mosin nagant 91/30 questions

[the_t0ny]

today i was at big 5 checking out the mosin nagant 91/30 they had there. it was on sale for $99 and had a round receiver and regular, non laminated stock. the serial numbers all matched, i asked to have the bolt taken out and rifling looked decent. the guy helping me at the counter is a friend of a good friend of mine and he told me this one was one of the more decent ones that hes seen in the past few weeks. he told me the sale was good til the end of the year. i wanted to check a few other local big 5s and see what else they had, so my question is, what else should i be looking for in a good 91/30? and i also asked about the m44s, but they didnt have any.
thanks in advance for the help.

[mosinnagantm9130]

http://7.62x54r.net

^^More than you'll ever need to know about all types of mosins^^

And 91/30's: http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinM9130S.htm

[Palimino Stripe]

Ahhhh... I remember looking for my first Mosin 91/30 (which was also my first milsurp). I went to no less than THREE big 5's (in Bakersfield) looking at the ones they had....

There's many different things you can look for; Rarity in terms of: markings, oddities, serial numbers, years, aresenals, 'pretty' stocks, etc...

BUT IN THE END- Just pick one that 'speaks to you.'

That's what I did- the third and last Big 5 I visited that night oh-so-many-years-ago had one that just whispered my name...

It was a 1943 Izhevsk with absolutely nothing out-of-the-ordinary about it. (Infact what I got is representitive of the 2nd most common Mosin you can find [the first being a 1942 Izhevsk]).

But I still have it to this day- and despite the fact that I don't think I could sell it for more than $90- It is priceless to me...

If you want a slightly more generic answer: Look for the following:

Good rifling
Smoothness of bolt (work it a few times)
Inspect all parts (without complete disassembly)

Finally ask yourself: "do I like it?"

That's about it.

-Palimino

[SFgiants105]

Plus make sure it's not rusted. I know that the people that sell to big 5 store it in grease, so it should be fine.

For ammo prices, I would take the mosin (and i did), but my friend has a k98, and if you can find one, the action is way smoother and the bullet has a little more punch.

[Anchors]

Plus make sure it's not rusted. I know that the people that sell to big 5 store it in grease, so it should be fine.

For ammo prices, I would take the mosin (and i did), but my friend has a k98, and if you can find one, the action is way smoother and the bullet has a little more punch.

[the_t0ny]

ok thanks for the info. what do i need to look for to see if theres counterboring?
and im not looking for anything too nice or anything in particular, just one that i can take to the range and shoot with.

[Anchors]

ok thanks for the info. what do i need to look for to see if theres counterboring?
and im not looking for anything too nice or anything in particular, just one that i can take to the range and shoot with.

For a shooter, I don't think counterboring is terrible. It fixed a damaged crown or removed the last few inches of damaged rifling.
Stick a bullet in the end of it and if it swallows the bullet and casing it's counterbored.
Doesn't mean it can't be a great shooter though.

[laika]

For the price, you can't go wrong. Listen to anyone here talk about their "first Mosin" and they love that rifle! I hope you buy it and enjoy it as much as I love my first m/n (a big 5 special, I have others but it ends up at the range most of the time!). Keep us up to date.

[hybridatsun350]

For a shooter, I don't think counterboring is terrible. It fixed a damaged crown or removed the last few inches of damaged rifling.
Stick a bullet in the end of it and if it swallows the bullet and casing it's counterbored.
Doesn't mean it can't be a great shooter though.

Counterbored rifles usually shoot better than their non-counterbored brethren. The counterboring is done to basically give the barrel a new crown, and the crown is where your accuracy (or inaccuracy) comes from on these rifles.

[Eddie1965]

I picked my first M/N from Big 5 as well, a M38 when they still had them, the manager at the local Big 5 brought 3 out I picked the nicest one. Many rounds and bruised shoulders later, it's one of my favorite rifles to shoot.

[the_t0ny]

Counterbored rifles usually shoot better than their non-counterbored brethren. The counterboring is done to basically give the barrel a new crown, and the crown is where your accuracy (or inaccuracy) comes from on these rifles.

ok thanks, im buying it to take out to the desert and range to shoot it, i just wanted to make sure on the couinterboring part. im going to have to wait a few weeks before ill pick mine up now, just to stay safe on the budget side.

[laika]

My 2nd m/n was not counterbored which I thought was a plus until I shot it. Nice gun but not as tight as my counterbored '40 Tula. Just my two cents.

[johnthomas]

My 2nd m/n was not counterbored which I thought was a plus until I shot it. Nice gun but not as tight as my counterbored '40 Tula. Just my two cents.

Take a look at this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OorpZlG28fI

[Mojaveman]

I looked at a handful of Mosins at several Big 5 stores here and chose a '42 Izhevsk because it had a perfect bore. The condition of the barrel is important to me because I like to shoot my babies. I did a nice job on the stock and I am going to polish the rough receiver and reblue it. I also blued the bolt so that it will not rust and so it will match the rest of the rifle.

Nostrovia!

[semperfidelis354]

Just bought mine last night, I believe it's a Tula (if I'm correct in thinking the star stamped in the reciever is tula's symbol) 1943. I was torn between that one and a 1933 with a hex reciever, the tula won out in the end, but the battle left my brain scarred cause I wanted both.