The American Mosin Nagant

As I posted to someone about also having a Mosin Nagant, this is the story about it. In the early 90's I wanted another shooter, so I went to my local Roses store to see what I could afford. To my surprise they just got a shipment from century arms of M1891 and they let me pick through the lot. I looked at many Russians until I found two, A New england westinghouse and a Remmington. It was a hard, but I got the westinghouse. I should have gotten both at $36.00 each, but I didn't. It is a fine shooter, and I do have a reloader for it, the surplus ammo for now is cheap so I just shoot it. If you ever come across one of these old weapons, here is a link to learn more about the history of fine shooter;
mosinnagant.net...
This one is mine






Happy Shooting

reply to post by oldshooter1979


The Nagant is a good gun to have.

Cheap, plentiful ammo too. A great starter gun.

*Say, is that a hex you have?

Originally posted by Exuberant1
reply to post by oldshooter1979

 

The Nagant is a good gun to have.

Cheap, plentiful ammo too. A great starter gun.

*Say, is that a hex you have?

If you are talking about the barrel, no. I do have a .32 rolling block with a hex barrel..

reply to post by oldshooter1979

One thing I would add for all you who shoot the Mosin 7.62x54R, stock up on the reloadable brass while you can. The surplus ammo is fun to shoot, but not the best for reloading. The cheap stuff will run out! 25 years ago the cheap shooter was the .303 Enfield. Every pawn shop and gun store had walls full. And surplus ammo was all over. It has been 5 or more years scence I have seen surplus .303 ammo. The cheapest ammo I have found is the Prvi Partizan brand about $17.00. But no one here carries it. I have to go 30 miles away to get it. Most others are $30.00 plus for a box of 20. Thats high just for a day of shooting paper. Plan ahead!
Happy Shooting

Great rifles for so cheap, specially yours. $36? holy crap I would have definitely bought them both.

reply to post by oldshooter1979


For the price of the brass shells compared to the surplus ammo these days, by the time you reload the shells you would probably be better off buying an extreme amount of the surplus shells.

Most places I see sell the 7.62x54r brass for $20 per box of 20 and the surplus for 440 rounds at $90 or less. I see on no reason why two or three boxes of surplus at $90 a pop shouldn't last anyone a practical lifetime. What exactly do you do with 1300 rounds on a bolt action rifle?

reply to post by oldshooter1979


BE CAREFUL with surplus ammo. Some times the surplus rounds lead to a higher chamber pressure that can damage an older rifle. My Dad got a bunch of .303 British Enfields while he was in the Marines. He gave a few to his brothers and kept a couple for himself. When I got big enough he had my Uncle carve a custom stock for one and gave it to me. After he passed away my cousing borrowed my dad's rifle for deer season. The following year I took my dad's rifle out to shoot and when I pulled the trigger I saw a small flash on the reciever. I had the reciever Magnafluxed and found a crack in it. It turned out that my cousin was using surplus Czech ammo that had a higher powder charge than the Enfield was rated for.

Originally posted by A-Dub
Great rifles for so cheap, specially yours. $36? holy crap

I would have definitely bought them both.

edit on 27-9-2011 by A-Dub because: (no reason given)

I wanted to! But that day I also got a Enfield #4 Mk II. It was an unissued unfired .303! They found a warehouse full in Ireland and Roses was selling them $125.00 each. I had it for over twenty years now, still unfired. But boy sometimes I wanted too!!

reply to post by gwydionblack

I have had this rifle over twenty years now. I am guessing about 500-600 rounds down range with it. I have less time for shooting now than when I was younger. The job I have now has less free time. And where I live now, it is a longer drive to the range


I still try to go about once or twice a month.

