I bought one at Sears in 1963. It set me back $13.20 including tax and 50 rounds of military ammo... I called in the order and picked up at the mail order counter at the local store with none of the hassle that you get today and I was 13 years old at the time... Five years later I was being shot at by snipers equipped with the ChiCom carbine version.. It is a very simple weapon that is virtually impossible to jam... It was used by Russian Olympic Marksmen to win the 1000 meter competition at the 1960 Winter Olympics... There is no pressed steel parts on those rugged, dependable combat rifles.

I would also recommend that if you plan on using the safety, you cut a washer or better yet a chain link in half and weld it onto the rear of the bolt to make it easier to manipulate. I haven't done it to mine because I don't use the safety. I might do it later though.

I paid $105 for mine, came with the bayonet, ammo pouch, oil can and belt. Pretty sweet deal for a shootable rifle.

The tins of surplus ammo are an awesome deal, but beware as most are corrosive. And when you're zeroing in the scope, I'd suggest using some new quality lead core ammo, as the majority of the surplus stuff is steel core, and due to the manufacturing quality of it, some of the steel cores are not perfectly centered in the bullet. Good stuff for the price though.

I think it is one of the best buys out there.. I'm into war relics opposed to sporting type firearms because the government has a separate category for them and sees them more as collector pieces... I am considering getting a Henry lever action .44 magnum for use in the wooded area where I live... We have a lot of deer on the place when the wild hogs don't run them off... I'm old and have trouble getting around so I need something lighter and shorter than my Garand... The .44 magnum Henry would be the first new rifle I've ever bought that wasn't a .22. If I lived on the High Plains where you can see for miles a Mosin Nagant like the way yours is set up would be ideal.