Price of Mosin Nagan 91/30

[puzld]

So Gander Mountain by me has some for $129, they are from around 1943 & have the round receiver, is this a decent price? Condition looks to be pretty good, the stocks are in nice shape, also comes with bayonet, sling, ammo pouch, oil can & cleaning accessories.

[blue_monday]

Thats a decent price these days, and the gander mountain mosin's i've seen are better than anywhere else. All gander mountain guns are guaranteed to fire too.
My friend bought a nagant with a bent bold and a red dot(yes, a red dot on a 91/30) mounted on the rear site( which made it stick about 3 inches higher than it should). First the thing wouldn't ignite the primers cause the firing pi wouldn't travel far enough, then the god damned bolt cracked in half. It had a nice stok, but he paid 170 bucks i think for it.

[The Swede]

PICS OR GTFO :D

[puzld]

I'll maybe post pics if I get one

:D

[virgil caine]

yeah thats a pretty good price make sure the rifle is tight and you have a good bore when you get one i have a mosin m44 with the shorter barrel and bayonett i got a few weeks ago for 100. i also used to have one of those antique m39s i sugest getting a finish version of the mosin if possible they may be a bit more expenisve but if its been reworked by them its worth it the finns are much nicer rifles.

[ilovechronic]

make sure you thoroughly examine the one you a gettin gbefore you hand over the cash.

[puzld]

I decided to not go through it, but thanks to everyone who responded.

Brass seems to be expensive for this rifle, and also with a used firearm that can't be tested out beforehand, there is the uncertainty over just how good it will turn out at the range. Although I'm sure some people end up with one that is a very fine shooter for the money.

[ilovechronic]

I decided to not go through it, but thanks to everyone who responded.

Brass seems to be expensive for this rifle, and also with a used firearm that can't be tested out beforehand, there is the uncertainty over just how good it will turn out at the range. Although I'm sure some people end up with one that is a very fine shooter for the money.

They will all pretty much shoot. Just some of them are not in the best shape.

[PirateJoe]

I decided to not go through it, but thanks to everyone who responded.

Brass seems to be expensive for this rifle, and also with a used firearm that can't be tested out beforehand, there is the uncertainty over just how good it will turn out at the range. Although I'm sure some people end up with one that is a very fine shooter for the money.

That is true, you're taking a gamble with those old surpluses, especially the mosins. Many people offset this by buying whole rackfulls. Odds are at least one of them's a good shooter.

However, if you dig the mosin look (and I know I do), but still want a step up cheap commie steel and even cheaper commie timber, check out the finnish m39. A tad more expensive, yes, but but worth it imho. Last time I checked they ran about 250-300 for a good specimen.

[reggie_love]

Don't forget to look for pitting in the bore. Years of uneducated conscripts + corrosive ammo = issues.

[Space Monkey]

They have a crate of them at my local gun shop, I've been wanting to pick one up for quite a while now, however I'm really not able to tell whether they're worth buying or not.

Does anybody have any tips on what/how to look for before buying?

They're relatively honest at that shop(emphasis on relatively) but I still want to avoid them dumping something in a bad condition on me.

To reggie_love:

How do I know whether the bore is excessively used? Is it visible to the naked eye? I mean I could tell if the rifling was completely gone, but what other signs should I look for.

[reggie_love]

How do I know whether the bore is excessively used? Is it visible to the naked eye? I mean I could tell if the rifling was completely gone, but what other signs should I look for.

Just shine a light through and look for pits and rusty areas. Look for signs of neglect too; if you see fouling in there, it means somebody hasn't been maintaining it properly and who knows what other abuse they put it through.

[Mephistos Minion]

Go in and inpesct them mate. Wood is the least priority as that is far easier (read possible and cheap) to fix than a fucked bore or chamber.

Serial Numbers:
Something with matching serial numbers is best. Also look at the dates, mosins made in the later years of the war can tend to be a bit shoddier as they were really churning the fuckers out, same with the K98. Anything pre war is a steal. Post war arent too bad but less collectable value.

Bore:
What you need to be looking for in the bore is brightness and sharpness of the lands and grooves. Remove the bolt and look through the bore pointing at a light source. If you see any pitting (small holes full of rust, kind of like a crumpet) then don't buy it.

Barell:
Remove the two barrel bands and take off the upper hand guard, look on top of the barell for any pitting or bulges at the chamber.

The muzzel:
Take a 7.62x54R (or any long 7.62) round and press it tip first into the muzzel, if it goes all the way in easily up to the brass, then the bore is pretty worn, especially at the crown, and it will most likely not shoot very well.

Bolt:
Be aware most mosins have shitty bolts that will require a bit of polishing and cosmoiline removal to get them buttery smoothe (I have a 91/30 and an M44 and have achieved this on both).

Wood:
If you find one or more with good metal start looking for the best wood on the good metal, pretty easy, no massive dents or cracks, scratches are fine, common and easily fixed.

Cosmoline:
Horrible shit, most likely will be all through the metal (and even soaked into the wood) of the rifle. Alcohol, Q-Tips and flannel are your best mates here. For getting it outta the stock leave it in the sun for a few days and it will slowly bleed out in the heat.

Shitty Shellac Finish:
Often (especially end of war years) finishes are shit slap dash jobs. Fine steel wool and acetone or metho will strip the Shellac off easily and quickly, and then you can refinish with new stuff (art/wood amking suppliers) or timber stain it darker as you wish. Red Shellac is the most "Authentic" material to finish it with.

Tricking mosins out:

Trigger:
Fuckin' shithouse. I got myself a Huber Concepts one, took 5 min to install and now it breaks at around 4lbs (as oppesed to 7-9lbs originaly).

Scopes:
If you are gonna give it a hat, get a PU modern repro scope and mound, milled steel is best. I was halfway through giving my 91/30 this hat when I left for the deployment I am on, and can't wait to finish it off. If you are gonna give it a modern hat, might as well get a synthetic stock and bipod too, as it will not affect the value anymore than a modern scope and mount already would.

Bolt:
Obviously if you scope your mosin you will need a new bolt handle, these can be bought on ebay (stipped bolt body) or you can send yours to a bloke in Tennesee to have it done. Or do it yourself by simply lopping off the bolt, forging or lathing up a new handle, and welding or solding it on at 90 degrees downward (may require minor stock inletting) that is what I am doign for mine as its a bit of fun, plus I live in Australia, so sending a bolt body to Tenessee is nothing, but getting it back in is an arserape of paperwork.

Other things:
A nice leather cheek piece (slip on) with round holders is good to make shooting these old ruskie war horses just that little bit more comfortable.

Anyway hopefully that is enough to give you an idea,
Regards,
MM

[blue_monday]

if you wanna know what a good bore looks like just ask them to let you look at a new rem700 or something similar, or any new gun really. That should give you a good idea.

[nuclearrabbit]

I picked one up for 75$.