Just bought a 1946 M44

C

cannonfire

New member
Well I was playing with the rifle in my SSgt's office and was joking around asking if he'd sell it to me. He said he wanted between $100-150 for it. I told him I'd pay him $100. Out of pure laziness I said never mind because I didn't want to change into civies to go to the ATM, so I said that I had $76 in cash and was about to go through the drive thru at Burger King. He said to get him a double whopper combo and the $76 and he'll give me the gun and 44 rounds of ammo that he had in his car. Done. I ended up paying just over $80 for the gun, apparently he was pretty stretched for money.

The problem is, I know nothing about this rifle except that its 7.62x54R, Russian, the bolt serial number doesnt match the rest of the gun and it has a bayonet on it. Can you guys help me out with more information? I'm searching the web for everything I can get on it but its my first bolt action rifle and you guys are smarter than the web.

Thanks in advance for any information you can help me with, for $80 I couldn't pass it up.

I'll try to post pictures when I find the cord to my camera to hook it up to the computer
 
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$80 is a good deal on an M44. A few years ago that was the standard price... I don't know if the supply dried up or something because these days it's pretty common to see them for double that, or more. Personally, I like the M44's and M38's a lot better than the full length M91/30's (which can still be had for all over the place for $80). The carbines seem to balance better and are just a lot handier than the full length Mosins.

Be aware that if the ammo you got with the gun is corrosive, it will take an extra step or two to clean it properly. Basically all of the old military surplus ammo will be corrosive, but new production non-corrosive ammo is generally pretty widely available, and if it's Russian steel-cased stuff (brands like Brown Bear, Wolf, etc) then it's still quite affordable. The military surplus stuff is ridiculously inexpensive though, you could get a 440 round for around $80 or $90. Compare that with how much (or rather how little) 30-06 you can get for $80. IMO, the cost savings will make the little bit of extra cleaning effort worth it to shoot surplus stuff.

Also the Mosin rifles have a reputation for fierce recoil. I don't think it's deserved. I can shoot my M44 all day without it hurting or making me sore or any of that, and I'm not a big dude. It's a matter of holding it right and getting used to the gun.
 
There's nothing to a Mosin that you need to pay extra attention to that you wouldn't in any other rifle of that type. As far as corrosive ammo goes, there's an absolute wealth of information out there on the web about how to clean after firing corrosive ammo.

Some will run hot water down the bore, and then proceed to clean as usual, others prefer spraying generous amounts of Windex down the bore and then proceed to clean as usual with your solvent and oil of choice (this is actually what I've always done with my Mosins and Mausers and it's kept the bores in tip top shape). The primers use corrosive salts, which don't directly rust the firearm, but pull in lots of moisture which rusts the firearm. Makes it important to clean the rifle the same day as you fired it. What water (or Windex) does, is dissolve those salts.
 
A word of advise, wear earplugs when you fire it, and its gonna kick pretty hard.
They also make a huge flash when you fire them right at dark, and have been known to catch grass on fire.
Other than that its a heck of a fine weapon, and they are pretty darn tuff.
You did well, and thanks for your service.
 
I don't know if I'd call it a great deal without more info. The bolt doesn't match, but how's the bore? A lot of idiots fire them with corrosive ammo, then don't clean the bore. You'll find a lot of them sitting around in gun shops with trashed bores.
 
TX Hunter:
Yes, they have a fairly strong recoil, but they seem to have less than my Yugo Mauser, and just a tiny bit more than my Enfield #4, but a fair bit less than a 300 Win Mag.

Lots of people are so impressed with the 44/38's muzzle blast/flash (on dark days) that it seems to increase the recoil's reputation.
 
Hi Guys,

Thought you might like to know there is a sweet recoil pad available that screws right on replacing the butt plate for about $13.00 plus shipping and is a fine add on for all of the Mosin Nagants. Just google up ultimatearms and check it out. Cheaper than the kick eze slip over pad, fits better, looks better, was a no brainer for my 38 and my 91 ,,,:D
 
Lots of people are so impressed with the 44/38's muzzle blast/flash (on dark days) that it seems to increase the recoil's reputation.
Click to expand...

I think you hit the nail on the head. I've never found any of the Mosin rifles to kick any harder than most centerfire deer rifles.
 
jtb1967:
Maybe so. A friend's Hungarian MN 44 with typical surplus ammo does not hit as hard as my Yugo Mauser 48A (old Yugo or Czech ammo).
Just shot both, about a month ago at the river.
 
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