Anyone own a Mosin Nagant?

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potcha

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Hello everyone. I am pretty new to the world of firearms, just got my first one two weeks ago. Wanted to get something for home defense and ended up with a Sig Sauer SP2022 in .40 caliber and am extremely happy with it.

I had been looking at some surplus rifles recently and landed on a deal that almost seemed too good to be true. I had looked at Mosin Nagants before but found it here http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?groupid=256&name=Russian+1891/30+7.62x54R+Mosin+Nagant+Rifles for $70.00.

My question is, how are these rifles? Assuming I used the hand pick option for an extra 10 dollars and was able to get one in good condition, what should I expect? Are they accurate? Is it sufficient for hunting small to medium game? Why are these so cheap?

Thanks in advance :D
 
Most of those being sold were arsenal refinished so they should be in pretty good shape. I think you could pretty much hunt a lot of North American game with them. Will not be a macth rifle but the accuracy will be plenty good enough to hunt with.
 
They're sturdy old guns and at the moment are cheap (and fun) to shoot. They aren't terribly accurate or pleasant to look at, but then again, neither am I. I want one.
 
For the price, they're awesome guns. The ammo is cheap, and they're reasonably accurate. A whole lot of fun for $70 or $80. Go for it.
 
This has to be the most discussed rifle on this section of the Forum. I do not own one and have no plans for one. This is not to condemn the rifle, but surplus military rifles do not appeal to me. There are too many good hunting rifles with great accuracy on the used market for under 3 to 4 hundred dollars, and many with either scope or at least rings already mounted.

Past discussions seem to reflect folks who hate Mosins and those who love them. Most of the lovers like the cheap price and the cheap ammo. This seems to be what caught your eye.

There appears to be a huge surplus of these old rifles along with a huge supply of old corrosive ammo for them. I reload my own ammo; therefore cheap surplus ammo is not so attractive to me.

I also like a rifle with a scope, and the standard straight bolt Mosin seems to present mounting a scope with certain challenges. I notice some new Mosin owners discussing all the things and money they can spend on mounts, scopes, stocks and etc. I can see where this could total up to the cost of a good used hunting rifle.

I bet like most older surplus military rifles, the Mosin is heavy and has a long barrel.
 
The Mosin-Nagant is built like an agricultural implement. This is at once its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. :)

The Good:
  • Generally pretty accurate by vintage standards (2-4 MOA)
  • Fun to shoot
  • The commonplace M91/30 model has reasonably mild recoil by high-powered rifle standards and its sights are pretty good compared to many other vintage military rifles
  • The cartridge is plenty powerful enough to take any game animal in the Lower 48
  • Milsurp FMJ ammo is cheap and abundant
  • The rifle is simple, reliable, and incredibly tough
  • Looks menacing :)
  • Historical and cheap, a rare combination
  • Did I mention fun? :cool:
The Bad:
  • The triggers are generally heavy, creepy, and gritty, and it's not easy to improve them significantly without making the rifle unsafe to carry with a live round in the chamber
  • The safety absolutely sucks- it's possibly the worst military design ever :(
  • The commonplace M91/30 model is long, heavy, and clumsy in the field
  • The less common but handier carbine models have loads of muzzle blast using commercial or milsurp ammo, and prices are climbing due to lack of recent imports
  • Straight bolt handle makes it difficult to mount a scope in the traditional Western position atop the receiver
  • The ergonomics aren't very good compared to modern Western rifles; the stock has a short length of pull, loads of drop, a very small and unyielding steel buttplate (get a recoil pad!), and a fairly long reach between the trigger and bolt handle
  • Modern expanding hunting loads can be hard to come by, and the current glut of cheap milsurp FMJ won't last forever
  • You're generally stuck with 7.62x54R; there are very few sources for barrels and other parts to convert to alternate chamberings, unlike the Mauser 93/95/98 or Remington Model 700
  • Modern, inexpensive, American-made bolt rifles such as the Stevens Model 200 will outshoot one all day long using more commonly available ammo, and they have better triggers, safeties, and ergonomics
Bottom line: I love Mosin-Nagants, but I love them because they're cheap, historical, and fun to blast stuff with. They're not necessarily the best choice for going hunting on the cheap.
 
