What to look for in a Mosin- Nagant. Update post 17

[65kaiser]

I have a lead to get a Mosin. I have no experience with these so what should I be on the lookout for? Here is what I know. Russian 91/30 1933, with bayonette and kit with tools, sling and ammo pouch's. Very good to excellent condition packed in cosmolene. Price is $125 which seems to be pretty common.
Thanks.

 

[Oldiron]

65kaiser, Some of the things to look for is the round vs hex rec. Round rec were a wartime cost saver. The crates that came in from the Siberian salt mines had the matching s/n bayonet in the bottom of the crates along with the 20 something other bayonets so try to make sure they match. Other than that they are fun to shoot and kick like a 30-06. Go ahead and get you one, you can sell it and get your money back if you don't like it.
Larry
P.S. Clean it like it is a black powder gun if you shoot surplus ammo in it.

 

[sheepdawg]

They have a reputation for having hard to work bolts and as with any milsurp make sure the bore doesn't look like a sewer pipe.

Though most desire the hex receiver the experts will tell you a round receiver is just as good. I'm a Mauser guy, that's what my Mosin buddies tell me anyway. All of them tell me I need one while they are still cheap.

 

[Arik]

Bolts are harder to work but being packed full if cosmoline its going to be hard to move anyway. check the barrel but youre unlikely to find a pristine one anyway and if there is cosmoline inside it will be hard to tell. Clean it and shoot it. Thats about it.

Remember these were not made by gunsmiths who put special attention to every detail. They were not target rifles. They had one main use, kill as many Germans as possible and as fast as possible before the owner / user himself gets killed. They had to arm a country. It just has to work, and thats the beauty of it. If you want a fancier one with slicker bolt and better accuracy look for Fin Nagants. Avg Russian Nagant will get you good battlefield accuracy (2-4moa). Fin Nagants had to do 1moa before leaving the factory (that doesnt mean they will do it today after years of use by the Fins and then possibly Bubba)

Their kick is more then a Mauser or a 3006. I have all 3. I'd say its closser to a 12G. The others i can shoot all day and if one time i dont hold it right no biggy. With Nagants, if you dont hold it right even once you'll be sorry and sorrier with each additional shot after.

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[2152hq]

Check the muzzle of the bbl and avoid one that's been 'counter bored' if you have the option. It's a value killer on resale, though it may (or may not) be a decent shooter.
Counter boring is done to enlarge the worn bore from the muzzle back an inch or more to get to clean sharp rifling.
Saves rebarreling on a Military rifle,,especially one that's being rehabed and warehoused for the 'big one'.
Many were done with nothing more than an electric drill & bit.

Check for cracked stocks,,especially the wrist. Many are repaired with brass pins.

Matching numbers are almost non-existant on the ones coming in now. But most were 'force matched' (nice wording for parts renumbered to match) when rebuilt. Some stamped,,many electro penciled.

The bolts aren't a precision fit in the receivers to start with, but try a few if you can,,some deffinetly fit better than others.

Buy a couple spam cans of ammo,,go have some fun.

Get a Finnish m39 if you can afford one and can still find a nice one.
Very accurate, handles great and the sights are windage and elevation adj.

 

[moosedog]

A very informative thread. Thanks.
I have a mint one stamped 1939. It shoots great.
I think that these are a good investment these days.

 

[KingBee]

A nice piece of history. The one you're talking about is pre-war, so the quality will be better than the the war time rifles. At least it was when it was new. It wouldn't hurt to have the headspace checked, but I have several, and they've all been in spec. There is lots of info online about markings and such. Be careful. It's easy to get hooked on these things, and then you'll want more.

 

[LVSteve]

If you think a Smith collection can breed, just wait until Mosinitis bites you.

Counter boring is not really a big deal to most Mosin folk, it is simply part of the history of the gun for me. However, others do have a distinct dislike for the practice. Triggers can be extremely variable and also watch out for those that have been fiddled with by folk in the US. Some of the methods are questionable to say the least.

As pointed out, the Finnish guns are generally the most accurate as many were rebuilt on older receivers with new barrels. M39s fit this category and they can be excellent shooters, but they are heavy compared to other Mosins. Other Finnish marked guns are simply captures from the Soviet Army during the Winter War and the Continuation War.

 

[nathanistre]

I agree mosinitus is almost as bad as s&w fever. I have several and my favorite is a tula arsenal hex receiver and all matching numbers on all parts. This is key because usually if they all match you wont get one that the barrel is shot out or seated wrong or replacement or modified barrel. Oh and look for one without cracks in the stock like someone said above they kick about like a .30-06. Oh and dont let anyone tell you they don't have a safety they do you just have to look for it and be care full using it cause if you drop the spring that feels like it weighs a 100lbs it will fire. lol been there.

