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Mosin-Nagant
The Mosin-Nagant rifle was designed at the very tail end of the 19th century, and was produced by Russia as The 3-Line Rifle, Model 1891. It was produced in a variety of different configurations (M1891/30, M38, and M44, and later M91/59) until shortly after the end of World War II. The Mosin-Nagant rifle in various trim was also constructed in France, the United States, Belgium, Estonia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, China, Romania, Albania and original Russian receivers were modified in Finland as well. These rifles can still be found on modern battlefields, and is arguably the longest-serving military rifle in history. Incidentally, over 20,000,000 (20 million!) rifles were constructed in Russia (and later Soviet Union) alone. It could be argued that few other rifles have seen anywhere near this production number!
The Mosin-Nagant utilizes the 7.62x54R bullet, still in use today in the Dragunov rifle design, PSL rifles and their clones, and the PK, PKM and PKT machine guns. This cartridge has evolved considerably since 1891; modern incarnations of this cartridge are comparable to .30-06 Springfield or 7.62x51 NATO, as well as a host of other .30 caliber military and civilian cartridges. The Mosin-Nagant's fixed internal box magazine holds five 7.62x54R cartridges, and a skilled rifleman can shoot 15-20 aimed shots per minute.
Model 1891/30: This was Russian standard-issue before (1930) and during WWII. Despite having a very long 28" inch barrel, this rifle is actually a carbine version of the original 3-Line rifle design. This model of the Mosin-Nagant is undoubtedly the most common - over 14 million M91/30 rifles produced! - and can occasionally be purchased for less than $100. Very long spike bayonets can be fitted onto the end of the muzzle, and are often included with the rifle.
M91/30 PU/PE/PEM: The Mosin-Nagant sniper rifles are standard M91/30 rifles that have been hand-selected for it's accuracy characteristics, and then polished to a much higher level of refinement than standard assembly line rifles. From the exterior, they can be identified by their various optical sights and bent bolts - to facilitate the scope mount - but these aren't the only refinements made to these rifles; they boast finely-tuned triggers, radically polished bolts for smooth operation, the stocks are carefully fitted to the barreled actions so that the barrel floats more naturally, the iron sights are more finely calibrated (and without the bayonet equipped) and the finish of both the metal and stocks is of much higher quality than that of typical Mosin-Nagant rifles. Clones of the original PU sniper rifles can be purchased for around $400, but expect to pay considerably more ($800-$1000+) for a "numbers-matching" original PU sniper rifle in good condition.
M38: This was developed at the beginning of The Great Patriotic War to be used by back line soldiers and smaller-framed shooters, and to help ease production costs. It featured a shorter barrel and stock, and smaller sights than the M91/30. They cannot have a bayonet fitted to them. Despite being produced for support and rear-line soldiers, these often see battle in the front lines during WWII. These fell out of favor to the M44, and some M38s were even made into M44s. The M38 carbines aren't as common as the M91/30 or M44, and because of this they are more expensive. They can be purchased for approximately $250.
M44: This is yet another carbine version of the M91/30, but unlike the M38, the M44 features a permanently affixed folding bayonet. They are virtually identical the M38 other than that feature - the stock has a small inlet cut on the right side of it to accept the tip of folding bayonet, and they are just a hair longer than the M38 model. The M44 quickly fell out of Soviet favor to the SKS after the war, but they were often rearsenaled and redistributed to fledgling Communist states during the Cold War. They can be purchased for around the same price as the M38.
M91/59: These rifles are factory refurbished M91/30's that have been cut to carbine length and have had front sights reinstalled. They are often mistaken for M38 carbines as they're outwardly similar, but the biggest difference is the rear sight, which is still the full-length M91/30 rifle sight, and not the M38/M44 carbine sight. These rifles are otherwise comparable to M38 carbines.
| Mosin-Nagant Links | ||
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| *This one's for you* |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | ~7.5 lbs. (3.4 kg) |
| Length | 39.9 in. (1013 mm) |
| Barrel Length | 20.2 in (514 mm) |
| Cartridge | 7.62x54R |
| Action | Bolt-Action |
| Muzzle Velocity | 2,625 ft/s (800 m/s) |
| Effective Range | ~550 yards (500 m) |
| Feed System | 5 round fixed magazine |
| Sights | V-notch rear-sight (graduated in meters), hooded post front sight |
The gun shoots fairly flat for a 70-year-old rifle. I'll try to get some pictures up of my targets next time I go out to the range. The notch-post system is pretty robust and easy to use. Don't bother with the graduated sight; its mostly used for volley fire. I'll be honest, when I first fired it, I was a little shaky from the recoil. My first two targets are kind of lousy for sitting at the bench, albeit with no rifle rest.
