Mosin Nagant 91/30 7.65x54R

[jb142]

Anyone have any experience with 91/30? Are they good rifles? I've got one I've had for a long time that I've never shot Thinking about thinning the herd and wondering if it's worth keeping.

 

[thunderchicken]

Depends on your definition of a "good rifle". Certainly their simplicity makes them incredibly reliable. Many were made during war times and probably don't have the most accuracy or smoothest actions and some have a trigger pull that's like yanking a cannon lanyard, but it will go bang and send rounds down range.
Used to be really cheap to buy and shoot but importing reg's and ammo supplies have driven costs up to a point where there are probably better options for close to the same money.
They are fun to shoot and if you have one, you should go shoot it and see how you feel about it then.

 

[Bombryder]

Anyone have any experience with 91/30? Are they good rifles? I've got one I've had for a long time that I've never shot Thinking about thinning the herd and wondering if it's worth keeping.

Been around plenty of them. Some are good shooters and others not so much. If its an all numbers matching rifle, I'd hold on to it because any milsurp is about good as gold right now in value. Only going to go up as time passes.

 

[92FSTech]

They call it the "garbage rod" for a reason . The bolts on many get sticky after a few rounds, sights are mediocre, ergos not so great. Compared to other milsurps from the same era, they leave quite a bit to be desired from an ergonomics and shootability perspective. You might get lucky and get an accurate one...you might not. They were a great deal when you could get them for $69...but for $3-500, there are better options out there. I've picked up an SMLE and a semi-sporterized Remington 03A3 in the past 3 months, both within that price range, and both are significantly nicer rifles than a Mosin.

The Mosin-Nagant was a great rifle for arming an uneducated conscript army by a government that was willing to throw men and gear into battle knowing that most of those men and their equipment would never be coming back. It's simple, it's rugged, and it works. But as a result it's a lot less refined than it's counterparts. IMO you should at least shoot it before you decide to get rid of it...it's a cool piece of history, and letting that thing thump you in the shoulder will give you an appreciation for what Russian soldiers had to use to stop the Nazis 80+ years ago.

 

[knutty]

Ive got a crazy idea....you could go shoot it and see for yourself?

Some are good shooters, some aren't.

 

[johntheplinker]

A lot is going to determine whether it is worth keeping or not, and value. First is what model and where was it made, then go from there.

And yes, there are a few people here who know a little bit about them.

 

[shadow64]

Definitely go shoot it before you make any decisions . With the prices I would probably keep it for a while and see if it goes up any more. I bought my first one for $69 and sold it for $200 a while ago .

 

[kennedy759]

check if its all matching. sometimes the russians in the field would get a pot of kerosene heated up and everyone would throw their bolt in to clean, they sometimes did not get back to the right gun. check if its Finnish marked (sa), the finns made some very accurate guns made from captured or purchased russian receivers.

 

[LarryC]

It is probably the most reliable firearm you own! It was designed (and works) to be used by peasants that had never seen or fired a rifle. It is also one of the roughest operating rifles made, and requires the least maintenance. They also kick like Hexx, I have added rubber pads to several of mine (and I am normally recoil sensitive).

I purchased several when they were cheap (well under $100 /each). Accuracy of most I have shot were 2 MOA, about like most military rifles. Some of the bolts require a smart blow from the palm of your hand to release! BUT they ALWAYS WORK. I think you could run over them with a tank and they would still fire.

I see a lot of them being used in the Alaska reality shows - they were cheap, reliable and worked in temperatures below -50F, and accurate enough to take caribou, seals etc., the round is also slightly more powerful than the 30-06.

Ammo has really increased in cost - as has most other ammo. I purchased a lot when it was cheap so no worries.

Prices keep increasing on them, don't know when it will stop.

 

[two70]

I see a lot of them being used in the Alaska reality shows - they were cheap, reliable and worked in temperatures below -50F, and accurate enough to take caribou, seals etc., the round is also slightly more powerful than the 30-06.

