- Location
- Tucson, Arizona
Just remember while the SKS barrel is chrome plated, the gas cylinder is NOT. That has to be cleaned as well.
WW2 sniper rifle- which one should I buy?
- Thread starter speedf8
- Start date
If you want a legitimate sniper variant be very careful before opening your sack of gold. There are lots of fakes/clones around so you need to research this very carefully to be able to sort out the real ones.
If you want a "pseudo-sniper" experience, one of the best/cheapest ways to go is with a sound No 4 LE with a bolt on/no drill scope mount and a scope like a Weaver or Lyman in the 2.5-3x range.
If you want a "pseudo-sniper" experience, one of the best/cheapest ways to go is with a sound No 4 LE with a bolt on/no drill scope mount and a scope like a Weaver or Lyman in the 2.5-3x range.
I have the AIA No4. Got it for Xmas, paid $800. I put a 4-16x Hi-Lux scope on it. Fired it at 300m at Borden a few weeks ago. I'm very pleased with it.
I modified it by putting a pin where the front sling ring was for a bipod. One issue I did have was the rear hole for the rail was off by some 2mm, so had to get the hole in the rail redrilled offset to make it line up. All is fine now.
If you were going to put a mosin sniper together yourself ,goto www.westrifle.com banner at the top of this page and look at their mosin snipers on sale($500) this month.It would save you alot of work drilling holes in the wrong spots.They ship really fast and packaged good.
Big question is your budget.
Original snipers will run $1200-8000 easy (Soviet being on the cheaper size and German snipers being on the higher side).
If you want an original sniper, what you are able to find might help you in making your decision. They are highly collectable and heavily faked. Mosin's, Lee Enfield T*, Garand and 1903 Snipers are the most common. German snipers are the least common and most faked. You can get a good solid Lee Enfield or Garand for $2400-4000.
The second option you have is to get a sniper clone, most are built on original WWII rifles with repro mounts and scopes. Some are better than others. Most K98 snipers you see and Mosin Snipers at the moment are clones. Those $650-950 Mosin's Snipers on the market right now, are original WWII rifles with modern mounts and scopes with replica markings. This is a decent way to get into the hobby as with time you can always upgrade with an original mount and scope later and the rifle has "the look" for a fraction of the cost.
Many serious Sniper Collectors with rarely shoot their snipers if at all, the optics, etc are too valuable and you don't want to ruin an original piece.
Original snipers will run $1200-8000 easy (Soviet being on the cheaper size and German snipers being on the higher side).
If you want an original sniper, what you are able to find might help you in making your decision. They are highly collectable and heavily faked. Mosin's, Lee Enfield T*, Garand and 1903 Snipers are the most common. German snipers are the least common and most faked. You can get a good solid Lee Enfield or Garand for $2400-4000.
The second option you have is to get a sniper clone, most are built on original WWII rifles with repro mounts and scopes. Some are better than others. Most K98 snipers you see and Mosin Snipers at the moment are clones. Those $650-950 Mosin's Snipers on the market right now, are original WWII rifles with modern mounts and scopes with replica markings. This is a decent way to get into the hobby as with time you can always upgrade with an original mount and scope later and the rifle has "the look" for a fraction of the cost.
Many serious Sniper Collectors with rarely shoot their snipers if at all, the optics, etc are too valuable and you don't want to ruin an original piece.
X2, that is a great price on todays market and from what I understand, they are professionally installed. I believe the mounts and optics are made on the original Soviet tooling? Maybe someone who knows better can clarify but for my money Westrifle's Mosin sniper clones seems the cheapest route on a non-bubba garage sniper. If only "my money" equaled the price, I'd own one
BTW the $135 Mosin I got from them is a beauty. Small arsenel repair on butt, otherwise 99%Yes, at 100 ft it was shooting 4ft to the left, that's how I found the problem. Placing a length of copper pipe on the rail I could see how much it was off. Took the back screw out, lined the rail up with the barrel and half the hole was covered where the screw came from. Major screwup by AIA.
