Shame on me: Another “what rifle?!”. Humour me!!

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Pond James Pond

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A hypothetical situation. ;)

Let’s imagine a guy who is quite new to firearms and is presently obsessing about all different sorts.
Let’s give him an identity, say “J,PJ”, and let’s say he lives in a small EU country. Let’s call it Bestonia…

Now that the stage has been set, on to the question.

This guy fancies a mid size rifle. Normally, he tries to justify a buy with a purpose for the gun, but he is starting to see this is futile and he'll probably buy stuff anyway coz he really fancies a rifle!!
Let’s also add that he will probably be getting a .22 regardless.

He only knows a little about them but hopes to shoot it, occassionally. So mostly range use of 300 max. That would be the legal limit of ranges in Bestonia.
However, he recognises that the world can be an unpredictable place and so does try to make choices that could allow for “WKWTFH” (extra points if you can work that one out), so he has chosen calibers that could go a bit further. He'll be able to reload that caliber with his turret press.

He is also sticking to the mechanically simpler bolt actions, but would not throw a semi-auto AK type out of bed for wearing socks, IYKWIM.

To make things harder, he has a budget. It is about €300-350, but hopes some sellers may be open to negotiation.
Nice as some other models might be, he is still realistic about what is a reasonable sum to spend on a, mainly, range tool, the same way that he is realistic about probably never hunting anything with it.

So let’s now put some options on the table that might be representative of the second hand market in a place such as Bestonia:


They are all used (except for the CZ), all in unknown condition and he doesn’t know what to look for in any of them, other than obvious evidence of abuse such as a 30 degree kink in the barrel.

Let's finally assume, that for some strange reason, he feels drawn to the Mosin type. This is despite knowing that ammo is more expensive and, overall, less used, meaning cases may become harder to find...
He also realises that the CZ may be limited in range, compared to the others.

So, help a guy shop around. What would you recommend?
 
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“WKWTFH” (extra points if you can work that one out)
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I'm guessing "Who knows what the (heck) happens"

As for the actual question, I am not familiar with most of those options, but I have learned a thing or three about buying used. Shine a light down the muzzle and look down the bore (keep your face at the breech end please!!) to check the condition of the bore. It should look shiny and have no apparent pitting or rust. Check the bolt to make sure it moves freely and locks down tightly when closed. If possible, give it a dry fire to see how the trigger feels, and make sure to bring it to your shoulder to make sure it is a reasonable fit for you. That is about all I have, I am sure others will chime in with more advice.
 
Baikal IZH 18 looks most interesting to me.

400euro for a Mosin of any type is pretty darn high.

I'd look for a nice bolt action target gun in .233.
 
Nice tips!! Thanks!

Having a look at the German MN should be possible. Putting those tips into practice shouldn't be too hard!!

I'm guessing "Who knows what the (heck) happens"
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A fine guess, sir!! 66.666666r% correct. The first 4 are correct, the last 2 (especially #5!) are far more innocent!!
 
Who Knows What the Future Holds?
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BINGO!!

(If you don't have Bingo in the US, it means all correct, more or less!!)

Baikal IZH 18 looks most interesting to me.

400euro for a Mosin of any type is pretty darn high.

I'd look for a nice bolt action target gun in .233.
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Those are the local prices for Mosins, I'm afraid.
There was a 6mm Karl something or other going for €650!! A Lee Enfield .303 form €450. Unlike the US, I don't think they suddenly imported hundreds of Mosins. Given their significance, they were probably trying to quietly usher them out!! In the US, they are probably unaturally cheap, given the massive influx that seems to have occurred. Not saying €400 isn't expensive, though. Having said that the pictures in the link do show a fine looking rifle...

Baikal IZH 18. Nice price for sure. However it is single shot. The LOS-4 is a 5 shot, but more more expensive...
 
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What do I win?
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My admiration; as I am usually reeeeeeally bad at working out those acronyms and initials!!

I note from your signature that you are good and wise that I should always trust you. So, what would you advise for this JPJ character?
 
OK, I'll play too. I would recommend the CZ due to it being new, being a good quality rifle, and the cost of ammo.

The Izmash LOS-4 is interesting, but a 20 year old used rifle made in the Soviet Union would make me wonder how and where I would find parts for it, if any were available or not.

Mosin-Nagants are fun, but a different class of rifle, more in the nostalgia category, IMO.

The Baikal is not a good choice, single-shot break-opens are a pain to do much shooting with.
 
I like the CZ, but it isn't about me.

What kind of shooting does this guy like to do?

Does he like to sit at a bench and try to shoot little groups or just plink?

The CZ doesn't really fit in with the others on the list. It is cool though.
 
What kind of shooting does this guy like to do?
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He doesn't know yet. Early days. Plinking... sure. However, most chances would be shooting at a range: so legally 300metres max. Prone, sitting and standing.

Could the CZ hit 300m? Not without lobbing the bullet, mortar-style, I suppose!!
 
The CZ without a doubt.

As you well know, conditions in Europe can change with the weather. I am guessing that 7.62x39 will be a relatively easy cartridge to get since "Bestonia's" big neighbor to the east used an awful lot of it for many, many years.
 
Proximity and permeability are, unfortunately, not proportional!!

Basically, despite being just a couple of hundred miles from the border, Russian made gear is surprisingly thin on the ground.

There seem to be a whole stack of IZH shotguns and rifles, but they are all second hand. No one seems to be a Baikal stockist. Similarly with ammo. Barnaul is the only brand that seems to come from the east.

Admittedly, it is also one of the cheapest. Cheaper than S&B .38Spl!!

In other words, the fact that it is a Russian cartridge and that Russia is a neighbour doesn't, unfortunately, mean that it is more available, or that Bestonia may not suffer shortages!!...
 
If you had a reliable supply for brass and bullets, the CZ is the winner. The X39 is a better cartridge handloaded than people realize.
 
You could do 300 meters with the CZ. It probably wouldn't be as fun as closer range though. Those targets get pretty small with Iron sights that far away.

If you want to shoot that far you might want to look at a scoped rifle. I'm not sure how the CZ would take a scope.

That said, I still like the CZ the best.
 
You missed the "most of the time" part,,,

But in this case I would opt for the CZ,,,
If you're only going to have one rifle,,,
It might as well be an assault style.

Aarond

.
 
Another +1 CZ in the detach mag x39 bolt. .308 while excellent and can certainly reach out there, never thought of as a "plinking" round, and not necessary for close in SD/HD. Easy for me to say, but I wouldn't worry about the 300 yd/meter part too much unless midsize game hunting really becomes predominate in the OP's mind, and those ranges actually expected for that.
 
Buy the CZ, and have it rebarreled for 6.5 Grendel. Get the best of both worlds, low recoil with .308 ballistics.

The 7.62x39 is the same boltface that the Grendel uses, the CZ custom shop can install the Grendel barrel.
 
The Karl something is more than likely a Karl Gustoff (sp?). They are usually Mod 98 Mausers in 8mm. They were highly prized in the 50's.
 
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