Mosin Nagant purchase question

[Tacit Blue]

I am considering buying a 91/30 rifle, I'm looking for a mid range quality one; not so much the 89$ Big 5 Mosin my brother got. I was wondering what the differences between a ' Hex' and ' round' receiver.

My brothers Mosin seemed to function well, I believe his is a 1934 Tula. Some of the issues he had were the trigger had alot of play, wasn't very crisp and the bolt would get stuck after the rifle was heated up. I heard some of the fixes were ' polishing' the receiver area where the bolt rests.


Any ideas where to buy them locally so I can take a look? I'm looking for a all matching rifle.

I live in the San Diego area.

[Rhythm of Life]

Sounds like he didn't clean the gun, and if you go to Big 5 you can usually take a look at several rifles and they won't all be the same.

[AK all day]

A 1934 Tula is a pretty nice find, but all of the triggers pretty much suck. The bolt only sticks if you do not properly clean out the cosmoline out of the rifle. Good luck!

[CSACANNONEER]

You can find rare guns mixed in with Big 5's stock. I won't say that it's common but, it can and does happen. I knew someone who went to about 25 big 5s and found one SS maked K98 about 10-15 years ago. So, don't knock their Mosins. They get them by the case and just ship them to the individual stores. I picked up "a few" Mosins from Big 5 and, have since, sold them all for a profit. Personally, I'm done with them and don't want another Mosin in my safes.

[Tacit Blue]

You can find rare guns mixed in with Big 5's stock. I won't say that it's common but, it can and does happen. I knew someone who went to about 25 big 5s and found one SS maked K98 about 10-15 years ago. So, don't knock their Mosins. They get them by the case and just ship them to the individual stores. I picked up "a few" Mosins from Big 5 and, have since, sold them all for a profit. Personally, I'm done with them and don't want another Mosin in my safes.

Well, you seem to be knowledgeable about them. Is there anything I should look for when inspecting them? I heard the obvious ones are head space, bore wear and matching parts if possible. I know that Russian sign for arsenal refinish is that square with a diagonal line through it. I'm still trying to decide on a Mosin or a Mauser 98K. Hmm... I know that the 98k is built better, and more accurate. But the problem arises in the 8mm ammo which isn't as cheap as the 762x54R.

[CSACANNONEER]

???? Both rounds cost about the same whether it be surplus, commercial or components to reload. If you want the best current investment in surplus rifles, get a couple Swiss rifles. Both of us already missed the $79/rifle deals of a few years ago. I was really uneducated about them and passed on more than a few. Anyway, the K31s have dried up for importers and the US market is about to reflect that fact. But, IMHO, if you don't want the best shooting surplus rifle around, a Mauser or an 03A3 would be great choices for investment and shooting.

I've given up on Mosins. I never got one to shoot as well I felt they should. If you really want one, either look for a rare or less common variant (this will take research and learning) or look for a good looking shooting. Obviously, look for matching numbers if you can find them. Forced matching bolt and receiver is the bare minimum for a shooter. Try not to buy a counterbored rifle.

[Tacit Blue]

???? Both rounds cost about the same whether it be surplus, commercial or components to reload. If you want the best current investment in surplus rifles, get a couple Swiss rifles. Both of us already missed the $79/rifle deals of a few years ago. I was really uneducated about them and passed on more than a few. Anyway, the K31s have dried up for importers and the US market is about to reflect that fact. But, IMHO, if you don't want the best shooting surplus rifle around, a Mauser or an 03A3 would be great choices for investment and shooting.

I've given up on Mosins. I never got one to shoot as well I felt they should. If you really want one, either look for a rare or less common variant (this will take research and learning) or look for a good looking shooting. Obviously, look for matching numbers if you can find them. Forced matching bolt and receiver is the bare minimum for a shooter. Try not to buy a counterbored rifle.

Wow. I think your right about the K31's, I like how the bolt operate rearward and forward. To me that is badazz, I haven't really seen a design like that. I'm used to the Mauser design, which is the modernized standard nowadays When you say "forced match", I guess the way I understand it, is those are new parts not original to the rifle?

[CSACANNONEER]

Force matched is done by crossing out the original number on a part and remarking it with the same number as the number on the receiver. This is done at an arsenal when reconditioning large quantities of firearms.

If you ever want a Swiss rifle, get one now. There were millions of Mosins built and they will probably be importing them for the forseeable future. That will keep the price down and new or currently rare variations may show up in quantity. This will not happen with Swiss rifles.

[RED VASQUEZ]

Mosin Nagants are a good inexpensive way to go out and have some shooting fun. They're made to get beat up, that's why they're not as precise as other rifles of their era (Finn m39s are the exception?). Sloppy triggers and sticky bolts seem to be commonplace. I think everyone should own at least one. Don't rule out big 5 yet, if you catch them on the right day they might have some pretty sweet 91/30s there.

[mosinnagantm9130]

If it's a refurb, (which all the big 5 rifles are) it's force matching 99.9999% of the time. Counterboring does not matter, it actually essentially gives a rifle a new crown. Just make sure the bore has good lands and grooves, and a good crown if the rifle hasn't been counterbored.

The "hex" receiver is the older receiver style, used pre-1937. The "round" receiver is the newer design, used from mid-1936 onward. There is no difference in the strength of the receivers.

Sticky bolt can be fixed by cleaning all the crap out of the receiver.

[lrj812]

I've been very happy with my Finnish Mosin Nagant M39. 1942 VKT with matching numbers. Better trigger, barrel, more consistent accuracy than the Russian. Sako and Tikka versions are also out there. Arguably the second most accurate vintage WWll era rifle, hard to beat a K31. They produced a little over 100,000 of these fine M39s so they aren't as common. The history on how the Finns took the enemies rifle made it better and used it very effectively against the Red Army makes the gun more special.

[Ar_Glock_Man]

i have a 1927 iz and a 1937 tula the iz is hex and tula is round. quality of the tula is in better condition yet its 10yrs newer and the hex looks like its built with effort and quality just that it was not well taken compare to the 37'

[paul0660]

Sticky bolt can be fixed by cleaning all the crap out of the receiver.

Some just stick, and none of the stock triggers are good, but can be fired accurately with practice.