Inspired by MarkV, I have purchased my own Mosin sniper rifle! I have wanted one of these for quite a while... mostly because they are badass... but also because I believe the scoped M91/30 is the most famous sniper rifle of World War II. As informed collectors of militaria, we may identify with other sniper rifle variants... perhaps a K98k, Enfield, or M1903 fitted with a sniper scope... However, I am almost willing to guarantee that if you ask the general population about snipers in WWII, they will without a doubt mention Vasily Zaitsev and the Soviet snipers... especially at Stalingrad (Believe me... my students would ALWAYS ask me about them)!
SO! I went ahead an ordered a rifle that meets this description:
Very recently, I have seen Mosins that have modern reproduction mounts and scopes added to them in the range of $500-$800...These rifles all appear to be original WWII era sniper rifles that went back into the arsenals after the war and had
varying degrees of re-arsenaling done to them to bring them back up to sniper standards. Although they are original snipers, due to the re-arsenaling, they may not fully retain all of their original issue characteristics or condition.
For example, you may find that a small part has been changed out, i.e - a Tula barrel band on a rifle that is otherwise Izhevsk rifle, etc...
You may also find a force match on a floorplate or buttplate, or even a re-match where the designation # on the rifle has been
re-struck to match it to the scope that it has been Re-Arsenal mated with.
Also, Scopes will have original stamped numbers but mount plates may be electro-penciled to match the rifle that the scope is mated with.
These rifles are not cosmetically re-finished and the external condition as well as bore condition will vary from rifle to rifle.
Generally the rifles are running at about NRA surplus very good condition and somewhere around 80% to 85 % of new.
I have heard good things about the type of rifle that I just ordered and they come highly recommended. It is a real bonus these more authentic Mosin sniper rifles are available for cheaper than the repros that were until just recently the only available.
My rifle should arrive in 3-7 days and you can be sure that I will post photos and perhaps a video of me shooting as soon as it gets here!
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