I just recently purchased a Nagant Carbine in PERFECT condition! Has the folding bayonet that's sharper than most knives! It's a real punisher though on the shoulder with some ammo! But it shoots straight and I put a set of these sights on it and it made all the difference in accuracy!:

Mojo Sights

Zindo

Originally posted by ZindoDoone
I just recently purchased a Nagant Carbine in PERFECT condition! Has the folding bayonet that's sharper than most knives! It's a real punisher though on the shoulder with some ammo! But it shoots straight and I put a set of these sights on it and it made all the difference in accuracy!:

Mojo Sights
Zindo

Sounds like you got a fine shooter
Being a carbine, less weight it would have more of a kick. Maybe a kick pad would help. I know that steel butt plate can leave a mark!

reply to post by oldshooter1979


Yup, done dood dat! Sportsmans Guide had a molded rubber butt plate a sling and a cleaning kit for 20 bucks! They still might have some if you need them!

Zindo

Originally posted by ZindoDoone
reply to post by oldshooter1979

 

Yup, done dood dat! Sportsmans Guide had a molded rubber butt plate a sling and a cleaning kit for 20 bucks! They still might have some if you need them!

Zindo

Thanks, I plan to keep it as is. I shoot many old weapons like this. www.abovetopsecret.com...
So I am use to it. Have fun shooting!

aint the surplus ammo corrosive primed? I'd never let that stuff near any gun that I cared about. Especially not something that might one day have collector's value. Too easy to get some corrosion going under the stock, buttplate, or some place else that you miss during cleaning, some emergency, forgetfulness, etc.

Originally posted by wonner
aint the surplus ammo corrosive primed? I'd never let that stuff near any gun that I cared about. Especially not something that might one day have collector's value. Too easy to get some corrosion going under the stock, buttplate, or some place else that you miss during cleaning, some emergency, forgetfulness, etc.

The surplus ammo is corrosive, so cleaning is a must. These weapons are design to be "field stripped" for cleaning. If you plan to shoot a 7.62x54R or 7.65x53 or others like these, then its surplus or the high price Norma ammo. 7.7 or 6.5 JAP can be $50 for a box of 20. Thats high just for a day of shooting..

reply to post by wonner


I had a Mosin and fired some surplus through it and left if over the weekend and did not get to cleaning it until the following Monday. The barrel showed corrosion in the chrome lining. It still fires pretty true but you are right. You got to strip it and clean it after each shoot with that old surplus stuff or it will damage the chrome lining on the barrel.

reply to post by wayouttheredude


Remember they had to clean them in the field, using almost the same ammo we are shooting today. Midway USA has some videos about removing pids, this may help..

Surplus ammo will probably not run out as the 7.62x54R is still used in modern weapons platforms. To stop the corrosion you can use any ammonia based cleaner to neutralize the salts in the primers right after shooting. Pull the bolt out and spray some windex down the barrel after shooting corrisive ammo. As for ammo stocks...these guns are tanks as long as you stay under 20 shots per minute. You can actually start the wooden barrel shroud on fire, and get the receiver so hot you need to eject the shell with a boot due to the metal expanding under high heat. You can toast a spam-can of rounds(440) in a sitting. The M-44 is even more beastly as is the same thing but cut down to carbine size( with added muzzle blast size).

If used like a boom stick, and not a finely crafted rich mans gun, it will all make sence. It's price is so low you don't even feel bad about the abuse either.

Sear Roebuck was selling them by mail order in 1963 for$9.88... I ordered on and 50 rounds of ammo and with sales tax I was charged $13.20.... I went into the retail store, up to the mail order desk paid for it, and out the door to catch a bus home.... How many 13 year old boys can do that today.....It was heavy, loud, and very accurate at targets over 500 yards away... The little carbines were a dime a dozen and a lot of Marines and soldiers were killed by well concealed little men hiding in trees on tops of hills where we always set up our night perimeters.... It freak a lot of guys out that I could remove and disassemble the bolt on one of them and knew the ballistics...

reply to post by hypervigilant

The days of mail order rifles, or shotguns are long gone. My dad has a JC Higgins 20ga. JC Higgins was Sears sporting goods line until I think 1961. I have a Westernfield 20ga, this was Montgomery Wards sporting line. This Mosin Nagant came from Roses for $36.00 The 91/30 now goes for $150.00