My fiancee bought me a Mosin-Nagant M44 for Christmas. She paid $200 for it and I kinda think she might have gotten taken. But it is a 1945 vintage, so I'm wondering if the condition and age of the gun warrant that kind of price.

The receiver is marked like this:

Circle Y next to a Hammer & Sickle seal
1945r
KC3046 (or KO3046 or KC3C46 the stamping is a little light on one side)
Triangle with Arrow inside

On the side of the receiver there is very, VERY small lettering that says NA CO RIDGEFIELD NJ. From what we have gathered Navy Arms in Ridgefield, NJ was the importer.

The bolt has a different serial number, as does the magazine floor plate. The metal piece on the butt has a serial number that matches the receiver (KC3046).

The bore looks clean and the rifling is still plainly visible. The crown is smooth and has no nicks. The bolt slides easily and it feels like it locks up tight (no wiggle). The trigger isn't gritty, but there is a bit of take up, thats about all my current knowledge about triggers goes.

The bayonet and cleaning rod both work easily, but the release on the magazine floor plate doesn't instill confidence. It is loose and the floorplate, while unloaded, wiggles.

The stock is uniform in color, but there is no doubt this is a well used gun. It looks ... dirty. Not pig pen dirty, more like decades of sweat, oil and grease got "ground in" over the years. There are nicks, dents and scratches. Most would come out with minor sanding. The varnish/shellac/whatever is still there although there are a couple spots where it has come/worn off.

Our little camera won't take macro shots, so I'm going to have to wait till my fiancee gets home to get some decent pics with the big camera.


I have shot it, 40 rounds of Brown Bear, but I couldn't hit anything. I tried a standard sight-in target at 100yds and didn't put one hole in the paper. I tried a 9 inch paper plate at 50yds and still no holes. The 25yd benches were taken so I didn't get a chance to try that close, but I will in the next few days. Overall its a nice gun, I just don't know if I would have shelled out $200 for it.

So what do y'all think? is $200 way too much? A bit too much? or not a bad deal?

Also, any insight you can glean from the markings is appreciated too.