He asked "Why is a Mosin-Nagant such a great rifle to me". That's a fair question, and deserves an answer.
First, there is simply the historical value of such a rifle. It was one of the first rifles of it's kind to be adopted by any nation. It has a five round internal magazine, is a bolt action rifle, and fires an excellent round.
The round it fires, the 7.62X54R (the R stands for "rimmed", not Russian) is comparable to the venerable American 30-06--but predated it by 15 years. It was one of, if not the, first bolt action, 'small bore" high velocity rounds designed from jump street to use smokeless powder. It's the military ammunition with the longest service life still in service, being used in sniper rifles and machine guns to this day.
The sniper use is telling--7 of the 10 highest scoring snipers in history used this rifle and round--one of them with iron sights! It is potentially very very accurate.
The Mosin-Nagant is used extensively for hunting in Russia, and is considered more than adequate for big game--such as moose and the Siberian Brown Bear--which is a variant of the Grizzly and Kodiak bears of Alaska! In fact, there is virtually no market for modern "magnum" sporting rounds in Russia, as they have found the 7.62X54R perfectly acceptable for all game encountered.
The rifle is stone dependable. My Son-in-Law has one over 100 years old, and it still shoots and groups well. They simply don't wear out. The bolt is not the easiest to use, and the area of the receiver that engages the locking lugs is hard to clean--it's awkward--but those are things that skillful and attentive use and maintenance can correct. Mine was made in 1943, and after cleaning ut the cosmoline it was stored in, the bore is as bright as new, with clean rifling. I didn't order a select grade or anything like that. I just picked it up off the milsurp rack and bought it.
I bought it for $119 US, complete with the issue cleaning kit, sling, oiler and bayonet. And thats something else--you get a powerfu, accurate, reliable rifle for less than most .22s, and the economy continues, because I pay about 19 cents a shot. 30-06 will run closer to a dollar a pop. My Carcano runs about $2 a pop. It's a very affordable rifle.
I mentioned history. George Patton to the contrary not withstanding, this is the rifle that beat Hitler. This rifle was carried by the red army into Berlin, and beyond. Russia lost millions of troops in that war, and the our pride and joy--D-Day and the campaigns in France and into Germany in 1944-45 were really just supporting campaigns to the Russian offensives that destroyed the Weremacht and Waffen SS. By the date of manufacture, the odds are nearly 100% that my rifle was carried in that. Whenever i pick it up, i am aware that my rifle destroyed Naziism.
I could give you "range stories' out the wazoo about shooting my rifle (which I named Vassily Fritz-Smiter at my daughter insistence) but that would be a lot of typing and I"m lazy. So here's just a short synopsis of something that happens about every time I go shooting with him: The AR/AK fan boys are out there blazing away, missing mostly. I load up, work the bolt aim and fire. The report alone makes them look my way. The effects on the target often times makes them exclaim aloud. Once, I set out my target and some yahoo with an AR peppered it, and looked at me smugly. I smiled, and shot one round into his target, shredding the target, the target board and kicking up a cloud of dust, he left. One round, one hit, and positive effects on the target. In another instance, I used a phone book I found on the ground at the 75 yard berm. no one had been able to hit it, and it was soaked through by rain. I shot it, once, and it was converted to paper mache bits that flew into the air.
The biggest draw back is trying for goups at short range--100 yards or less--because the rifle isdesigned for an optimum range of 300 meters. One has to compensate for the tragectory of the round, because at short range, it's shooting high.
So there you have it--a rifle that one can get for $95-130 bucks, costs lest than 25 cents a shot, is utterly reliable, accurate and powerful enough to hunt any game in North America. Plus it's historical, comes in over 30 variants, and is collectable--there are many Mosin collectors, Not to mention, it's just plumb fun to shoot.
First, there is simply the historical value of such a rifle. It was one of the first rifles of it's kind to be adopted by any nation. It has a five round internal magazine, is a bolt action rifle, and fires an excellent round.