 

[DGNY]

Some fine thoughts above. Highly preferable to buy one with the cosmolene removed, so you can look for sharp rifling, smooth chamber and even bbl crown. Take a .311/312 bullet [unfired and uncased] with you and look for a rifle which doesn't swallow the bullet to the end of ogive when lightly placed point down in the muzzle. After checking a couple rifles this will be much clearer to you..

My experience with the counter bored rifles is that the discount happens only once - when you later try to sell the rifle.

Regards,

Dyson

 

[Fredo Batali]

+1 on what they said. I have too many Mosin-Nagants to count, of all flavors, without a pencil and paper. They do grow on you, be careful! I bought the rifles and all flavors of ammo when the prices were way low and stacked them deep. They're designed to work and work and work. The common Russian conscript couldn't wreck them as indicated by the condition they're in today. I have several that haven't been refurbed and they shoot great, MOM (minute of man). Most are good shooters, even the counter bored ones. There is a Mosin-Nagant military manual translated from the original Russian and annotated by Terrence Lapin. "The Soviet Mosin-Nagant Manual" It's published by Hyrax Publishers, LLC and should be available through Amazon. I paid $15.95 plus shipping for my copy. It's invaluable if you really want to shoot your Mosin-Nagant the way it was designed to shoot. I love the bloody things. For the record a Nagant is a Russian seven shot revolver in 7.62 caliber. They are a "hoot" to shoot too. Gotta love those Russian firearms

De Oppresso Liber

 

[LouisianaJoe]

For a lot of info go to 7.62x54r.net
I have a hex receiver made in 1931, a round one made in 1938, and a M44 made in 1944. I mostly shoot at 50 yds and they all group under an inch at that range. The M44 has a lot more recoil than the long guns. Getting rid of all of the cosmoline is the fun part. It is the gift that keeps on giving.

 

[iouri]

Mineral spirit bath followed by brake cleaner and WD40 leaves no cosmoline behind I've used plastic plumbing pipe capped at one side to submerge whole rifle (minus stock )

 

[Ilike9mm]

Don't forget about the corrosive ammo issue and whether to drown it or swab with Windex. I swab with water (once) then clean normally.

 

[Arik]

Transmission fluid is also excellent for cosmoline removal. I take all my surplus firearms to work and run them through the parts washer with a tooth brush. Cleans and oils all in one

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[CW Spook]

If you buy just one and hide it you may be OK. If you buy two...watch out! They breed...

 

[65kaiser]

Thanks for all of your informative responses. Louisiana Joe, thanks for that link, tons of info there. I picked it up today and think i got a really clean one. hex receiver all numbers match, the rifling is excellent and the barrel, receiver trigger and mag assy do not even have a scratch on them. The stock is also very nice. I stopped at a couple of gun shops today to pick up some ammo and they both had a few and boy were they beat up not anything like the one I got. Still cleaning the cosmolene hope to take it to the range this weekend.

 

[TAROMAN]

Finnish provenance.

 

[LouisianaJoe]

I have purchased 7.62X54R here before. This looks like clean milsurp ammo. Bulgarian 7.62x54R 147grn FMJ 440rd Can

Assume that all 7.62X54R ammo is corrosive. Clean with Windex, soapy water, or another water based cleaner. I like Slip 2000 725 Gun Cleaner. After running several patches through, I like to follow up by running a wet patch soaked with kroil through the bore and let that soak overnight. The next day run a brush through several times then you will be amazed at what gunk comes out on your patches.

 

[Fishslayer]

One thing to look for is the arsenal. Tula are generally considered more desirable than Izhvesk. The markings are listed in the 7.62x54r.net link. The Tula is a star (IIRC) and the Izhvesk (DON'T call it an Izzy! ) is a triangle with arrow.

Counterboring ain't no thang. A barrel with counterbore will shoot better than one that needs it.

Here's another source for cheap milsurp ammo. It can pay to do some research on shipping cost. Depending on your location and where the ammo is shipped from one site might be a lot cheapr than another. When the recent load of '47 vintage light ball on stripper clips showed up I pounced on Widener's at $105 a can delivered. 2 days later I found that $150 would have gotten me TWO cans delivered from SGAmmo.

You'll find that none of the aftermarket stripper clips available actually work. Best bet is to buy 60 clips here & get 300 rounds of free ammo.

7.62x54R | SGAmmo.com