Yes, all is well now, I was even hitting the moving target at 300m.
Unless you are looking to get a collectors piece to hang on a wall, a "sniper" rifle today is just about anything that will get you on paper at more than 500m. My Remmington 700 with a Hi-Lux 6-24x ART (almost an M24) will do that.
x3 At $500.00 the Westrifle clone should be a good deal, however, even if the optics and mount are made in russia, the look isnt quit right. For the more accurate looking sniper clone, the clone with ukrainian made mounts and scope are the way to go. Scope are blued steel and mounts are machined, not cast. Quality vary from clone to clone some are better puit together than others. I hope to finally have time to sight in my mosin repro sniper to find out how accurate they can be with various ammos.X2, that is a great price on todays market and from what I understand, they are professionally installed. I believe the mounts and optics are made on the original Soviet tooling? Maybe someone who knows better can clarify but for my money Westrifle's Mosin sniper clones seems the cheapest route on a non-bubba garage sniper. If only "my money" equaled the price, I'd own one
Jocelyn
you could get an ex sniper from Tradex or P&S militira for 225 abent bolt handel for 30 from Westrifle and a repro scope for 265 from Hunterchan . and build your owne PU91/30 sniper.Its not hard to do ive done two myself so far.the rifles themselves are genuine sniper rifles and are in excellent shape ,at least the ones i recived from Tradex and P&S were.
so you end up with a genuine pu91/30 sniper that you built yourself what can be more gratifing than that.
so you end up with a genuine pu91/30 sniper that you built yourself what can be more gratifing than that.
I was at the local gunshop yesterday, and they have a Mosin for $200 that he will sell for $150. The action is smooth and seems to be tight when locked closed. Since it is definitely in my price range, I am considering it. I'm not worried about the gun being historically accurate. I just want an old wartime bolt action that won't break the bank on ammo. What should I be looking at on the gun to determine whether to buy it, or to keep looking? A look through the barrel didn't turn up any hugely obvious problems, but admittedly, I am relatively new to the gun world, and short of a tiny garden gnome living in the barrel, I probably wouldn't recognize a problem if I saw one. The stock seemed to be okay, and again, I'm just looking for something to have some fun with that I can shoot relatively accurately. Someone had suggested looking at the firing pin, but I'd have to disassemble the bolt to see it. Any other suggestions of things to examine on this gun before I shell out $150?
The overall bore condition is the key IMAO. A bright,clean bore with sharp rifling is what to look for. Bore with sharp rifling but somewhat frosty or with very light pitting is ok since its the norm with many milsurp rifles. Muzzle crown should be not dented or accuracy will probably suffer. A mosin is a trouble free rifle so if the bore is good, nothing else to worry about. Mosin may look crude but they are built to last
Jocelyn
The Westrifle sniper clone is similar to one I bought two years ago. The trigger is easy to improve by slipping a little piece of plastic (credit card thickness) under the action, so there is less sear enegement.
I hand load Lapua brass with surplus bullets. I was shocked at how accurate the rifle is. I also have a couple of #4 snipers (one real and a clone) and find the Mosin much nicer to shoot.
The Westrifle offer is a real good deal. You would be hard pressed to have all the parts put together at that price.
The other option is the Australian AIA #4. This is a modern replica of the #4 in 7.62 (308W). I have one. It initially shot poorly. I re-bedded it and now it shoots handloads very well. It has a scope and a cheekpiece and shoots much better groups than my old sniper clones. You can buy a good used one for about $700.
I hand load Lapua brass with surplus bullets. I was shocked at how accurate the rifle is. I also have a couple of #4 snipers (one real and a clone) and find the Mosin much nicer to shoot.
The Westrifle offer is a real good deal. You would be hard pressed to have all the parts put together at that price.
The other option is the Australian AIA #4. This is a modern replica of the #4 in 7.62 (308W). I have one. It initially shot poorly. I re-bedded it and now it shoots handloads very well. It has a scope and a cheekpiece and shoots much better groups than my old sniper clones. You can buy a good used one for about $700.
