Mosin Nagant Russian M44 question

[melD]

I been considering the purchase of one these Russian surplus rifles and was wondering what I should look at when buying one.
I'm not real familiar with rifles, so terms for the inexperienced would be appreciated.

Thanks
Mel

[PA Rifleman]

Mel:

I've had these for years, they're fine rifles but you need to be aware of a few points.

• They are found in three major models: M91/30, M1938 and M1944. The 1938 and 1944 are roughly the same rifle, the 1944 has a side-folding bayonet, the 1938 carbine lacks this feature, and does not take a bayonet. While intuition steers many towards selecting the bayonetted model, the 1938 is actually a little better balanced since the bayonet folds on the side of the 1944 (details, photos). There's also been quite a bit of discussion how the bayonet position affects zero on the 1944.
• They fire 7.62x54R ammunition. Right now it's still available, but the selection is getting limited to 2-3 choices. The good news is Mosin rifles are miserly with ammunition, so a 440-round tin should last a while. Stock up when you find it cheap, not when you need it.
• If you're not accustomed to rifles, consider trying out a friend's rifle first. Ideally a 22, then work your way up. The 7.62x54R that the Mosin fires is a high-powered rifle round by today's standards. They also have a bit of a report (and recoil) and 1-2 foot fireballs at the muzzle aren't unheard of.
• They're not suitable for telescopic sights due to the receiver design. If you want a scope on your Mosin, buy a sniper variant with a steel base. Some are aluminum, avoid these like the plague. (details) Another option is aftermarket scope mounts that replace the rear sight, you'll need to look around to see whether people like these or not.
• Check head clearance (definition) before firing for the first time. (details)
• Purchasing selection points - I usually ask for all matching witness numbers and avoid counterbored muzzles. It's a cosmetic issue since I want them to retain as much collectible value as possible. Also, laminated stocks seem to have a little more collector interest than the original hardwood stock.
• Please familiarize yourself with bolt disassembly and reassembly, and also setting firing pin protrusion before firing your Mosin.

Similar posts:
How important is it to check the headspace in a Milsurplus rifle?
M91/30 Russian Question???
My first rifle...M44 pics inside
M-44 Owners Speak Up

Reading assignment:
http://www.mosinnagant.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosin-Nagant
http://www.russian-mosin-nagant.com/
http://7.62x54r.net/


Mosin humor:
http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinHumor.htm

Have fun, shoot safe, and keep us posted.

[toadyoforangeville]

pa is right had a m44 loud and fairly accurate in power it is between the 308 winchester and the 30-06 lots of fire at the muzzle ear plugs reccomende google mosin vs ak vs ar for a laugh some is true service of the 7.62x54r 100 years and counting so its not abad round also good for deer keep shooting it youll like it more

[crazyyankee]

Lets put it this way,
Firing the M44 is like firing a 30-06 in a rifle the size of a 30-30. It has a very loud report and a healthy kick to it.
I have found that it does shoot different with the bayonet extended then it does with the bayonet folded back.
The problems I've seen so far is the surplus ammo isn't consistent, you can't be afraid to slap the bolt to open it after shooting a few rounds. We have also used the rear site replacement for the mounting of scopes and so far have mixed opinions about them. It seems on some of the rifles you can't get the mount to drop low enough in the front to site your scope with the bore. The 2 mounts that we have are from different sellers and may be from different manufactures also, we don't know. We have changed from LER/EER scopes to Open reflex sites and have yet to site them in so can't say how they will work yet.

The M44 is just fun to shoot and will tear thru a 1/2 inch steel plate and rebar..
Now if we can find more ammo we would be better off...