Last year of manufacture, Mosin Nagant M44

[Kokopelli]

In addition to buying an old Mauser yesterday, I also picked up this 1948 Izhevsk M44 carbine. It was only $250 and since my LGS has 7.62X54R ammo on the shelf, I decided to spend $500 for the two rifles, plus ammo.

The bluing is beautiful and the metal work is nice and smooth. It has the standard side folding bayonet.





Import marks.



Sharp markings.



All numbers match.



Sights.





A repaired piece of the stock.



The shop had some 148 grain ammo for $18 a box and this Barnaul 174 grain target ammo. A magnet revealed that both have steel in the projectiles. All I've read about the carbine indicate that it prefers heavier projectiles. So, I went with the 174 grain Barnaul target ammo for $11.50/20.



In nine more days, I bring both rifles home.

[footdoc]

That's a nice M44 for the 2015 price. Someone must have cleaned the cosmoline off the carbine. I bet the bore is shiny and sharp.

[Kokopelli]

Yes, the rifling looks great on this one.

[rdfact]

Nice M44. They kick like a mule. I'm on the fence about which one kicks more, the M44 or the Enfield No. 5 "Jungle Carbine", using milsurp ammo in both. I haven't punished myself by taking them both to the range at the same time.

[SVT-40]

Great looking little carbine! Neat year also.

[Capybara]

You majorly scored. I sold a bunch of M44s that weren't nearly as nice as yours for double the price you paid, but this was a while ago, maybe 18 months ago.

I only have my Hungarian M44 left, which is a good shooter. I had an Enfield JC. I loved it's history and it's looks but it was unpleasant to shoot. The recoil struck me as sharper than the M44 and .303 British
was expensive and even reloading it was a bit of a pain so I sold off my Enfields.

My suggestion if you're going to shoot the M44 is to put something between your bare shoulder and the metal butt plate. Maybe a pad or towel? I've shot mine many times wearing only a t-shirt and the recoil wasn't bad but my shoulder always looked a bit purple and yellow after the end of the day. Think about it, Russian peasants who these were issued to would typically be wearing a heavy Wool coat in the Russian Winters and most of the year, not a t-shirt! The metal butt plate is unforgiving but a little bruising never hurt me much. I always liked the M44s over my 91/30s, they are just cooler and the fireballs are epic. Too bad you don't have any Russian, Bulgarian or Ukranian spam cans stashed away, 440 rounds of 7.62x54r goodness!

They aren't accurate guns but they are fun as hell to shoot!

[Kokopelli]

Wonder if the previous owner sold it because of recoil. It came with a brown Uncle Mike’s slip on recoil pad. I removed it for the pictures. But if it kicks like a mule, the recoil pad goes back on. I do reload and need to start looking out for dies, brass and projectiles.

[echo1]

Nice score at a great price. I put the hard rubber recoil pads on my M44 & M38 when they go shootin. The ones shaped for them. I keep a half dozen different type slipons in my range bag for the milsurp bolts. PAX

[loademup]

Nice find and buy OP!

I also have an Izhevsk M44 carbine built in 1948 and imported by CAI. The location of the CAI Import mark on your rifle and mine is different; the import mark on mine is on the barrel and is "CAI ST ALB VT". The serial numbered parts are matching.







I kind of think these particular last year Izhevsk M44 carbines had a very short or if at all service use before being put into storage, so pristine their condition looks. Looks like they didn't get used and abused as Cold War aid.

To give a date when some these beautiful Izhevsk M44 carbines were being imported by CAI and on the market, i purchased mine in May 1995 at a LGS that had a number of them and was selling them at the time for $108.24 each out the door.

[Kokopelli]

Originally Posted by loademup

Nice find and buy OP!

I also have an Izhevsk M44 carbine built in 1948 and imported by CAI. The location of the CAI Import mark on your rifle and mine is different; the import mark on mine is on the barrel and is "CAI ST ALB VT". The serial numbered parts are matching.