I enjoy mine.
I'm taking it to the range tomorrow for the first time.
I'll let you know how she shoots.
Most of them shoot 8 in. or so high, but it's an easy fix.
Just clean her up and enjoy.
She'll take a beating.
And as for home defense.... lol.
The intruders insides will be splattered on your wall. :P
 
I had an M38 for a few years. After a few bags of ammo, I lost interest and it collected dust in my safe.

Crude, low tech, doubles as a club.
 
Go ahead and buy one, they are great shooters. Most will shoot 3MOA or close to it. Its not a target rifle, but you can make shots at 600+ yards if you do your part.
 
I have two... I an m91 manufactured by Remington in 1918 and I have a 91/30 made at the Tula Arsenal. The Remington groups just over an inch at 100 yards off a rest, I have never seen another mosin as accurate as my example, although I have seen some of the M39 Finns come close... Generally, 2-3 inches is what you expect assuming you have a decent bore and a good crown...
 
Just got back from the range. :D :D :D :D :D:

She kicks like a bear... and I only hit my target a couple times. haha.
But I came home without the guitar I left with. :)
I forgot my big targets at home, and I was shooting for a 6 in. from 100 yds.
Still shooting high.
Oh, and if you're shooting off a bench...
Make sure to have something under your elbow.... lol
Gahhhhh, she was a BLAST!!!!! (Pun intended.... alot.)
 
I see we think alike as I have a SP2022 in .40S&W, as well as a M44 Mosin.

For the money as others have said, they're great. It's a fairly unique shooting experiance. I however wouldn't buy one online. The shipping and FFL fee isn't worth it, considering you can go to a local gunshop, local classifieds, or gunshow and inspect the one you're buying. It may be $10 more for one in the shop but at least you have peice of mind that it's got a decent barrel etc. Just my opinion though ;)

One more thing of note though, ammo is pretty cheap however it has gone up a decent amount just in the past year or two. The $90 spam cams of 440 were usually running about $70-75 a year or so ago. I'd buy one while ammo is cheap and if you find you don't like it sell it. The one good thing about a 'low value' gun is they don't have much more value to lose!

-Max.
 
At $70 asking price and ammo sold by the wheel barrow load for cheap, it would be easier to ask for the members of this forum who DOESNT own a Nagant.
 
I got mine about 3 months ago because my 14 year old son wanted me to get one - he just saw "Enemy at the Gates". So I did. Both him and I took about 3 hours to clean it together.

We shot it later on...my first shot - Bullseye at 50 yards - 1" bull. Yah - we like it...:D
 
I had been looking at some surplus rifles recently and landed on a deal that almost seemed too good to be true. I had looked at Mosin Nagants before but found it here http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.as...+Nagant+Rifles for $70.00.
Click to expand...

It is good and it is true. I paid about $20 more for my 91/30 at a local department store and it still was a fantastic deal. These are not only fun rifles, they are historic artifacts. For such a low price, you not only get a rifle, you get the bayonet, a cleaning kit, two ammo pouches, and a metal oil/solvent bottle.


My question is, how are these rifles? Assuming I used the hand pick option for an extra 10 dollars and was able to get one in good condition, what should I expect? Are they accurate? Is it sufficient for hunting small to medium game? Why are these so cheap?
Click to expand...

I bought mine a few weeks ago. I've had it out to the range twice now and absolutely love it. I will say that that the gun is heavy and long, particularly with the bayonet affixed. It takes some getting used to, especially if you are accustomed to shooting smaller caliber rifles. For me, the front iron sight is pretty hard to see under certain conditions. I've only put 40 rounds through it so far and my accuracy has been improving. I suspect that after I've had more time practicing with it, I would probably feel comfortable hunting dear with it. I wouldn't hunt small game with it.
 
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