Mutiple questions Please bear with me :)

[Krusher]

Hey Calguners.

I am currently looking at the Big 5 Ad from this weekend..

one item caught my eye and seems it could fit my budget..

Advertised as so.
Collectible Vintage Rifle
(First question) due to age, would this be a item I can walk out of the store with or is there the 10 day wait?. Also No dros??


M44 Russian Bolt-Action Rifle
Side-Folding Bayonet

7.62 x 54R Caliber
(mini 30 If my freind is correct)

Arsenal Refinished
(this Their term?? Or Is there a standard for this type of refinishing?.. anyone buy from big 5 of other claiming this refinishing?)


This deal ends on the 6th,
but I dont wanna miss out if its a good deal!!

79.99

INPUT PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tell me im nuts whatever is on yer mind reguarding this deal..
or last there of.

I tried to find a copy of the ad
I can not locate one other than the paper in my hand...

http://calguns.net/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_confused.gif

[jmlivingston]

The "deal" may end on the 6th, but they run it about once a month it seems, so it will come back around. At least it has for the last two years since I bought mine at that same price. http://calguns.net/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif The 7.62x54r is NOT the same as the mini-30 which is 7.62x39r. Same diameter, but that's about it. 7.62x54r is similiar in ballistics to .308 or .30-06.

Arsenal Refinished is a common term seen around the Military Surplus firearms seen. Usually, as in this case, the government of the nation where these originated from had them kept in long-term storage for any future need. Before they were moved to storage they were sent to an arsenal where they were cleaned up, repaired, checked out, and packed in cosmoline. Most of the recent Mosin-Nagants imports went through this "refurbishment" process back in the 1970's, back when we and the USSR were tied up in our Cold War.

These Mosin's area pretty nice carbines/rifles, there's a whole family of them going all the way back to the M91 model (from 1891 when production began). Besides the Russian/USSR manufactured rifles, some Mosin's come from Finland, Austria, France, Poland, Romania, China, Hungary, and even the good ol' US of A. Lot's of history, some models and years are more collectable than others, and some markings more desirable as well. There's some great resources out there on the net if you're interested, some of them are:

www.russian-mosin-nagant.com (http://www.russian-mosin-nagant.com)

www.7.62x54r.net (http://www.7.62x54r.net)

www.milsurpshooter.net (http://www.milsurpshooter.net)

http://www.mosin-nagant.net/

http://www.surplusrifle.com/

And I know there's more that I'm missing. Definately buy one, at the price they are hard to beat. Keep you eyes open, if Big 5 doesn't have one you like in stock just wait a week or visit a different store. Take your time, make sure you check the barrel and the wood looks fine. These are WWII surplus and many saw hard usage. Big 5 usually honors their sale prices if you just ask. And no, unfortunately they are not cash-n-carry when you buy from an FFL.

John

[imported_EOD Guy]

One addition to answer one of your questions.

The 10 day wait still applies unless you have a curio and relics FFL and also a certificate of eligibility from the Cal DOJ.

[-hanko]

Good questions...

Dros and wait; I assume you don't have an 03ffl with COE.

Your friend's info couldn't be more wrong.

Like a Makarov, it's not pretty, but it goes bang every time. Price alone dictates you need one (or more). Nice to keep in the trunk. A side benefit is that they shoot heavy bullets & ammo is unbelievably cheap.

You can assume all available military ammo is corrosive, so run a few patches lightly soaked in Windex down the bore asap when you're done shooting. Follow with a few soaked with your favorite bore cleaner, and then a couple with clp or equivalent. Same with the bolt face.

-hanko

Originally posted by jmlivingston:
The 7.62x54r is NOT the same as the mini-30 which is 7.62x39r.

John

7.62x39 is not an "R" cartridge, as the 7.62x54R is. The R stands for "rimmed," (not Russian, as some folks think.) The 54-millimeter case is rimmed, while the 39-millimeter one is not.

[jmlivingston]

Learn something new everyday. I knew the "rimmed" vs "Russian" thing, though Lyman's 48th ed. and Lee's 2nd ed. reloading manuals incorrectly refers to both rounds as "Russian". I did not know that the 7.62x39 was an unrimmed cartridge, but either way my point still stands that the 7.62x54r was not the same round as the mini-30 uses.

Thanks for pointing out my error on the "r" of the 7.62x39 round.

John

[ivanimal]

reloading manuals incorrectly refers to both rounds as "Russian".


They are correct that they are Russian. The "R" still stands for rimmed as in the 6.5x51R Arisaka or the 9.3x53R Finnish. They usually use a country of origin or a wildcatters name/nickname in the title. 7-30 Watters 219 Zipper.........American inventors did not use the "R" designation 30-30 Winchester, 45/70 Government....all rimmed cases. Confused yet?

here is a link to a list of all rimmed cartriges that had some degree of popularity.

The Moisin for 80 bucks is a good deal. Just make sure you clean it well if you use old ammo.

This link may be helpful. http://www.russian-mosin-nagant.com/index.html

[DRH]

When you go to buy one, take a bore light to examine the bore. Some rifles have nice bright bores and others have dark fuzzy bores with pitting. Also pick one where the bolt serial number matches the receiver serial number. This help on getting a rifle with the correct headspace. Big 5 will usually let you examine a few guns to hand pick. good luck.

[delloro]

the above posts are correct.

the MNs are durable, inexpensive, and FUN.

but there is much to learn. bore condition is the big variable with these. everything else follows, unless you are a collector.

almost every person I have dealt with at Big 5 has been GREAT and they will let you look at several rifles to pick. take somebody along who knows a little about these and you can make a better choice.

no hurry, they are a regular sale item.

[Forever-A-Soldier]

Another vote to get one of these. Do as the others advised and check them out carefully. Some will be very beat up, and others near pristine. Will cost you just about $100 out the door and you can't beat the price. I love shooting mine and recommend everyone I know get one if they are any kind of gun shooter or collector.

F.A.S. Out
(and still in the Sandbox)