Mosin Questions

[jgianoli]

I want to purchase my first mosin and wanted to know the ins and outs of what to look for. Big 5 has them on sale and i'm planning to check out what they have and would like to know what to look for

Thanks, John

[Kinsel83]

Is this going to be a range gun or a safe queen? Do you want all matching numbers or a mix matcher? Just make sure theirs no rust on the bolt and lastly look over the rifle. Others might chime in with more info.

[McNally M.]

Bore: Shiny and strong rifle is good. Dark and little rifling is bad. Duh.

Cosmoline (Grease): The more, the better. This means the rifle was well protected from the elements during storage.

Hexagonal receiver: Pre-war production rifles. Produced from 1891 to 1938. More desirable.

Round receiver: Produced after 1938. Round receivers were cheaper to produce. Wartime production rushed these rifles into service therefore quality is not quite as good as hex receiver.

Arrow inside triangle: Arsenal stamping from the Izhevsk plant. More common as the factory was producing rifles throughout the entire war.

Arrow inside star: Arsenal stamping from the Tula plant. This factory was shut down by the advance of the Germans in 1943 so there are fewer of these around. Therefore more desirable.

Serial numbers: A rifle with matching numbers is always more desired. Some are forced matched meaning that the Russian electro-penciled different parts of the rifle to keep it matching. Lower serial numbers indicate there were among the first rifles produced during that specific year of manufacture.

Laminated stock: Nicely glazed and layered wood pattern indicates a laminated stock. These stocks insured that the wood did not expand and contract as much as regular stocks in changing climates.

Years of Production: Most common years of production are 1942 and 1943. Anything form the 1930s and before is less common.

Ex-sniper: Doubt Big 5 will have any but you can tell an ex-sniper by looking for filled or unfilled holes on the receiver wall.

These are standard things to look for. Naturally there are many more things to look for when viewing a variety of Mosin Nagants. But seeing as Big 5 has pretty standard rifles this should serve you well as a basic survival guide when deciding which one to buy. Good luck in your quest!

[biloutkast]

McNally pretty much covered it.

Check out this site. Everything you need to know about Mosins.

http://7.62x54r.net/

[mosinnagantm9130]

Bore: Shiny and strong rifle is good. Dark and little rifling is bad. Duh.

Yep. Look for a strong crown, also, counterboring is not a bad thing.

Cosmoline (Grease): The more, the better. This means the rifle was well protected from the elements during storage.

Haven't thought of it like that before, but it makes sense. Keep in mind that the shop may have cleaned some of the cosmo out of the bore.

Hexagonal receiver: Pre-war production rifles. Produced from 1891 to 1938. More desirable.

Round receiver: Produced after 1938. Round receivers were cheaper to produce. Wartime production rushed these rifles into service therefore quality is not quite as good as hex receiver.

The last hex receivers were built in 36, not 38. While wartime round receivers won't look as good as pre-war receivers, the strength of the receiver was not changed from pre-war receivers.
Arrow inside triangle: Arsenal stamping from the Izhevsk plant. More common as the factory was producing rifles throughout the entire war.

Arrow inside star: Arsenal stamping from the Tula plant. This factory was shut down by the advance of the Germans in 1943 so there are fewer of these around. Therefore more desirable.

Any wartime Tula is harder to find than an Izhevsk. Pre-war, it's about the same. Also, 1941 is the rarest Tula year, not 1943

Serial numbers: A rifle with matching numbers is always more desired. Some are forced matched meaning that the Russian electro-penciled different parts of the rifle to keep it matching. Lower serial numbers indicate there were among the first rifles produced during that specific year of manufacture.

99% refurbs are force matching, even if they are stamped matching. Original matching would be from the factory when it was made, not the refurb facility.

Laminated stock: Nicely glazed and layered wood pattern indicates a laminated stock. These stocks insured that the wood did not expand and contract as much as regular stocks in changing climates.

Laminates are also harder to find than hardwood stocks

Years of Production: Most common years of production are 1942 and 1943. Anything form the 1930s and before is less common.

Ex-sniper: Doubt Big 5 will have any but you can tell an ex-sniper by looking for filled or unfilled holes on the receiver wall.

These are standard things to look for. Naturally there are many more things to look for when viewing a variety of Mosin Nagants. But seeing as Big 5 has pretty standard rifles this should serve you well as a basic survival guide when deciding which one to buy. Good luck in your quest!

Responses in bold. On the whole McNally did pretty good basic explanation.

Hope you find a good one OP!

[McNally M.]

Thanks for correcting and adding to my post mosinnagantm9130. I knew I confused some things and was hoping someone could fix my errors for the benefit of giving jgianoli the most accurate information.

[DennisCA]

I want to purchase my first mosin and wanted to know the ins and outs of what to look for. Big 5 has them on sale and i'm planning to check out what they have and would like to know what to look for

Thanks, John

Big 5 is fair place to start, don't expect a lot from. If you want one just to start out, then go to BIG 5. However you should be applying for C&R lic.
It opens up more places to look at. If you want a laminate, Classic Arms has some, I got one from them a while back it was a good one. Check the other on-line stores as well.

[jgianoli]

Thank you all for pointing me in the right direction. I learned alot.

[6mmintl]

Bring a cleaning rod, patches, bore light.

Pick one that is not counterbored, and has the sharpest rifleing at the throat/chamber end and muzzle.