gunsnammo.com

[HskrVern]

I've searched the forums a bit and have come up with nothing but good reviews on gunsnammo.com (Pat Burns). However gunboard.com forums seem to take pleasure in bashing them to no end. Accusations from price fixing to creating frankenmosins to sell attractive rifles. Has anyone here actually had a bad experience with them?

[8bitnintendo]

Frankenmosins? The website is pretty specific about when the parts match and when they don't. I bought an antique 1941 Finnish M39, Sako, with 1896 Sestroryetsk receiver and matching bolt -- product arrived and was as advertised. I don't know a whole ton about Mosins though so I can't go too into details about everything... but it is all matching, the dates are correct, the bore is nice and shiny, and it goes bang.

[HskrVern]

Frankenmosins? The website is pretty specific about when the parts match and when they don't. I bought an antique 1941 Finnish M39, Sako, with 1896 Sestroryetsk receiver and matching bolt -- product arrived and was as advertised. I don't know a whole ton about Mosins though so I can't go too into details about everything... but it is all matching, the dates are correct, the bore is nice and shiny, and it goes bang.

That is what was said, and why I am asking here. I find it unusual that only mods from one website have bad things to say. BTW nice rifle, I hope the one I dialed up looks as good!

[Alex$]

Every rifle that I recall seeing on there has photos attached with an accurate description of the it. (that I have bought and inspected)

I don't know if this was the case always, internet lore says this was the old man's shop, then his wife started selling and now the son is doing the selling.

My interactions with them have been positive, and the rifle arrived timely and in the condition described.

[Mssr. Eleganté]

Many years ago the company was called Burns Brothers (before my time in the C&R world) and apparently they pissed off a lot of people some how back then. I still see guys talking smack about Wholesale Guns and Ammo because of some bad interaction they had with them during the Burns Brothers era. Cracks like, "You'll get BURNED by Burns" etc.

When I first made the C&R scene they were one of the companies that listed corrosive ammo as non-corrosive, and they got kind of pissy if you tried to point out the mistake on their web site. So combining that with all of the negative stuff I heard from the old timers, I never bought anything from them.

But since they lost their FFL and have switched to selling antique rifles and/or selling off their personal collection I have heard nothing but good things about them.

[mosinnagantm9130]

They bought pretty much the entire supply of m39's. So price fixing is a good possibility.

I find it amazing that an m39 run $250-350 when an m27 or 28 (far less made) run about $300-400. M39's have been artificially inflated.

[Howie44]

They bought pretty much the entire supply of m39's. So price fixing is a good possibility.

I find it amazing that an m39 run $250-350 when an m27 or 28 (far less made) run about $300-400. M39's have been artificially inflated.

When the dad was alive, he had shooter grade rifles for $89. Ive never paid more than $150 for one, but I guess they are worth what you are willing to pay

[LibertyGuy]

I can only speak from my experience but I recently bought an M39 from them and it came exactly as it was described. I'm so pleased. Worth every penny

[Spiggy]

once in a while, Pat will list really nice bare actions for various mosins. Usually pretty good with the descriptions too.

[Beetle Bailey]

On gunboards, the main complaint is that gunsnammo got advertising on the forum as a sponser, and then did not pay the advertising fees. I don't know all the details but basically they cheated that forum. At least, that is info from the forum owner. I don't know the other side of the story but that is the reason gunboards does not like gunsnammo.

As for gunsnammo, they bought up all the M39's the Finns had left in inventory, so they cornered the market. I've gotten two good M39's from them for very good prices, but that was a few years ago and before the gunboards/gunsnammo riff. Service was great as well.

I highly recommend the M39 as it is a great C&R rifle, but I can't really recommend gunsnammo because I choose to believe gunboards in the dispute.

[Interloper]

But since they lost their FFL and have switched to selling antique rifles and/or selling off their personal collection I have heard nothing but good things about them.

One of the complaints is that there is no way to know if a Mosin is an antique without pulling it out of the stock. This irritates the Finn fans because many Finn rifles have been carefully shimmed and messing with the stock messes with the shims.

