Buying a Mosin-Nagant
There are two reasons to buy a Mosin-Nagant (or any other surplus firearm):
Once you've decided that, the next step is actually buying the rifle. The shortest and best piece of advice I can give is to buy in-person, if you can. Although the prices will be better online, shipping and dealer fees will elevate the out-the-door price to as-much or higher than the over-the-counter cost, so you often won’t really be saving money. Additionally, buying online means you won’t get to pick your rifle and the odds of getting an inferior product will be greater because the rifles that are shipped from warehouses are more likely to be the leftovers and third-stringers. After all, why would a vendor send out an above-average rifle when an in-person seller will pay more after seeing the rifle's good condition?
Buying online
I recognize that many online vendors periodically run a sale that is simply too good to pass up. So, if you order online:
Buying in-person
Hopefully, however, you've taken to time to get yourself to a gun shop or gun show and you can buy in person, where you can:
2. The buttstock plate
3. The bottom of the magazine
Other considerations
‘Hex’ vs round receivers
The original design of the Mosin-Nagant was the ‘hex’ receiver, but during World War II the Soviets needed to increase production so they simplified and cheapened the rifle in a variety of ways. The most obvious alteration was dropping the stronger, stiffer half-octagonal receiver shape (colloquially referred to as a ‘hex’ for truly perplexing reasons) for an easier-to-machine round receiver. Many other minor features were dropped or cheapened and the machining tolerances, fitment, material quality, and general attention to detail on round receiver rifles are inferior to the hex receiver rifles. See the article on the M28-76, especially the receiver, for a few examples of the differences between hex and round receivers.
As a result, hex receivers are usually about 10-30% more expensive than their round counterparts. However, both types saw general issue in WWII and experienced the resulting hard use and poor care. A hex receiver is no guarantee of gentle use, only of superior initial quality.
Tula vs Izhevzk
The Mosin-Nagant was made by many factories, but the arms plants at Tula and Izhevsk dominate the Mosin-Nagant surplus market. Mosins from Tula are less common and often feature a slightly better attention to detail, with fewer machining marks and better fitment. However, sturdiness and reliability are identical between both Tula and Izhevsk Mosins.
- To own a collectible piece of military history
- For the pleasure of shooting
- Unaltered or meticulously restored using historically accurate tools and processes.
- Modified and improved to enhance the shooting experience through comfort, accuracy, and/or aesthetics.
Once you've decided that, the next step is actually buying the rifle. The shortest and best piece of advice I can give is to buy in-person, if you can. Although the prices will be better online, shipping and dealer fees will elevate the out-the-door price to as-much or higher than the over-the-counter cost, so you often won’t really be saving money. Additionally, buying online means you won’t get to pick your rifle and the odds of getting an inferior product will be greater because the rifles that are shipped from warehouses are more likely to be the leftovers and third-stringers. After all, why would a vendor send out an above-average rifle when an in-person seller will pay more after seeing the rifle's good condition?
Buying online
I recognize that many online vendors periodically run a sale that is simply too good to pass up. So, if you order online:
- Opt for a hex receiver, because you have baseline guarantee of quality.
- Pay extra for hand-picked/hand-select? It’s up to you. If you pay for hand-picked, you have no way of guaranteeing that the vendor will follow through. Maybe the employee is honest and picks you a good one, maybe they’re lazy that day and you’re throwing your money out the window. You have no way of knowing.
Buying in-person
Hopefully, however, you've taken to time to get yourself to a gun shop or gun show and you can buy in person, where you can:
- Check for matching serials. Matching serial numbers are a good indicator of quality because they indicate that the rifle has seen better care and less hardship than a rifle re-assembled out of a box of scavenged parts. Matching serials also impart greater collectability. In most cases, the serial is stamped in 3 places:
2. The buttstock plate
3. The bottom of the magazine
- With the bolt closed, shake the rifle side to side and up and down. Many will rattle but some will not. The rattle is likely from the magazine spring and its nothing to worry about, but if you are selecting from a line of rifles and can find one that doesn’t rattle, that’s a sign of good machining and light use. If you hear rattling or play coming from the bolt or receiver, look elsewhere.
- If you are allowed, work the action and trigger of the rifle, and pick the one that feels the smoothest. Unmodified Mosins have a stiff action and trigger, but the stiffness should be consistent. Avoid rifles that feel like they bind up or have rough spots. Set the bolt to the de-cock position by cocking the bolt up, then closing the bolt slightly. The bolt should click into place at about an 80 degree angle. Now, ensure the rifle decocks properly by pulling the trigger. If the bolt does not close neatly, it could just mean the rifle is full of preservative grease (cosmoline), but it could also be a sign of bad things like corrosion and poor fitting tolerances, and rifles that don’t de-cock smoothly should be avoided.
- Check the muzzle to see if the barrel had been counter-bored. Counter-boring is done to worn muzzles, grinding back the bore to a point where the rifling is still sharp. If a barrel has been counter-bored, it is a sign that the barrel has seen hard use and poor upkeep, and you should look elsewhere.
- If you are allowed, check the bore with a pen light. A clean bore will be bright and shiny, with crisp rifling and no pitting. The darker the bore, the more corrosion has taken place and the worse the accuracy will be. It is almost impossible that you will find a perfect bore, but compare several and choose the one that is brightest, sharpest, and preferably free of pitting. A good bore can often be found by simply asking the dealer for a choice model, and paying the premium.
Other considerations
‘Hex’ vs round receivers
The original design of the Mosin-Nagant was the ‘hex’ receiver, but during World War II the Soviets needed to increase production so they simplified and cheapened the rifle in a variety of ways. The most obvious alteration was dropping the stronger, stiffer half-octagonal receiver shape (colloquially referred to as a ‘hex’ for truly perplexing reasons) for an easier-to-machine round receiver. Many other minor features were dropped or cheapened and the machining tolerances, fitment, material quality, and general attention to detail on round receiver rifles are inferior to the hex receiver rifles. See the article on the M28-76, especially the receiver, for a few examples of the differences between hex and round receivers.
As a result, hex receivers are usually about 10-30% more expensive than their round counterparts. However, both types saw general issue in WWII and experienced the resulting hard use and poor care. A hex receiver is no guarantee of gentle use, only of superior initial quality.
Tula vs Izhevzk
The Mosin-Nagant was made by many factories, but the arms plants at Tula and Izhevsk dominate the Mosin-Nagant surplus market. Mosins from Tula are less common and often feature a slightly better attention to detail, with fewer machining marks and better fitment. However, sturdiness and reliability are identical between both Tula and Izhevsk Mosins.
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