The bolt on mine is a pain in the ass to work with ammunition, though it supposedly can be fixed. They call this 'Sticky-Bolt' among the Mosin-owning community. If you can get it fixed, or if it doesn't have this problem, it would be almost fool-proof in operation, if it weren't for the rather obscene recoil.
Disassembly is simple. I watched a Youtube video of stripping the bolt once and I never forgot how to do it afterward. If for some odd reason you have to take apart the entire rifle, that isn't too difficult either, you just have a couple screws and bands to remove, which can be performed easily by compressing the two leaf springs on the bolt-handle side of the rifle..
Supposedly, you can drop these things in a ditch, run them over with an SUV, and it would still work. I can't really say first-hand, since I've never carried it as a combat firearm through harsh conditions, but it's simple nature is enough to make me say that this thing will last.
Mosin-Nagant of all variants can be found cheap at gun-shows. Same with surplus ammunition. If you don't want to deal with that corrosive ammo, plenty of manufacturers make it in small quantities.
No need to worry about stopping power on this rifle. We're talking flesh-wounds through-and-through the size of a fist here. Could probably bag a deer, even. Unfortunately, that's pretty much where it's effectiveness ends. It's drawbacks lie in it's inferiority to modern weapons. The bolt-action with a 5-round internal magazine hardly compares to semi-automatic rifles fed with 30-round detachable magazines of today. Even for the carbine variant, it's still a pretty hefty and lengthy rifle. A skilled rifleman will shoot better with a more modern rifle any day of the week.
Overall, I can conclude that if you're on a budget and looking for a no-frills rifle that will keep you safe through a zombie pandemic, provided you try to avoid combat, I think this gun is worth taking a good look at.
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![[Untitled]](http://image.wetpaint.com/image/2/JSotH8ckhq1IXULAjWgyZg2938/GW15H26 "[Untitled]")
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LJ126 |
Latest page update: made by LJ126
, Mar 3 2011, 9:49 PM EST
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| GrandArmourer | Mosin Nagant 7.62x54 (page: 1 2 3 4) | 69 | Jun 27 2012, 7:43 AM EDT by bolvark | ||
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Thread started: Jun 20 2012, 12:30 PM EDT
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In my opinion, the Mosin Nagant and other Bolt action rifles have no use in the zombie defense field. If you have enough time to get an accurate shot with a large rifle, you can get away. But! The rifle itself is a nice weapon. They're very cheap and pretty reliable. Also quite accurate. It's also very easy to clean and disassemble. You can also easily turn it into a grenade launcher with a 2liter coke bottle and some blank cartridges. It's a good gun for hunting but not for protection. It would be good to have to get food though.
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| byates | Uploaded relevant pictures | 0 | Mar 2 2011, 6:23 PM EST by byates | ||
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Thread started: Mar 2 2011, 6:23 PM EST
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search for Mosin
one is a cut down 91-30, pistol size other is a custom from Finland |
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| SGT629 | M1891/30 | 17 | Feb 24 2011, 5:45 PM EST by chitoryu12 | ||
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Thread started: Feb 17 2011, 3:05 PM EST
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I bought a pre-war hex receiver Mosin on AIMsurplus.com for $80 and I can say I'm very happy with it. Before I put a scope on it, my old rifle with the bayonet on it was as accurate as can be expected with user error at 100 yards. The rounds are cheap as can be (440 rounds of Russian surplus for $80) and are powerful as hell. I solved my sticky bolt problem by rigorous cleaning and more particular ammunition selection. When it comes to surplus ammo for a bolt action never get the green lacquered steel cased ammo. I then mounted a scope on it, but that's a different animal. I like the longer Mosin because it becomes a heavy backed spear or a bludgeon.
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Showing 3 of 3 threads for this page
