Resistance Is Futile

So I took the plunge today into the world of Mosin Nagant. A friend is a collector/dealer and was clearing out a few, so today I came home with a Romanian M44 Carbine and a 91/30 Hex. Headed to the range Wednesday AM.

Loooong slippery slope.....But fun....

Shoot the M44 at dusk if your shoulder can still stand it.....Big fireball and smoke.....

Now you will be looking up armory's, variations, Watching Enemy at the Gate......and drinking vodka.

Hunter,
I would rep you but I have to spread my love around. BIG fireball is right...LOL

Thanks anyway....the fire ball is enough....LOL
Was shooting with a buddy....got late...he said "How much ammo you got"...
I told him, "Maybe 780 rounds left....Have at!"

Almost fun as a candle shoot with muzzleloader pistols....when the flame gets lined up correctly...it disappears...squeeze the trigger.....Same fire ball..kinda, but smokeyer

Buhahahahahaha! Velcome comrade Crashdive to evil empire.

Just so I don't go too far over the edge, I'll be shooting a couple of Enfields during Wednesday's range time.

Here's a little something to keep you entertained in the meantime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY-IH_g7BBg

And do not let the presence of the Enfield fool you, The MN design is so archaic it overwhelms everything in its presence. 6 moving parts, an unusable safety and a bayonet that would make Jim Bowie envious.

We have another convert! Welcome to the club, sir.

.....hacked out of a railroad rail with a dull ax, smoothed out on a rock,.... shooting ammo made in the babushkas kitchen in 1943, dug up in a parking lot in Stalingrad in 1983,.... and sold to the USA.

....(Whiney voice)....But the trigger pull is too heavy, and I got cosmoline all over the back of the SUV,.... again

Bhohahaha

Want to know what I consider one of my wastes of money?

I bought a set of reloading dies in 7.62x54 !!!

The jacketed bullets to reload that cartridge cost more than surplus loaded rounds.

I have used the set to reload a few dozen cast bullet rounds but would still consider the purchase a waste if I did not also use it to reload the .303 Enfield rounds.

Would you believe that I pull the bullets from the Russian rounds to reload into the Enfield rounds and stuff cast bullets in to the Russian cases on top of the original powder/primer.

I'll confess I've never found the charm of the Mosin.

Charm? There is no charm. It kicks like 4 angry mules. But it's a big caliber and goes boom. It will be on target no matter what you do to it. Even in a hurricane. What's not to love?

They are definitely an entertainment value. Lotsa bang, for your buck.
(Not to mention, if you are into history, they offer a lot to learn.)



...and you'll soon see the humor in this. http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinHumor.htm

Charm????

That's rich!

Attributes, yes. It will hold its shots inside 2" @100m, it is impossible to break, it cost me $70, the ammo is $0.23 cents a shot and sends a 150gn bullet out the tube at 2800fps and I dare say it will take any game in North America.

If a firearm has "charm" you have to worry about putting a scratch on it.

Charm I leave for guns that cost above $100 and still can not do half what the MN does.

Found a Lee Loader in 7.62 x 54r....at a show for $20 bucks......figured if I really wanted to re-roll the round I would have to find some boxer primed brass....not really a surplus load.....and get some oversized .308 bullets....311 or .312.......

Then I said to my self.........Yeah well maybe some day...and bought another 440 rds for like $70 bucks....

Everyone should own one....for the reason of seeing what a transition fire arm is...that is still valid and simple.

You could buy one for $70 bucks.......and is still a deal at $150......and works.

Always makes me smile......1958

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y13...Photo00031.jpg

Back in 1992 I bought a hex receiver in near mint condition for $25 because I was flat broke, had a coyote problem and no center fire rifle to solve the issue.

You could not give away a MN as long as their were cheap Mausers and Enfields around. I would not have purchased the one I had except that I was empty in the pockets.

We were selling the Norinco imported type 53 Chinese carbines in new condition for $24.95 and the rifles were $29.95, new unfired condition.

Of course, that was also when we were selling Norinco SKS carbines for $79.95 (they still are in Canada).

The prices of surplus guns remained very stable until the GCA of 1968, when prices about doubled. They stabelized again and I was still buying Mausers for less than $100 and Enfields for less than $80 right up to the end of 2008.

Suddenly Mausers and Enfields were worth $400 and MN rifles went up to $80 with the SKS jumping to $300!!!

Now let me see, what was it that happened in 2008????

Back from the range.....sorry I waited this long. The 91/30 was consistent, the 44 needs some work on the front sight (couldn't break it loose...yet) and the Mk4 Enfield had everything in the 10 ring. Two of the three shoot better than I do, and the third will. All in all I put 100 rounds through the Mosins and 30 through the Enfield. Shoulder is holding up just fine so far.

I never felt the MN kicked any harder than the Enfield, Mauser or '03 Springfield.

What is the deal with the sight Crash??

Too high/low or is it windage?

You can file down the front sight pin if it is hitting low, or you can replace it with a 6p finish nail if it is too short. It goes through a hole from underneath the dovetail in the sight globe.

The front sight globe is also indexed by a mark on the sight post, and the hash mark is usually right. that is one nice thing about the Russian hardware, it was made with the intent that anyone could pick one up on the battlefield, check the sight index marks, and start shooting. They all came out of the arsenal dead on. The AK is still made that way today. None of this "go to the range and sight it in" foolishness.

If you have to move or remove that front sight globe you are about to learn the origin of the term "Get a bigger hammer!"

You can not work on an MN and be dainty. Brace it on a solid surface, get a good heavy 1/2" punch and get the job done. If you break the punch Harbor Freight has them cheap.

It's windage. The guy I got them from is also an armorer and was there today. We had a punch and tried the biggest hammer we had - no luck. Might need to apply some heat. We (he) did a mod to the front sight where we slipped the shaft of a plastic Q-Tip over the post and then cut it about 1/8" above the post. Seems to work well.

Today was a learning experience and quite a bit of fun. It has caused me (maybe out of necessity) to want to learn more and play. Guess I've got another new hobby.

I didn't notice any difference in kick between the Mosins and the Enfield either.

Was the bayonet mounted on the M44?
From what I read they are sighted in with it on the rifle....and shoot to the left (If I recall) when you take it off.

Mine had been moved off the factory marks, and shot just fine with out bayonet.....someone had "done the deed" before I got it....shot just fine with it as well.

Neighbor and I were playing "spin the 5 gal bucket on the fence post at about 190-200 yds, farthest back we could get on our home range.
He was shooting his custom AR with cool sights....against a M44 with irons....And I was beating him.....LOL