you might consider the 6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser. You should be able to find one at a reasonable price, and they are known for their quality of workmanship and accuracy. Reloading components are readily available.

You might want to check out the Trade-Ex website. ( A CGN Sponsor - you can click on the TEC-Canada link above). Along with sporting rifles and shotguns, they also have Military Rifles.
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Click to expand...
(X2) If you want a tackdriver...6.5 X 55
 
As for Mosins, you could always get a Finnish one. The Finns captured lots of Moisins and rebuilt them with Sako or Tikka and even SIG barrels. However the Finns are getting more difficult (read $$) to find.
 
I bought a Swedish mauser and let me tell yea they are a peach to shoot. I use to have a german k98 and the Swedish has a much better fit&finish. I am a bad shot and i can still group 2 inch at 100 yards. The 6.5x55 is not overly expansive (cost around the same as a 303) I highly recommend it.

As for the Israeli k98 I just dont think i would pay $600 for a story gun.
 
You will find that just about any of them can be handloaded for, cost running about half the price of factory ammo and pretty consistent between types.

Trade-Ex (tan link at 10 o'clock from CGN logo, top of this page) has brass, bullets and dies for most calibres. As well, there are some that you can make brass for quite easily, given that you scrounge about in the brass barrel at your local range: any of the various Mauser rounds from .30-06 or .270 or .280 Rem, 6.5 Arisaka from .220 Swift. If you really want to and are too cheap to buy the right stuff, you can even stretch fired .308W to make 7.65 Argentine Mauser. If powder expense is concern, get a Carcano or an Arisaka; neither one uses a lot of powder.

Once you understand what you are actually doing, you can make just about ANY of them frighteningly accurate and that goes double for the 'hard-to-work-with' Lee-Enfield. What you need right from the start, friend, is KNOWLEDGE. You can get it 2 ways:
(1) the way I did: making mistakes for 50 years, or
(2) selecting a rifle that you like and immediately getting ALL the information you can on the critter. For this information, head on over to milsurps dot com, take out a (free) membership and download all the manuals you will need from their incredible Military Knowledge Library. Also be sure to download a copy of "Hatcher's Notebook" and a copy of "Shoot to Live". Hatcher wrote one of the finest books ever on what makes the things work, and why, and the problems with the things. The other book is a marksmanship course, a very darned GOOD one, which happens to be built around the Number 4 Rifle but which works with just about any rifle.

Once you have done that, pick out a rifle which feels good in your hands and has a decent bore. Then, start learning about it, make up some ammo...... and head for the range.

Remember, despite all the critics, there was NO rifle ever adopted by a military Power which had not gone through serious and extensive testing BEFORE it was adopted. There is something very good about ALL of them; it's just that some people seem to have blinders on, like an old horse, and can't see what's good about a rifle they are not familiar with. I have used just about all of them and I see something good in them all.

Of course, from my personal standpoint, you really should get a near-mint Ross .280 Military Match and play with that: they REALLY shoot. (Of course, you might pick up 40 Moisin-Nagants instead.... and you would still have money for ammo!)

But buy the one that INTERESTS you..... and you WILL be happy.

See you at the range.
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GunNewb said:
Hey gun nutz. Im looking to pick up a nice bolt action milsurp rifle.

Sportered or full-wood ? :yingyang:

I am biting the bullet pun intended and getting into reloading as i know most older milsurp is pretty dry up here in Canada especially. keeping that in mind, and that I dont really like mosins,

Mosins are seriously under-rated ! :redface:

these are my options

Schmidt-Rubin/ k31- There are 2 rubins in a local store here and they look great. Hear amazing things but from what i hear reloading components might be hard to find/expensive?

The bullets are the very common .308 ones IIRC, and that means you just need to find a bunch of (preferrably boxer-primed) 7.5 mm Swiss brass - buy decent quality brass, it'll last you for a while. Dies are not too difficult to find either, so you ought to be pretty good to go with one of these !

Lee Enfield- Gorgeous IMO but have heard mixed reviews on quality, plenty available in canada. might have an easier time finding components?

Bullet sizes may vary, but .311 seems like the average starting point. The bolt-action is smoooooooooooth and fast ! Brass is pretty commonly available in Canada, and can typically be found on the E & E. As to rifle quality, just get one with decent headspace and a solid barrel, and it'll surprise you pleasantly.

Factory ammo has begun to creep-up into the $1/round "+" territory ! :eek:

mauser- available. reloading components hard to find?

8mm Mauser reloading components are common enough (dies, brass and bullets), and reloading is pretty much a must considering the price of factory ammo.....:(

ability to find reloading components is a big factor here so if anyone has experience trying to find components for these? am i missing your favorite?
Click to expand...

The 6.5 mm Swede is a very pleasant cartridge to shoot, and dies, brass and bullets are readily available given that it's still loved as a hunting cartridge to this day.

The Carcano's 6.5x52 mm cartridge is about as similar a proposition for reloading as the Mann-Scho's (my personal abbreviation ! :D ) 6.5x54mm cartridge. Not a reason to shun the rifle, just something to be aware of. Of the two, the Mann-Scho's action is definitely smoother !

Hmmm....other rifles ? The .308 Mausers and Enfields are always fun, but the .30-40 Krag less easy to reload for here (someone will come along and correct me as to that, I'm sure ! ).

One (surprisingly) pleasant note about the .30-06 milsurp rifles (I've got a full-wood 1917 and a sportered 1903) is that factory .30-06 ammo can be had for prices well below that of other factory ammo in milsurp calibres; so it's basically a matter of buying a more expensive milsurp rifle to work with plentiful and relatively less expensive factory ammo and reloading materials.

Anyhow, just some ideas.
 
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