mosin nagant pointers

[MechanicWithAGlock]

ok im looking to invest in a mosin nagant and i was wondering if anyone had any info for identification marks. and info preferably with pictures on what to look out to tell

whether its worth my time or not i mean i know to check for barrel defects and stock defects but what about the other parts like bolt operation and what not?

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[Aero Denezol]

I've owned a few of these but I got rid of them because I can't shoot steel core (read: surplus) ammo at ARPC. They were a lot of fun though.

The only piece of advice I can offer is to look at many of them before buying, because the action is much smoother on some than on others.

There is a guy on YouTube who goes by Iraqveteran8888, he has some excellent (simple) tips for improving your Mosin.

 

[2ANewbie]

There is a bunch of interesting information on this rifle at:
7.62x54r.net

 

[Ironbar]

There is a bunch of interesting information on this rifle at:
7.62x54r.net

This really is THE definitive site for Mosin info. I used to be a member on their forum, but the mod there is as dictatorial as Joseph Stalin himself so I quit posting. If I'm not mistaken, it seems that the current crop of Mosin rifles on the market these days are WWII production years, which were inferior rifles compared to earlier production.

 

[trainsktg]

The war-era Mosins were not 'inferior' in quality per se, but expediencies were made to speed production. The left receiver wall was left 'high', the receiver was made round instead of hex, etc. They just aren't as elegant (if thats indeed the right word for a Mosin ) as the earlier rifles. If you get a common refurb rifle from the retail market you will almost always get a rifle that is in excellent shape.

The one thing about the Mosin, the receiver and bolt combination is one of the strongest actions available in a military .30 caliber weapon. An 1891 antique is just as good as one made 50 years later. All of Finland's current issue Mosin sniper rifles are made with pre-1917 Russian receivers, many of which are antique.

Keith

 

[darkminstrel]

The war-era Mosins were not 'inferior' in quality per se, but expediencies were made to speed production.

Yeah, I've got a '42 91/30 that looks like it was machined by drunk Scottish monkeys. Not as pretty as my '38 or '47.

 

[fry]

looks like it was machined by drunk Scottish monkeys. Not as pretty as my '38 or '47.

that was awesome, im going to get some milage out of that one. thanks.

 

[HollisOR]

If you want to avoid the work in buffing up our Mosin, get a Finnish Mosin.

 

[Ironbar]

Yeah, I've got a '42 91/30 that looks like it was machined by drunk Scottish monkeys. Not as pretty as my '38 or '47.

Exactly! This is what I meant by inferior.

 

[One-Eyed Ross]

Exactly! This is what I meant by inferior.

pretty does not equate to superior....

One thing you need to do if you get a Mosin....buy a tin of ammo....you'll be shooting it a lot....

Oh, and find one of those recoil pads that replaces the steel but plate unless you really, really like recoil. There's an old joke about using recoil to relocate a dislocated shoulder you got from the recoil in the first place...

 

[Mattiosmaximos]

I own a stock mosin and a converted mosin and they shoot differently, I use the Ammoman russian 880 round for 199.00 shipped.
AMMOMAN.com. 7.62 x 54R RUSSIAN 147 GRAIN FMJBT BALL
Look out for too much play in the bolt when it's engaged forward after cocking. This will cause the firing pin to miss fire on the round.
you can re cock it and hit it again which will work but my stock Mosin fires every time.
I can hit a 12" target open sights crouching at 400 yards with a 5" group not bad for a 100.00 gun that's made in 1940.
For the money buy 1 or 2 and a case of ammo and consider it a good back up rifle. You can check for factory marks such as a triangle to tell you where the gun was serviced.
And always check the rifling first! No use buying a used up gun.
The furniture varies and the hex shaped receivers are stronger and older designs.
Have fun!

 

[MechanicWithAGlock]

so i found one accidently stripped a spot of finish when i was removing cosmoline so stripped the entire thing sanded and put the protective coat on. (will have pictures soon) now the question becomes military surplus ammo vs reloadable brass cased ammunition.

 

[Toxic6]

so i found one accidently stripped a spot of finish when i was removing cosmoline so stripped the entire thing sanded and put the protective coat on. (will have pictures soon) now the question becomes military surplus ammo vs reloadable brass cased ammunition.

