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lonewolf wrote:I did check the bore and it looked really good. The shop owner checked it out as well. Stock was in beautiful condition, action as smooth as a Mosin can be. Didn't check the numbers to see if they match, though, and have no idea of the year of manufacture. I suppose that information is on the internet somewhere....

I was really eyeing the Saiga .308 in the rack next to it as well. Sweet deal for those of us that can't quite extend far enough for the M1A. Only $549.

The year of manufacture is stamped right on the top of the receiver.

Towards the bottom of this page shows what they look like:

http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinM9130S.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

HankB wrote:The Cabela's near me carries Mosins, and sometimes runs a sale . . . combined with the coupons they keep sending me, I can probably get one pretty cheap.

So . . . other than the obvious things to look for (such as overall condition) are there any particular things like proof marks or other features that I should keep an eye out for if I'm looking over a rack of these rifles?

Early and pre-WWII guns tend to be much better quality, fit, and finish. By 1944, they were really cranking them out, and quality suffered. Check to make sure the original bolt and receiver stamps match.

Check the bore. This is the biggest thing to watch for. Once you buy one, clean your bore with something that will neutralize the corrosives from the primers of milsurp ammo immediately after each range session. A water/ammonia solution is what the Russians used, and Windex is cheap and what I and many others use. Once you've cleaned it out with that, then you can do normal scrubbing/oiling like you would any other rifle.

swc007 wrote:

lonewolf wrote:The gun store near me has a beautiful Mosin on sale for $100.00. I was just about to throw the money on the counter when the little voice in my head (sounds like my wife for some reason...) said, "...and just what do you intend to do with THAT?????""

I'll hold off a little bit longer.....

i bought one after shooting one that my buddy has... im tempted to buy another just for the mess of it... $100 bucks is not bad at all... i ordered mine online and ran the risk of getting a crummy looking one but i lucked out...
aimsurplus.com is where i bought mine... just buy the wife a pretty necklace lol sure she might be ok with it then

AIM tends to carry the better-condition milsurp guns. J&G tends to get the lesser-quality ones. Both of my Mosin-Nagants came from AIM.

The 91/30 was my first gun, and still my favorite range gun. Get lots of practice shooting it, and it's a good deer gun as well. I shot my first deer with mine, after a couple thousand rounds of practice at the range. I like to put a bunch of clays on the berm behind the 100y target spots and pop them off. It makes for transition and target acquisition practice.

As for good sights for longer range, I would recommend Mojo Sights. They're tandem aperture sights, and work VERY well on the Mosin-Nagants. I'd recommend getting the MicroClick SnapSight set and the Aperture pack, putting the .120" on the front and the .090" on the rear. It will tighten up you sight picture, and make 100y shots relatively easy with practice.

Here's me with my first deer, taken with my 91/30. I caught it running perpendicular to me about 40 yards out:

Picture removed

For hunting ammo, I'd recommend Sellier & Bellot 180 grain SP. It's very accurate and consistent, and seems to expand nicely. The deer above had an entrance wound between the ribs, with an exit would significantly larger that broke 2 ribs on the way out. I get mine at Cabela's, but it can be found multiple places.

http://www.sellier-bellot.cz/rifle-ammu ... roduct=524" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EDIT] Sorry to the mods, forgot that hunting photos are relegated to the hunting photos area. You can view the photo I'd previously posted on the following older post over in that section:

viewtopic.php?f=78&t=21469" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;