I kind of think these particular last year Izhevsk M44 carbines had a very short or if at all service use before being put into storage, so pristine their condition looks. Looks like they didn't get used and abused as Cold War aid.

To give a date when some these beautiful Izhevsk M44 carbines were being imported by CAI and on the market, i purchased mine in May 1995 at a LGS that had a number of them and was selling them at the time for $108.24 each out the door.

That’s a beauty! Nice one, loademup! Mine didn’t come with any of those accessories. I’ll have to look for some of those at the Lancaster gun show in January.

[loademup]

The accessories are not hard to find, I think you've seen them around. If I can remember, the ammo pouch and oil bottle were in the box with the rifle. I bought the cleaning kit.

I was thinking about the difference in CAI import marks on your rifle from mine. That may indicate they were imported at different times as CAI changed different business locations. Still, they are great examples of the last of the M44s from Izhevsk. Enjoy your rifle for a long time OP!

[Kokopelli]

Originally Posted by loademup

The accessories are not hard to find, I think you've seen them around. If I can remember, the ammo pouch and oil bottle were in the box with the rifle. I bought the cleaning kit.

I was thinking about the difference in CAI import marks on your rifle from mine. That may indicate they were imported at different times as CAI changed different business locations. Still, they are great examples of the last of the M44s from Izhevsk. Enjoy your rifle for a long time OP!

Now I remember. Back in 2006, I bought a cheap 91/30 from Big5. It came with those ammo pouches, oil can and a sling. Didn't like that gun and traded it in to my FFL to get something else. It came with all those accessories. Below is the only picture I have of that Mosin.

[Flouncer]

Can one of you with the pics show a close up of the bot serial number please ? - thanks

[jarhead714]

Originally Posted by rdfact

Nice M44. They kick like a mule. I'm on the fence about which one kicks more, the M44 or the Enfield No. 5 "Jungle Carbine", using milsurp ammo in both. I haven't punished myself by taking them both to the range at the same time.

I once had the displeasure of shooting the aforementioned AND an FR8 on a single range trip. Absolutely punishing. My palm actually hurt the worst from slamming the M44 bolt up and back with an open hand.

[Capybara]

I have found that recoil, in general, is so variable, depending on the shooters body composition. I'm pretty slim and tall and I've shot several rifles and shotguns that I have seen beat up much larger guys than me and I shot them experiencing a good kick but not nearly the abuse I saw larger guys take.

I find shooting the M44 that it has a healthy kick but isn't punishing. I found my Enfields more punishing, especially the JC. Also depends a lot on standing or sitting at a bench and what I am wearing. A good jacket or coat mitigates a lot of that sharpness in the recoil impulse that most of us find unpleasant. Cheek slap too, if I don't bury my cheek in the stock, I find that much worse than a little shoulder shove.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Thrashed mixmaster M44's sell for more than that. You got a steal. Postwar M44's are often in lovely condition, and that one is no exception.

[louie]

Back when I had my C and R my sales rep would always call me when they were thinning out the herd. He called me and told me they were selling u fix em m44's for, get this, 18.87! I ordered ten, and many of them looked like your rifle!! They at times had a broken toe, or a missing action screw, but for the most part were no different than the ones for 100.00. I tried to order more after that first group came in but all sold out. Century in the early 2000's really used to sell those guns cheap. Lots of u fix ems, or dark bores for really next to nothing. Alas, those days are now gone, but it was fun while it lasted.

[BucDan]

I regret selling mine.

[ir0nclash86]

The m44 recoil is like a smooth donkey kick. It reminds me of how the garand recoils but harder. It's just a really strong nudge in your shoulder and painless. My Enfield on the other hand was stout.

[223556]

Nice clean M44! I miss my Mosin's. Had both an M44 and M38, both were great fun shooters with cheap surplus ammo. Fireballs for days.

[CptDan]

174 grain Heavy Ball in an M44 youch! I reload for mine and bring it down quite a bit and it still very accurate.