Are the M44s that expensive now? yeesh. I paid $60 for mine a few years ago. I actually prefer shooting my 91/30 over the M44. Sight raidius is much better, balance is much better, and they just seem to shoot better.sookandy wrote:I had an SKS and still have a bunch of Mosins. You can usually find the round receivers for about $90. A 440 round tin of ammo is $85-95. Slip on recoil pad is a good investment. The carbines are a lot of fun too. They usually run about $200 for an M44.
Regarding the OP's question...
I'd probably go with the SKS. I don't know that many 14-year-olds who would find shooting a Mosin- Nagant enjoyable after the first couple of magazines. 7.62x54R packs a pretty good kick. 7.62x39 will be considerably tamer, especially considering the SKS is a semi-auto rifle.
The other issue is ammo. While there's still a good amount of surplus around, he would need to be vigilant about cleaning a Mosin-Nagant immediately after every time he shot the thing. If you leave it uncleaned after shooting the surplus ammo through it, the bore is going to rust. You're also not going to find 7.62x54R just anyplace. You'll either have to order it online or find a place local that carries it (usually at an inflated price). If you happen to be near one of the online sellers (Ammunition To Go in Brenham, for example), you can just go and get it at decent prices. 7.62x39 is going to be just about anywhere, though and won't have the corrosion issues. You'll find it at Wal-Mart, Academy, Cabela's, Bass Pro, or pretty much anywhere that sells ammo.
I don't think you'll find an SKS these days for much under $200, though. As mentioned earlier, Aim Surplus has the 91/30 for $79. Add on shipping costs of around $15 and then whatever your FFL charges for transfer (I'll assume around $25), and you're looking at $120 or so. If you can find an SKS locally or at a show for a decent price, then it would probably be a better buy - you don't have to worry about another caliber of ammo or availability, and it's a more accessible gun for your son.
Finding stock SKS rifles these days is a little more difficult than it used to be. It seems that most people wanting to sell are trying to get rid of guns that they spent money "customizing" with Tapco stocks and tacticooling them out. Those rifles seem to run at least $400. Checking completed auctions on Gunbroker, it looks like you can get a stock SKS there for around $200 ( http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =247616343" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) which will run up to more like $250 after shipping and transfer. I'd hit up your local stores or a gun show to see what they have available that's comparable.