My Mosin 91/30

[GIZMO8Z]

I had been holding out for one of these bad boys, but I couldn't resist buying one today... I found a gunshop that has 2 full crates of Mosin 91/30s for a great price. I got to pick my rifle, and I got free accessories all for the price of what my buddy paid for just his 91/30 itself (NO sling, bayonet, cleaning kit tools, oil can, ammo pouch). I know I could have ordered one online for cheaper, but I'm happy that I got to pick my new baby, and I'm happy that I got the extras for free. Plus, if anything goes wrong with it, I have a gunshop I can get it serviced at for free.

The rifle I got is an Izhevsk 1942 with matching numbers (I'm assuming force matched... considering the bolt handle on my rifle has a Tula star...). They had a bucket of spike bayonets to choose from, and luckily I was able to find the bayo that matches my rifle's serial number. I know the odds suck, but I can't help but hope that my rifle saw action at the famous battles of Stalingrad, Berlin, etc.

Its really cold and flurries are flying today.... Could anyone ask for a more perfect day to shoot a Russian rifle for the first time?! I will clean the rifle, shoot it, take pics and report back!

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Joe, sounds great and to be honest, you cannot beat buying something you can inspect in hand.

Cheers, Ade.

[MarkV]

SOunds like you got a good deal, Joe! And as Ade said, being able to inspect what you buy certainly has a value to it. I did the same when I picked up a Nagant revolver last month at the gun show - I got to pick the one I wanted out of the crate so I hunted for the earliest SN I could find...and wiped the cosmo off my hands repeatedly. Can't wait to see the pictures!!!

[rra227]

Sounds like a great deal with a matching bayonet. Rich A. in Pa.

[GIZMO8Z]

Mission Accomplished!

I was a little nervous to shoot my Mosin, mostly because of all the horror stories I've heard online about sticky bolt, etc. I guess I need to be more confident about my cleaning abilities, because this thing is absolutely spotless. No problems with runny cosmoline gumming up the works.

We put about 30rnds through the rifle... wish I shot a few more, but the bitter cold and wind cut right through us, and we didn't dress appropriately. With that being said, the rifle shot perfectly. The action required a little more strength to operate than what I'm used to with my K98k, but it wasn't bad at all. Accuracy seemed spot on with nice tight groupings at 30yrds. I felt the trigger pull was also pretty nice. I like the length of the rifle, and the recoil was not bad at all.

I only had one problem... (which was not really a problem... just a quirk of Mosin rifles). With the second set of 5rounds I put through the rifle, I stacked the cartridges incorrectly in the internal box magazine and it jammed. I need to be mindful to correctly stack the rounds when I load the rifle by hand. Luckily I have some stripper clips on the way which should make things easier.

The only thing that I do not like about this rifle is that the breech/ internal box magazine is a narrower than what I am used to with my K98k. I feel that this makes the rifle more difficult to load by hand. With that being said, I'm sure I'll get used to it and it wont be a problem in the future!

In general, this rifle is awesome and I'm really happy with my purchase!

Pictures:

Loading my rifle for the first time:


Taking the first shots:




The rifle after shooting it's first 5rnds:


My buddy John with the rifle:


Video of John shooting the rifle for the first time:


Hamming it up!

Don't worry, rifle was unloaded and bolt on safe.

I HOPE YOU ALL LIKE IT!

[GIZMO8Z]

Here is a picture of the crate I chose my rifle from. I wish I took a few steps back to show the other, completely unopened and full crate that was stacked under this one.

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

Looks like a great rifle!

[Eddie]

Great stuff man! I've only fired a G98 Mauser and a M91/30, and I think you can tell a lot about the countries that made these two rifles by the way that the rifles handle. I felt that the Mauser was a much more elegant and well made rifle that aimed better, but the Mosin was definitely unstoppable in comparison. What do you think, having shot both?

[ObKrieger]

You got yourself a nice rifle there man! I would think that the possibility of it being used at Stalingrad would be pretty strong, considering the numbers involved with the battle. However, there is just as much of a chance that it was used elsewhere. I would call it a Stalingrad rifle anyway!

Doomtown, I know exactly what you mean about the rifles and the countries that they come from. The Mosin is bulky, yet brutal, and despite all of that, it is such a beautiful rifle. The K98 is made with unmatched precision and elegance. That is the beauty of German equipment- It is all made with regards to gestalt.

I often daydream about firing my K98 out of my BMW while enjoying some German chocolate...

[GIZMO8Z]

Great stuff man! I've only fired a G98 Mauser and a M91/30, and I think you can tell a lot about the countries that made these two rifles by the way that the rifles handle. I felt that the Mauser was a much more elegant and well made rifle that aimed better, but the Mosin was definitely unstoppable in comparison. What do you think, having shot both?

You got yourself a nice rifle there man! I would think that the possibility of it being used at Stalingrad would be pretty strong, considering the numbers involved with the battle. However, there is just as much of a chance that it was used elsewhere. I would call it a Stalingrad rifle anyway!

Doomtown, I know exactly what you mean about the rifles and the countries that they come from. The Mosin is bulky, yet brutal, and despite all of that, it is such a beautiful rifle. The K98 is made with unmatched precision and elegance. That is the beauty of German equipment- It is all made with regards to gestalt.

I often daydream about firing my K98 out of my BMW while enjoying some German chocolate...

Thanks for the kind words guys, I really appreciate it! I know it's impossible to know exactly what my rifle experienced during WWII (or what it saw after the war, for that matter...), but I'd like to think that it saw action verses just sitting in a warehouse somewhere packed in cosmoline until it was imported.

doom, I know what you mean about the difference between the Mosin 91/30 and the 98k. I think each rifle represents what their home nations were experiencing at the time the rifles were being produced. Not only that, it seems like the rifles represent the typical soldier who used them.

I may be talking out of my bum here, but these are my thoughts:
The K98 seems finely honed and precision machined. The balance of the rifle seems damn near perfect, the accuracy is razor sharp and the action is butter smooth. If I were to imagine a typical soldier who used that type of rifle, I'd picture a tall, young and strapping, professional German soldier. If I had no prior knowledge, I'd assume that the K98 was produced by a heavy industrialized nation with machinery capable of precision work. The quality of my early war production 98k shows that Germany was doing very well in the war when my rifle was produced.

Keep in mind that I've only put ~30rnds through my 91/30 while ... but I've noticed it is a little crude in comparison to the K98k. With that being said, it can be robust. To me, although the weight of both rifles are close to being the same, the Mosin seems heavier because it's length throws off the balance of the rifle. Yet, I feel that my rifle has great accuracy! The tough action represents a nation with a newer, inexperienced industrial system... ontop of the fact that the crude machining of my rifle represents that the Soviet Union was losing the war against Germany when my rifle was rushed through production and came off the assembly line. If I were to imagine a typical soldier who shot the 91/30, I'd picture a short, thick farm boy conscripted into the military and forced to fight.