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I put twenty rounds through it yesterday and enjoyed every one. I didn't find the recoil to be nearly as severe as some people make it out to be.

Went to UPS this morning and picked up my own little piece of WWII history: a Soviet Mosin-Nagant 91/30, manufactured at the Izhevsk Arsenal in 1943. Based on the manufacture date, this rifle almost certainly saw combat against Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front. After the war, it was returned to Izhevsk, where it was refurbished by the arsenal, packed in Cosmoline, and stored away in case the Motherland ever desperately needed weapons to repel an invasion. (Russians never threw away anything) At some point in time since the Cold War ended, this rifle was imported to the US, where it sat packed in a crate before being ordered by me.

It is amazing how well-preserved an almost 70 year old firearm can be. There is practically no rust at all. The barrel has strong rifling throughout with only a slightly "dark" bore. (The bores in Eastern Bloc rifles are often damaged from shooting corrosive ammo.) The receiver shows many manufacturing marks, and the finish is fairly poor, but this is fairly typical of wartime manufacturing necessities. The stock shows quite a few handling marks and finish wear, but the wood is in good shape overall. I can't wait to get it out to the range and shoot it!

I'm really excited about the 91/30. I also have a line on a nice Yugo 59/66 that a co-worker has. I can already see this becoming a big habit very quickly.

I just embarked on my new hobby. I ordered a Mosin-Nagant 91/30 and 40 rounds of ammo to test it out. Total with hand-pick fee and shipping: $120. Why everyone doesn't get one I will never know.