Did you mean .308? The .30-06 will produce a minimum of about 150 fps more velocity than the x54r at every bullet weight and closer to 250 fps in some.

 

[Mgderf]

Did you mean .308? The .30-06 will produce a minimum of about 150 fps more velocity than the x54r at every bullet weight and closer to 250 fps in some.

The Mosin Nagant is widely known as the Russian .30-06

 

[Mgderf]

Anyone have any experience with 91/30? Are they good rifles? I've got one I've had for a long time that I've never shot Thinking about thinning the herd and wondering if it's worth keeping.

Where are you located in the state.
Many of us here would be willing to join you for a shooting session.
I can bring my 91/30 and my T53 (Chinese version of the M44).

 

[Tombs]

They were good at $50-75. Now unless you're interested in them for historic reasons, I would strongly suggest passing.

If you're interested in a mosin yet want a properly refined one that doesn't feel like a $50-75 rifle, open your wallet and prepare to bend over for a finnish mosin.

If you're wanting a rifle for the sake of a rifle, I don't think it's worth putting up with sticky bolts, the hilarious trigger mechanism, and the standard for accuracy of rifles of that era.

As for holding onto it... Well, do your research on your gun and determine what the market rate is. Gun broker is helpful for seeing what the market says. If it's a remotely desirable model, it's only going to go up in value over time. There's almost never a good time to sell a firearm like that, because in a few years it'll be worth almost double what it is today.

 

[two70]

The Mosin Nagant is widely known as the Russian .30-06

Sure, but the 7.62x54r is not as powerful as, let alone more powerful than the 06.

 

[92FSTech]

Yes, the .30-06 cartridge has potential to be loaded for better performance than the 7.62x54R. However, in practice it's not that simple. The 91/30 has a barrel length of just under 29", while the M1 Garand and the 1903A3 were only 24". Also, the M1 is limited in what it can be fed due to its gas system and op-rod design. Finally, the .30-06 M2 Ball round issued during WWII was downloaded from it's maximum potential due to safety concerns with existing range facilities.

So when you look at the numbers on paper, during the time period that these rounds were actually employed through the weapons they were designed for, a Russian soldier shooting a Mosin actually had a ballistic advantage of about 180fps over a GI with an M1 (roughly 2880 vs 2700, although these numbers vary a bit depending on the source) shooting a similar (147 vs 150gr) bullet weight. Practically speaking, though, they were close enough that the differences were negligible, and I'd still rather have the M1!

 

[Bluedragon]

Anyone have any experience with 91/30? Are they good rifles? I've got one I've had for a long time that I've never shot Thinking about thinning the herd and wondering if it's worth keeping.

I recently sought out another one on here because i missed the ones i sold/traded off. They're a lot of fun to plink with and even more so while using stripper clips imo. I also like the screw on rubber buttpad that significantly tames the recoil even with hot surplus loads. Definitely worth keeping too if you like wwii stuff.

 

[2in1evtime]

Well there fun to shoot, if you got in on the cheap ammo even so much more, the carbines have a real fireball coming out when you shoot them and adds to the excitement!!!!! and they make nice corner decorations through out the house

 

[johntheplinker]

Hey, why don't you post up a few pics and we can tell you exactly what you've got. You said its a 91/30 but there's over a dozen variations of that model and value and rarity can differ wildly.

 

[Leo]

They are clunky, like a 100 year old farm implement. On the other had, I got one that had an armory rebuild and had a TIKKA barrel with a true .308 barrel. It shot really well with reloads using quality bullets. Still felt like a farm tool that was abandoned in an old barn, but the target groupings looked pretty good.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

They are clunky, like a 100 year old farm implement. On the other had, I got one that had an armory rebuild and had a TIKKA barrel with a true .308 barrel. It shot really well with reloads using quality bullets. Still felt like a farm tool that was abandoned in an old barn, but the target groupings looked pretty good.

Hey, we all get a little clunky as we get older!