On gunboards, the main complaint is that gunsnammo got advertising on the forum as a sponser, and then did not pay the advertising fees.

Apparently they owe Vic and Tuco several thousand dollars.

[flying2275]

In the past I have picked up a few M39's from them. I was very happy with my purchases.

Also I have heard about the "frankenmosins". Some have said they switch stocks around. For instance swapping the stock of a late s/n rifle that is in a straight stock with a rifle in the correct s/n range. Or taking a Sako rifle with a postwar stock and a VKT with a Sako marked wartime stock and swapping them. This may for instance turn a $200 rifle into a $300 rifle because the stocks are "correct". While this may sound fine it can mess up the accuracy of the rifle. As previously said the action is shimmed to the particular stock.

It wasn't until I started looking around on gunboards.com and learning ALOT of information about Mosin Nagants did I learn that when they had there FFL they never paid up on there advertising fee's. This is the main reason why I'll never buy anything from them again and a lot of people over there won't.

[Dolk]

I have spent some time trying to find one example (with proof) that they have ever "switched stocks around" to improve the value of their rifles and haven't found one yet. I keep asking when this subject comes up, but it seems to be a rumor, because no one can tell of any "proof" this has happened. They sell "Straight stock" M39's with the serial numbers that are "out of the range" (If you buy into the serial number range theory). If they were switching stocks, why wouldn't they move that stock to a 1941 that is "in the range" so they could make more money because it would now be proper? But they don't.

This accusation started about the same time as when they "stiffed" Gunboards for some money. I don't know the entire story, but I would love to read if anyone has any proof of stock switching by gunsanammo.com. I mean "proof", not just "I heard about someone".

It's "possible" this may have happened, but show me.

Pat is the wife of the Original owner (I think) and Mother to "Bill" who is running things now (I think). They have been accused of trying to manipulate and fixing prices on M39's and that may be true. They will sell to wholesalers only if they keep the price at a certain level, I'd say that is "manipulation". That is one reason they are not liked by many resellers.

They do remove the actions to see if the rifle has a "antique" receiver so they can sell those to people who do not have a 03FFL. Removing the action from a stock is not the "end of the rifle" because it has shims. If you know what you are doing and put them back there is no damage to the accuracy of the rifle. I assume they put them back because they show up in their rifles all the time. And if you think when you get a M39 and remove the action that this is the first time it has ever been done, well no, it's not.

Maybe some of these rumors are true, I'd love to see and know "the truth". Show me.

Darryl

[finloq]

I got an 1898 Sestroryetsk rebarrelled by Sako in 1942 from them last year. The action was shimmed to the stock and the stock has a minor crack (advertised as such). By the impressions in the shims, I believe that this action has been in this stock for a long while. The rifle still had the Finnish arsenal tag (serialed to the rifle). As a plus it was full of that great Finnish black grease (and a few pine needles) between the action and the stock. To sum up, nobody switched the stock on this rifle. With the crack in the stock (again, minor) why wouldn't they switch the stock if that was their practice?
This is just one example, but most of the complaints that I have heard about them, are in relation to their business dealings, not their customer service. On the other hand, I have never heard why they lost their FFL.

[HskrVern]

I got an 1898 Sestroryetsk rebarrelled by Sako in 1942 from them last year. The action was shimmed to the stock and the stock has a minor crack (advertised as such). By the impressions in the shims, I believe that this action has been in this stock for a long while. The rifle still had the Finnish arsenal tag (serialed to the rifle). As a plus it was full of that great Finnish black grease (and a few pine needles) between the action and the stock. To sum up, nobody switched the stock on this rifle. With the crack in the stock (again, minor) why wouldn't they switch the stock if that was their practice?
This is just one example, but most of the complaints that I have heard about them, are in relation to their business dealings, not their customer service. On the other hand, I have never heard why they lost their FFL.

The question of why they lost their FFL either, heck I've tried a bunch of searches and have come up with nadda. I'd actually like to figure that out. Regardless its only about six more days 'till this is home. http://gunsnammo.com/22485X.htm