Getting my C&R soon and which Mosin rifle carbine is best?

rwt101

New member
I am getting my C&R license soon and I want to get a Mosin carbine. I am concerned about the ammo availability and cost. I am also starting to reload and could probably reload some. But anyway I need to keep the cost down. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Bob T:)
 
If a carbine is what you want, then I suggest the M38. Unless you like having a bayonet attached with a hinge at the end of your weapon, whereupon you pick up an M44.

The 91/30's are usually the cheapest form of the Mosin-Nagants. Most folk think that the Finnish M39's are the best of them all.

Milsurp ammo is still easy to find. Dies, brass and bullets plentiful enough.

Mind that once you get one M-N, you'll end up with several soon enough.
 
Wanting "the best" and keeping costs down are rarely able to be done at the same time. Fortunately, even the nicest of Mosins (outside of rare sniper variants and such) is only going to set you back a few hundred bucks.

If it's a carbine you want, your choices are kinda limited unless you run across a screaming deal on a Pole. If it's a rifle, any of the Finnish variants should make you happy.
 
M-44

I suggest you check into the local gun shows, they have a whole lot of the 91/30's and M44's usually. Just make sure you pull the bolt and check out the barrel. I just today purchased a M44 and am looking forward to firing it. I have already reconditioned the stock with some sanding and some stain with poly in it. There are also tons of parts available for the weapon. Rounds are very easy to get and reloading is a good idea. I bought rounds for 6 dollars a box of twenty today when I purchased the gun. Have fun!!
 
I'd look at the Model 38. It's just a little longer than the M 44 but doesn't have the bayonet attached and shoots better than the 44 which shoots best with the bayonet extended.
 
I just regard any milsurp ammo as corrosive. Still use it though. Got several thousand rounds of 7.62x54R and only about a hundred of it is new noncorrosive.

Just give it a good cleaning on the same day that you shoot it. Check it the next day to make sure everythings good.
 
I am also starting to reload and could probably reload some.

The 7.62x54R round uses Berdan primers and is more difficult to reload. How much more I don't know - I'll let the more experienced take it from here.
 
To echo the previous posts, AFAIK all milsurp 7.62x54R ammo has corrosive Berdan primers, including the brand new stuff when it's available. To this day, the Russians supposedly will not use non-corrosive or Boxer-style primers because they reportedly don't perform as well in extremely cold weather.

However, don't let this scare you. Contrary to what the guy who's always sitting on the stool at your local gun store tells you, it won't ruin your gun, because there's a readily available solvent for corrosive primer residue- it's called warm soapy water. :) After you shoot your Mosin-Nagant, run a few patches soaked in WSW through the bore and wipe down the bolt, the top of the mag follower, and the insides of the chamber, receiver, and mag housing. Then clean again with powder solvent and oil like normal. There's no special techniques or secret Super Whatsit Magical Mystery Bore Solvent needed. ;)

To answer the original question, the Finnish M28 and M39 are widely considered to be the best Mosin-Nagant carbines. They were rebarreled with higher quality barrels than what the Russians or Soviets ever used.
 
Best carbine? I would have to say a Finnish Cavalry Carbine but good luck finding one at all let alone at anything near an affordable price. Absent that I would opt for a M38 with a good bore, not counter bored.
 
Ammo

The Ammo I keep seeing is all "corrosive" unless you want to pay out the nose for new 7.62 54r from the big suppliers. I have been shooting the readily available mil surplus for sale all over the internet and it like the gentleman said works just fine. Warm soapy water and oil works great. These weapons are so resiliant that you could most likely use homemade gunpowder through them and it would not damage the beast. Reloading the mil surplus rounds from what I have been told is not recomended. Not sure if it is price or just not supposed to be reloaded.
 
I bought an M38. It is an arsenal refurb. It has been counter bored.
Bob T:D
 

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Nice!

If your m38 is anything like my Romanian M44, you will love it! I don't know which carbine is the best, but I know I like what I have. It's accurate and easy to break down and clean.

Three suggestions:
1. See if you can find some 7.62x54r hollow core ammo. It has the same full load as the light ball, but for some reason doesn't kick as bad. (Probably lighter bullet=less pressure!) My m44 does fine with either, but the hollow core is more fun! Light ball is usually 140-150 gr. rounds.
2. Don't even consider reloading until the supply of surplus ammo dries up. The berden primers are impossible to find and even if you could it takes special tools to de-prime. Buy as much ammo as you can afford at the next gun show and you will do fine.
3. For breakdown of your gun, including the bolt, check out surplusrifle.com. Look in the left-hand column after you pull up the site. Also check out their forums. I cut my C&R teeth on that site!
 
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Good point on the site. I learned to break down my M44 in 5 minutes from that site too. You can learn a lot from all the side sites too. I just purchased 200 rounds of Czech Military 147gr. Silver Tip Light Ball for $41.90 from Ammunitiontogo.com. Many types to choose from, even new rounds from big suppliers. Enjoy!!
 
are all mosins carbines ?

There are three main variants of Mosins, and several foreign models that more or less take after the Russian weapons. The most common are the 91/30 (full-length), the M38 (carbine, no bayonet), and the M44 (carbine with bayonet). Later, some 91/30s were physically cut down to carbine length and designated the 91/59.

There are Finnish, Czech, Polish, Chinese, and even U.S. models of the long rifle and carbines. There are also a few models prior to the common 91/30, but they're pretty rare.
 
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