Looking to buy my first rifle, opinions needed.

I

IanXRogalla

Inactive
Im looking to buy my first rifle,im not new to rifles i have fired alot of different types, but i want to finally buy one of my own, i have seen the Mosin Nagants around for pretty cheap, i know most are replica's, but i was wondering if they are worth it to even buy, alot of my friends have said they aren't that great, but i like bolt actions and the one i have shot i was pretty impressed with, if anyone could give me some feed back on what they think, that would be much appreciated.
 
Replicas of what? There are a number of patterns of Mosin rifles. With the price of them being what they are, creating some sort of "replica" wouldn't be cost effective.
I've personally never shot one. A lot of people like them, and being Russian surplus, I'm sure they're pretty robust. Not target rifles, but good strong utility guns.

I've been next to Mosins at the range, though, so I CAN tell you that they're loud!
 
I'm not quite sure how the Mosin Nagants are replicas?? But they are definitely worth the $70-100 you can get them for. Fairly cheap to shoot and lots of fun.
 
Great first rifle

I don't know much about the Mosin Nagant, but I tend to lean towards intermediate military calibers for first/only rifles. Ammo availability is the primary reason for using military calibers. When ammo sales stop or slow down, they still make that stuff. That and you can get old brass/bullets for a bit cheaper than the sporting calibers. If your price range is under $200, the Mosin Nagant would be a decent option and ammo is cheap. If you have a bit more, I'd go with a .308 Winchester or a 7.62x39. There are a ton of good bolt guns in .308 and autoloaders are great as well (albeit expensive usually). In the 7.62x39 you have the SKS (very affordable) as well as the AK series rifles. There are some good bolt guns by CZ that I kind of like as well.
 
most mosin nagants are NOT replicas. There's millions of them made, real ones can be easily bought for less than $100. My friends and I have several of them and I had a non replica RGUNS mosin sniper and boy are they fun to shoot. Ammo is dirt cheap but corrosive so make sure you clean after each outing. All of ours shoot under 2 moa, the sniper shoots around 1 moa. This is quite impressive with the surplus ammo that gets fed thru them. We shoot 500yds with them as well with the 3.5x PU scope. There are many tutorials available on maintaining and accurizing a mosin, the gun is so simple to work with!

oh yea they're LOUD and make black marks on range walls. A mosin is a mans rifle! as a first rifle it will teach you 1) firearms history 2) proper gun maintenance 3) basics of accurizing a bolt action 4) how to open a spam can of surplus
 
Thank you guys for the bit of information, i only say replica, because the guy i talked to said it was..i havent dealt with many older weapons so i didnt know if it really had any effect, I have looked at the SKS and some AK's but in california it was slim on them and the one SKS i did shot was kind of a POS, but i know the guy doesn't take care of the thing at all, i was told though it is a good one to start with plus i liked you can find them so cheap, i dont really wanna go blow abunch of money on something and not like it, figure if i spend 70 to 100 bucks on something and i dont care for it im not to set back, but again thank you all for the input, i got into shooting sometime ago just havent been able to make up my mind on a rifle, and my pistols arent as much fun anymore.
 
And im def not against lookin at autoloaders...just i have always loved bolt guns,and it seemed to be a cheap one to start with.
 
If you want something exciting, enter the world of surplus firearms! Enough for you to play around with for the next couple years! If you like accuracy research a bit into finnish m39, swede m96, swiss k31....they are quality firearms not the cheap stuff on the rack today
 
if you like bolt guns there is plenty entry level rifles that dont cost all that much like the savage axis believe marlin has a reasonable priced bolt also either one would be alot better than a mosin.
really depends on what your going to be doing with the rifle mosins accuracy can be hit or miss depending on condition, and they often shoot a little high with there open sights, plus the safety isnt very easy to use, but many like them.
 
Mosins are most definitely not replicas and if it was made before 1945 most are except m44 carbines it most definitely saw action as well there great guns for the money a m38 carbine was the first firearm I ever owned 80 dollars well spent I have five of them now :D be careful its a easy bug to catch I've also caught Mauser fever and Lee Enfield fever Its a helluva bug two catch:p
 
If this is truly your first rifle and you are looking to learn the basics I would stick to a .22. I know you were thinking the Mosin, I too bought a Mosin first. I ended up buying a Savage Mark II (bolt action .22). Allthough the surplus rounds for the Mosin are cheap, the .22 is cheaper and easier to find. It is great to be able to spend $20 for 500+ rounds of practice ammo.

If you do decide on the Mosin it too is a great gun for what it is. Lots of fun to shoot and practice with. Get good enough with it and I would say you can bring down just about anything in North America. If you go with the MN be sure to check out http://7.62x54r.net/ as they have TONS of great info on the MN.

Have fun with whatever you decide on.
 
For your first rifle, run out and get yourself a Ruger 10/22. The rifle is inexpensive, Ammo is inexpensive and you'll learn a lot about shooting with that rifle with very little up front cost.
 
I started with military surplus rifles. I figured that they were designed for simplicity, reliability and (some) accuracy.
Mosin Nagants are nice rifles to start with. SKS are the semi-auto equivalent. Large ring Mausers are very solid as well, and 8mm ammo isn't that pricey. Neither cartridge is going to kick you into next week either.

Also, keep your eyes out for a cheap .22. I like bolt actions, but semis are okay for practice as well.

Welcome to the firing line (literally and cybernetically speaking)
 
I would get myself a modest 22 rifle to start with. The classic Marlin Model 60 (semi-auto) is hard to beat. The CZ 22's are quite good but will cost a bit The Savage Mark II is also quite good overall and they have some pretty inexpensive models.

The Mosin's are okay if you don't mind some pretty stout recoil. As said, the available ones are not replicas. I could see shooting one for grins now and then, but not a regular diet or as a first choice.

A rifle in 223 would be hard to beat if you want a centerfire. I like the CZ 527, but it isn't real inexpensive, but will last you a lifetime.
 
Again thank you all for help it made me think some but i ended up giving up and buying a Mosin as well as one of the Ruger 10/22's hah so now if i get bored of one or short on money for the more expensive ammo i got something else to go and practice with...thank you all for the helpful words of advise
 
Sounds like you made a good decision.

My Son just purchased his first gun. I too suggested a 22 but having shot 22s since he was 10 (He is 21 now) and graduated to my M1A and Garand and K31 he wanted a center fire. He chose a very clean Mosin 91/30...
 
stay simple,keeps it easy to locate ammo.308 win fills most bills and keeps it easy on the user. dont limit yourself alot in the field but also doesnt handicap you on the other end of the spectrum. from 3 yards to 300 yards you'll have it covered. the nagent doesnt offer much more that a good bolt 30/30 in real world and ammo for it can be difficult. plus most military stuff has seen hard times in the fields of battle and hunting. good luck with what ever your choice is.:confused:
 
Congratulations! Sounds like you made an excellent choice for yourself. Post some targets when you get an opportunity.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top