Old rifles at the SAR Show...

[Slater]

I'm kind of an old milsurp buff and picked these Mosin-Nagants up today at the SAR Show. Top one is a 1933-dated M91/30, manufactured at Tula. Somewhat oddly, it has an almost mint bore. Under that is a 1946-dated, Izhevsk-manufactured M44 carbine in unissued condition. Both of them together set me back $180, so I'm happy :D


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/pb57/HPIM0837.jpg

[Iraqgunz]

Slater,

What was your impression of the show? Was there alot of stuff there? I am thinking about sending my wife there tomorrow or Sunday to make some straw purchases for me. :D

[Slater]

I got there early and left around 1 PM. It actually wasn't as crowded as I had anticipated but that may have been because it was a work day (I scheduled a vacation day for today).

Lots of AR's and components and for some reason a whole lot of SKS's of various flavors (prices on those seemed to range from $350 to $450). I saw a stack of GI 30-round mags for $20 each and didn't see any P-Mags, although I didn't visit all the tables.

The SAR building was nice, with the usual plethora of weapons. I don't know if you're familiar with J&G Sales, but they were sold clean out of AK's and didn't know when they would be getting more.

I guess you could sum it up by saying that prices weren't as bad as they could have been, but they're definitely headed upwards. Still, a decent show overall.

[TOrrock]

Nice Mosins!

[Gentoo]

I'd like to get myself one of those old Mosins just because.

Any tips on buying one? I don't want to get anything that is in unsafe condition to shoot.

[Slater]

The great majority of Mosins on the market nowadays are ones that have been factory refurbished, so they're generally going to be in good shape. Bore condition varies but is usually in the Good to VG range.

It never hurts to get a headspace check done, but make sure that the one you buy has matching serial numbers on the receiver and bolt (although most also have matching s/n's on the mag floor plate and butt plate as well). I've never had a headspace issue with ones in this category.

If you buy one of the M44 carbines, be aware that the weapon is designed to be most accurate with the bayonet extended. Firing with the bayonet folded will usually result in a different point of impact.

Mosins are plentiful and relatively cheap these days. I wouldn't pay any more than $120 for an M91/30 (with all accessories) or, say, more than $150 for an M44. Both of those prices presume overall VG-excellent condition. For the rarer variants (Tula M44's, 1941-dated Tula M91/30's, Polish M44's, "MO"-stamped guns, etc.) prices may be considerably higher if the seller realizes the collector value of what he has.

Most Russian-produced Mosins will be either from Tula arsenal (with a star marking stamped on the receiver) or Izhevsk (with a wreath marking). Both are identical in form and function, but the Tulas are a bit more sought after simply because they were made in smaller production numbers and the star just looks cooler than the wreath :D

[g5m]

Nice rifles there.

[Gentoo]

Thanks for the info. :) I'm off to the gun show today, hopefully everyone is more interested in 5.56 ammo and $2k ARs than old Soviet rifles...

[g5m]

There were some absolutely gorgeous K31's there, too. One presentation rifle with perfect bluing and wood in the SAR building.

[Gunrider]

I heard al modern AR type rifles sold out on Friday. There was only parts left today. Sunday should be a ghost town.