.22 cents a round for surplus....but you'll need to put some effort into cleaning since it has corrosive primers. how much is your time worth i guess, i like to use military ammo but damn if the corrosive salts don't work a lot faster in this humidity.

 

[MechanicWithAGlock]

as it stand now my time is worth very little and im already reloading 9mm and happen to enjoy reloading especially since it gives me something to do on rainy days =)

 

[ruSSrt]

Can not go wrong with mosin. You can pick it up at big 5 now for $99 on sale. It was my first rifle and I would not trade it for anything.
I have romanian carbine and trigger on it very smooth. Bolt is a little wobbly on reload, but nice and solid when loaded. I haven't shot it pass 100 yards. But at 100 with surplus ammo I hit my target every time.
You can probably find mosin in every pawn shop.

 

[Ironbar]

.22 cents a round for surplus....but you'll need to put some effort into cleaning since it has corrosive primers. how much is your time worth i guess, i like to use military ammo but damn if the corrosive salts don't work a lot faster in this humidity.

That's why whenever I shoot my Mosin, I bring a plain bottle of Windex to the range and squirt a bunch down the barrel. That neutralizes the corrosive salts, and then I clean as normal when I get home. (Wasn't that easy?!)

 

[ruSSrt]

That's why whenever I shoot my Mosin, I bring a plain bottle of Windex to the range and squirt a bunch down the barrel. That neutralizes the corrosive salts, and then I clean as normal when I get home. (Wasn't that easy?!)

I never knew that but I'll be doing it from now on.
Thank you!

 

[MechanicWithAGlock]

That's why whenever I shoot my Mosin, I bring a plain bottle of Windex to the range and squirt a bunch down the barrel. That neutralizes the corrosive salts, and then I clean as normal when I get home. (Wasn't that easy?!)

hmmm nifty if i decide to go surplus

 

[DieselScout]

All you need to clean the corrosive ammunition is water. The reason Windex and many other cleaners people swear by is it's 80-90% water. There's nothing wrong with using it, as explained below.

Here's a great explanation from another gun board I am on.

What happens when a corrosive primer is lit off:
The active ingredient in a corrosive (non mercuric) primer is potassium chlorate. (KCl3 in lab geek speak)

When you light it off, one of the potassium-chlorine bonds is broken, releasing energy. This energy is what makes the fire that lights off the powder.

What is left over is potassium chloride, it sounds sort of familiar because it's the same chemical as salt substitute for people with high sodium level in their blood.

It has a very similar makeup to table salt(sodium chloride) except that the sodium is replaced with a potassium. This potassium-chlorine molecule deposits in the bore as a salt crystal, which behaves very much like a regular table salt crystal. It absorbs water, holds it against the steel, and creates a galvanic cell.(this is the electro chem part of college chem 2 that you probably slept through, it's boring) This causes rust, just like any other piece of steel/iron/etc exposed to salt water, or any other water with dissolved stuff in it like sea water.

That said, the potassium chloride is very soluble in water (even more so in hot water), which is why the water bath is suggested to remove it. (windex is just ammonia with water and a few other items, the active ingredient here is actually the water) Pour some water over the metal coated in potassium chloride, and the salts dissolve, leaving bare metal. Dry it and run some oil over, and you're good to go.

For you guys using other "ammonia" solutions, you're really using something that is mostly water with a bit of ammonia added to it. Again, the water is the active ingredient, but the ammonia helps break up oils and such that could be covering the salts. Not a bad way to do it, but in the bore, there isn't going to be much, if any oil to break up.

 

[DieselScout]

hmmm nifty if i decide to go surplus

I have about 60 rounds of Winchester and Sellier & Bellot brass cased ammunition. It's really nice brass and I plan on reloading it as soon as I get the RCBS dies (RCBS comes with the expander button for .311 bullets, others come with the .308 expander button and the .311 is available). I plan to use the Mosin as a backup hunting rifle so I want to be able to load up some nice hunting rounds. I'll buy a bunch of surplus to shoot and have around, with proper cleaning shooting surplus is no big deal.