Hey Mike! Welcome to the forum, to start off.
I too started off with a Mosin-Nagant. First off... In looking to buy one, browse around any Big 5 sporting goods stores (if you have any in your area), they usually have sales on them for ~90.00. can't really beat that, unless you do a lot of browsing on gunbroker.com. I picked up a Mosin-Nagant 91/30, Tula star, hex reciever, laminate stock gun (kind of rare) for 75.00. Also, gun shops generally aren't too stingy on prices for these, since they're so common. If you buy one, try to keep the price around 75-175 dollars.
This is a good site that'll tell you everything you could want to know about them.
http://7.62X54r.net.
In looking at rareness/quality, there are two prominent Soviet factories that made them. Izhevsk (sometimes called "izzies") and Tula (which are a little more rare, but generally identical). A hex receiver gun is different than the real common rifles, since its receiver has a octagonal shape to it, and it's generally more desireable (some people say its stronger, but I've never heard of a round receiver breaking) but they function just the same (and all the parts are still interchangeable)
Laminate stocks look different than normal stocks, usually by the "wrist bolt" in them, to keep the laminate from splitting apart from enormous volumes of ammunition. (never seen one break, though.) Plus, laminate stocks look different, since they are a bunch of thin wood pieces sandwiched together in a resin. They might have a little bit of a price bump, but purely for aesthetic value, really. I'll post a pic of mine.
Matching numbers mean all of the pieces, like the receiver, bolt, magazine, floorplate, all have the same number stamped on them. Millions of these rifles were made, and companies like Century import them and rearsenal them and gobbledy-gook them together from all sorts of different Mosin-Nagants. It really doesn't matter unless you plan on collecting it, it'll shoot just the same
and I don't think it really commands a price difference either.
inexpensive to buy, inexpensive to shoot, strong enough to take down a deer, built tough etc.
+1 as well. They can take a real beating, and they'll give you one too if you don't hold 'em right
I would know....
Is this a good gun for someone just getting started?
I think so- it's what I started with. If you pick up surplus ammo, you can get a LOT of it for pretty cheap. Plus, the recoil makes you appreciate its power as a firearm, unlike, say a .22. (Just my opinion)
The only trouble with mosin-nagants is when you get it- clean the S*** out of it, to get out all the cosmoline, or the bolt'll be sticky after you fire a round. No big deal though.
another problem is- it's a "gateway" firearm... it generally leads to other, more serious/expensive firearms...
(see pic)
The bottom 91/30 is the hex receiver (which you can't really see) and has the laminate stock with the wrist bolt behind the trigger guard. The middle one started out as a run of the mill 91/30, and I put the scope and stuff on it. The top one is an M44 that i got bored with, and put a bipod on it and sanded down and clearcoated. It's my least favorite, but the one i most shoot
When checking one out at the store, look down the barrel with the bolt out, and see if the rifling is good- it should be pretty shiny; if its real dull and smoky, look for another one. They're so common, you can be kind of picky with them. Also, check to see if it's been counterbored. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just means the gun's had a zillion rounds through it. Type in "counterboring a rifle" into google and you'll see what I mean.
And you should have no problem taking a deer with it. I've heard of them being used on elk with excellent results, as well. They're generally the same chamber pressure as a .30-06 Springfield, and same bullet weight.
I'm a huge fan of these guns, and if you're looking into getting one, i'm all for it. just when you first fire it- don't use a death grip on it- it'll kick ya a lot harder than holding it a little slack.
Hopefully this is helpful. Sorry about the 30-page post, i'm in a Mosin-Nagant kind of mood tonight.
*EDIT* Oh, and I forgot to add- If you wanna get a real fancy one, look at the Finnish ones- they're highly regarded.
