Hey guys im going to look into buying my first Mosin this week. I have been on a few sights but its overwhelming of what to look for. I know what to look for in a used rifle but as for things to look for or look out for as far as Mosins go?
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First Mosin
- Thread starter Cluster F
- Start date
At the low point you will find 1943 ishavek rifles that has been refurbed after the war. Find one that does not have a dinged up crown and matching numbers with no line outs IMO. Most are pretty similar right now at that price point unless you do some research on the stampings some can have from Finn capture, defense ministry, etc, etc. You will find a significant difference I the machining of the reciever on 43 and later rifles as compared to earlier rifles. Desperation at that point in the war led to finishing shortcuts.
Someone more versed than me will be along to give some better advice I am sure.
Someone more versed than me will be along to give some better advice I am sure.
I just refinished a 1931 M91/30 and shot it for the first time today. AWESOME! It's a hex receiver that was (according to the stamping) used in WWII and then again by the Ministry of Defense.
This is a great site with days worth of reading. http://7.62x54r.net/
Be prepared to clean it for a couple days at least. You really need to heat it up a bit to get all the cosmo out. There is a plethora of youtube vids on the Mosin.
This is a great site with days worth of reading. http://7.62x54r.net/
Be prepared to clean it for a couple days at least. You really need to heat it up a bit to get all the cosmo out. There is a plethora of youtube vids on the Mosin.
For my first one, I just picked one off the rack that had the nicest looking wood, didn't have any rust, and had all of the numbers matching, including the bayonet. For $100, you really can't go wrong. You'll want to make sure that you get the accessories, but especially the tool that lets you check the firing pin depth.
I was able to go back a couple of weeks later and really dig through the rack and find a much nicer, pre-WWII model, with a hex receiver. The finish on both the wood and steel are much better, but it shoots exactly the same (very well).
One thing I would watch for is how subtely they did the dot-matrix etching of the US import information. On mine they are lettered fairly small and near the end of the barrels, but I have seen others that are pretty sloppy and done right on top of the receiver.
Good luck. At the price range these are currently going for, you really can't go wrong as long as you can pick your own rifle out of a batch.
I was able to go back a couple of weeks later and really dig through the rack and find a much nicer, pre-WWII model, with a hex receiver. The finish on both the wood and steel are much better, but it shoots exactly the same (very well).
One thing I would watch for is how subtely they did the dot-matrix etching of the US import information. On mine they are lettered fairly small and near the end of the barrels, but I have seen others that are pretty sloppy and done right on top of the receiver.
Good luck. At the price range these are currently going for, you really can't go wrong as long as you can pick your own rifle out of a batch.