The round it fires, the 7.62X54R (the R stands for "rimmed", not Russian) is comparable to the venerable American 30-06--but predated it by 15 years. It was one of, if not the, first bolt action, 'small bore" high velocity rounds designed from jump street to use smokeless powder. It's the military ammunition with the longest service life still in service, being used in sniper rifles and machine guns to this day.
The sniper use is telling--7 of the 10 highest scoring snipers in history used this rifle and round--one of them with iron sights! It is potentially very very accurate.
The Mosin-Nagant is used extensively for hunting in Russia, and is considered more than adequate for big game--such as moose and the Siberian Brown Bear--which is a variant of the Grizzly and Kodiak bears of Alaska! In fact, there is virtually no market for modern "magnum" sporting rounds in Russia, as they have found the 7.62X54R perfectly acceptable for all game encountered.
The rifle is stone dependable. My Son-in-Law has one over 100 years old, and it still shoots and groups well. They simply don't wear out. The bolt is not the easiest to use, and the area of the receiver that engages the locking lugs is hard to clean--it's awkward--but those are things that skillful and attentive use and maintenance can correct. Mine was made in 1943, and after cleaning ut the cosmoline it was stored in, the bore is as bright as new, with clean rifling. I didn't order a select grade or anything like that. I just picked it up off the milsurp rack and bought it.
I bought it for $119 US, complete with the issue cleaning kit, sling, oiler and bayonet. And thats something else--you get a powerfu, accurate, reliable rifle for less than most .22s, and the economy continues, because I pay about 19 cents a shot. 30-06 will run closer to a dollar a pop. My Carcano runs about $2 a pop. It's a very affordable rifle.
I mentioned history. George Patton to the contrary not withstanding, this is the rifle that beat Hitler. This rifle was carried by the red army into Berlin, and beyond. Russia lost millions of troops in that war, and the our pride and joy--D-Day and the campaigns in France and into Germany in 1944-45 were really just supporting campaigns to the Russian offensives that destroyed the Weremacht and Waffen SS. By the date of manufacture, the odds are nearly 100% that my rifle was carried in that. Whenever i pick it up, i am aware that my rifle destroyed Naziism.
I could give you "range stories' out the wazoo about shooting my rifle (which I named Vassily Fritz-Smiter at my daughter insistence) but that would be a lot of typing and I"m lazy. So here's just a short synopsis of something that happens about every time I go shooting with him: The AR/AK fan boys are out there blazing away, missing mostly. I load up, work the bolt aim and fire. The report alone makes them look my way. The effects on the target often times makes them exclaim aloud. Once, I set out my target and some yahoo with an AR peppered it, and looked at me smugly. I smiled, and shot one round into his target, shredding the target, the target board and kicking up a cloud of dust, he left. One round, one hit, and positive effects on the target. In another instance, I used a phone book I found on the ground at the 75 yard berm. no one had been able to hit it, and it was soaked through by rain. I shot it, once, and it was converted to paper mache bits that flew into the air.
The biggest draw back is trying for goups at short range--100 yards or less--because the rifle isdesigned for an optimum range of 300 meters. One has to compensate for the tragectory of the round, because at short range, it's shooting high.
So there you have it--a rifle that one can get for $95-130 bucks, costs lest than 25 cents a shot, is utterly reliable, accurate and powerful enough to hunt any game in North America. Plus it's historical, comes in over 30 variants, and is collectable--there are many Mosin collectors, Not to mention, it's just plumb fun to shoot.
2 comments:
Thanks for answering my question about the M-N IR. I might consider getting one in the near future.
They're worth it! Things to look for though--check the bolt head--sometimes they've been damaged. Also, the Chinese M44 MN don't look so good to me.
A "HEX"--having a hexagonal receiver--often prove to be better shooter than the round receivers--the production between 1941-45 was often hurried, and no hexes were produced then.
I.R.
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