Another question about Hex vs. Round Mosin

[Fishslayer]

Buying sight unseen I'd roll the dice & go for the hex. Might get something special.

[kouye]

I haven't seen any difference in quality of early (1922) to late (1943) 91/30's. I have seen more machining marks left on Izzy rifles vs. Tula.

All shoot the same, unless one has a better bore, the receiver doesn't matter in that case.

Hex's look nicer in my opinion.

Anything earlier than 1941 will likely have solder under the rear sight base which makes it harder to remove (even just the pins) than later ones. My 1943 pins popped right out with a small hammer and a punch.

If you really want a shooter, spend a bit more and find a Finn. My Finn 91/30 shoots better than my Finn M39 which shoots better than any of my Russian 91/30's by far.

[eightmd]

Thanks for the info. I'm getting one of each I think.

NOTABIKER, The going price now from the mail-order places is not $90 but $99.95. Looks like they went up $10 in the last couple of months. AND STOP SHOUTING. Contrary to what my wife thinks, I can hear just fine.

I really want a shooter but I am a collector also...

[Cowboy T]

For a shooter, the main things are quality of the bore and crown. In any old milsurp, I prefer to hand-inspect it myself. Those deals at Big 5 are hard to beat in California.

For a collector Russian, go for a hex receiver, either Ishevsk or Tula (both are very good). For a shooter Russian, either hex or round is just fine. Again, the big deals are the bore and crown; make sure those are in order, and don't forget to do the "308 test" as part of your selection process.

[paul0660]

I haven't seen any difference in quality of early (1922) to late (1943) 91/30's.

............I can only say I have seen a difference which was obvious to others as well.

[Safonator]

Again, the big deals are the bore and crown; make sure those are in order, and don't forget to do the "308 test" as part of your selection process.

I've been reading this thread as i think I am going to purchase a mosi soon. Good info to know. Not trying to hijack the thread, but what is the "308" test?

[vonbauernfeind]

I've been reading this thread as i think I am going to purchase a mosi soon. Good info to know. Not trying to hijack the thread, but what is the "308" test?

I don't know for sure, but if it's slugging it to see the bore size, isn't that a bit excessive to do before buying?

Anyway, there's a treasure trove of info on Nagants and buying them online. Check youtube, as well as http://7.62x54r.net for some good information.

[eightmd]

The .308 test is taking a 30 cal. bullet (which should be .308" in diameter) and seeing how far it goes down the front of the barrel. This measures how much the rifling is worn down. You should measure the bullet to actually see it's diameter because some 30 cal are a few hundreds difference.

However, don't the Mosins have a .311 or .312 bore?? Maybe that is from wearing down? I have heard people saying they can shoot .308 out of a Mosin.