What to look for and buying a Mosin

[Arthur Dent]

I'm getting the itch to buy a Mosin Nagant. What sort of things do I need to look for? My goal is to get a reliable rifle that will still provide years of service and be accurate.

I've looked through the 7.62x54r website but only came away a bit more perplexed. Especially regarding the "go", "no-go" and "field" ratings of the bolt clearance.

 

[Que]

I would suggest going to a local store and buying something with nice wood and matching numbers.

 

[LPMan59]

i bought one from AIM Surplus. Problem solved.

 

[Walter Zoomie]

What Que said...

I'll add...A nice shiny barrel, a complete accessory kit (bayonet, sling, oiler, tools, etc).

Some say checking the trigger is important, but I honestly wouldn't know a "bad" Mosin trigger from a "good" one.

I'm kinda a Mosin noob, but I suspect you'd look for whatever you'd look for in any firearm.

I was very pleasantly surprised at the barrel condition of the two Mosins I bought recently....bright and shiny with STRONG rifling.

 

[sgreen3]

Main thing that I look for is how the barrel looks(Shiny, and crisp rifleing) Condition of the chamber, and condition of the stock. And if you just want something to shoot dont worry about matching numbers( but it doesnt hurt to have it) And the acc. kit.

As far as acuracy goes, Ammo is the limiting factor to this rifle from my experiance, but even with cheap surp stuff 100yrds is easy to obtain with open sights, further if you add a scope. Just try a couple different surp ammo an see which one works best in your rifle. Just remember to clean your barrel with some windex or equivalent to nutralize the acid from the carosive ammo.

All in all great rifle to own, cheap to shoot, and alot of bang for the buck. Hope this helps, good luck on your purchase

 

[HamsterStyle]

Just look for somewhere that has one in stock, buy it and ammo and clean it accordingly, shoot all the ammo, rinse and repeat. .

 

[MrSmitty]

Just look for somewhere that has one in stock, buy it and ammo and clean it accordingly, shoot all the ammo, rinse and repeat. .

You stole my line!!! shoot, and repeat!

 

[huntall50]

What to look for when shopping for a Mosin... a SKS

 

[db1959]

What to look for when shopping for a Mosin... a SKS

Can you buy an SKS for less than a C-Note?

 

[philagothon]

If you just want a shooter, about any of them will work. If you want a shooter that is more collectible look for a hex instead of round receiver and Tula stamp (star with an arrow inside it). A pre-1930 date stamp doesn't hurt either. These are commonly mixed with the more common ones and are often priced the same. Above all make sure she is purty, nobody likes an ugly rifle.

 

[Shootin'IN]

I'm getting the itch to buy a Mosin Nagant. What sort of things do I need to look for? My goal is to get a reliable rifle that will still provide years of service and be accurate.

I've looked through the 7.62x54r website but only came away a bit more perplexed. Especially regarding the "go", "no-go" and "field" ratings of the bolt clearance.

I can't believe with all the guys on here & no one knows to tell you to do the bullet test.
All you need is one 7.62x54r round (if you are looking to buy a rifle it is cheaper to buy a box of ammo first to get a good gun), stick it in the muzzle end like this to tell how worn the rifling in the muzzle is.
The rifling in the muzzle is the last thing to touch the bullet when it leaves the barrel, it controls where the bullet goes, so if it is worn or deformed in any way you will have a problem.

Here it is "The Bullet Test" it is real easy to do.
Take one round gently set it in the muzzle end of the barrel.
If it looks like this you got a good one.
See how far the bullet sticks out of the muzzle.

But if it looks like this, put it down & walk away.
Note, no bullet showing at muzzle.

There are exceptions to this test, like a counter bored muzzle.
Some gun owners like them but I don't. It just tells me that the muzzle was worn out to need this repair so the rest of the rifling can't be that good.
Also, look down the barrel if you see clean sharp rifling it is a good gun.
If you see dirt, 1. it has not been taken care of or 2. they are trying to hide a bad barrel.
Good Luck, hope you find a good one, or two, or three get the picture?

 

[johntheplinker]

Since it sounds like you're primarily looking for a shooter, pick just as you would any used gun. Barrel condition would be your first consideration. It doesn't make one bit of difference if serials match, as 99.999% of the Mosins you'll see are force matched anyway. Also, who cares how purty it is, if it can't hit the broad side of a barn from the inside.
As far as headspace issues with Mosins, I don't worry about it. Being a rimmed round, headspace is not near as important as with a rimless round. Its there more to provide a standard so the ammo makers and rifle makers can fit each other's product. I've got one that has known loose headspace, and I shoot it fairly regularly with out any problems.