Diamond in the rough T-53

[NOTABIKER]

I have a 1955 Romanian M-44 that is just about my best all around mosin. so a while back i decided to pick up one of the cheep T-53s . a local calguner said he had 2 still in the box. i could take my pick. the wood is far from beautiful, but no cracks ir chunks missing. the metal is very good and so is the bore. the reason for this post is i just got back from shooting it for about the 5th time .I also shot my Finn 1944 SAKO M-39. side by side shooting them i am very impressed with the 150 dollar T-53. the trigger is the best trigger i have ever felt in a mosin. at least as good as the M-39. and the bolt is also very light to operate. it shoots about 5 inches high at 50 yards. it has never jammed or failed to fire . i was going to give it to a friend as a shooting gift but their is no way i am letting this 150 dollar T-53 go.

Has anyone out their had a similar experience with one of these T-53s. i am not BS ing about the trigger. it is crisp and light with very little slack. it was in cosmo so nobody messed with it before i got it.

[Armistice]

I got to pick my T53 out from a lot of 5 from my LGS. After more cosmo removal, I did some very light sanding of the stock and threw on some MinWax

After some range time, I was very disappointed. The bolt was super hard to open to extract. I had to smash it open. I was almost going to just sell it only having fired 5 rnds though it and hating it

After some talking to my LGS guy, he mentioned to try some light filing as it could be the problem

Took it to the range and started to lightly file the contacting surfaces and the problem slowly got better and smoother until it was darn near perfect (most of the problem was a burr scraping the casing upon ejection so used my half round file at 6 o'clock to 9 o'clock of the battery bore). I continued to shoot another 60 rnds through it that day and loved it and now wouldn't consider selling it

[AmoAgave]

I haven't fired mine yet ($110 at LGS) but it has the best trigger I've ever felt on a Mosin. Metal was all in excellent shape. Stock is terrible. Sounds pretty standard on these.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

I wish I could like T53's. Lots of happy owners out there and they sure are a bargain. If I ever saw one with a nice stock and matching numbers, I'd consider it, but all of them I've seen look like they were set on fire and extinguished with battery acid.

[NOTABIKER]

UGLY

I confess i sanded and stained my 150 dollar [ i know i over paid for it ]
T-53. it is still ugly because i did not want to sand it to much. i just sanded it so it is kinda ugly. sure is a sweet shooter though. i had a knock out beautiful laminated russian M-44 last year that was as nice as you will ever find but it was a ***** at the range. i had to slap her around a lot. this was before you could find them on sale. i sold it for 400 and that was a good price then. i thought i wanted a Russian M-44 but after getting it i felt my Romanian M-44 was a much better rifle to shoot. it will spank the plate at 100 yards all day with my less than good shooting eyes.

[lasbrg]

I wish I could like T53's. Lots of happy owners out there and they sure are a bargain. If I ever saw one with a nice stock and matching numbers, I'd consider it, but all of them I've seen look like they were set on fire and extinguished with battery acid.

Here's a nice one:



It might soon be available too!

(Come to think of it, this really looks more like an M44.)

[89 Vision]

I've acquired a handful of T53's over the years. All very smooth actions/triggers. Excellent little carbines, and a ton of fun to shoot. These were hard to come by for a good number of years. They will go extinct again at some point, when they do, that will be the last of the $100 or less surplus guns.

[NOTABIKER]

The good thing about cheap C&Rs is they are more fun to shoot and not worth enough to think about selling or trading. My Steyr carbine is like that. ton's of fun and no value.

[Dannicus]

I had good luck with a t-53. The bore on mine looked like new. No pitting or darkness with sharp lands. The bolt cycles slicker n snot, and the trigger is very light and smooth. I wouldn't call it crisp, tho. It is like a 2 stage, where the 2nd stage resistance is too close to the 1st stage.