To keep or not to keep, that is the question. Dated/Older Rifles.

[Ozzman]

Personally I'd sell the mosins. Not my thing.

Based on this comment, you never caught "Mosin-itis". lol

For those of us who did, we all know how quickly it spreads through the safe.
As for me, I have been recovering for the past 10 years.

All kidding aside, Tank they are your rifles; do as you wish.
Keep, sell, trade, or shoot - it is all good.

 

[zackmars]

Based on this comment, you never caught "Mosin-itis". lol

For those of us who did, we all know how quickly it spreads through the safe.
As for me, I have been recovering for the past 10 years.

All kidding aside, Tank they are your rifles; do as you wish.
Keep, sell, trade, or shoot - it is all good.

Had it when they were $80.


It got hard to be interested in them when you could get a Mauser for the same price, or an m1 from the CMP for a few hundred more

 

[rotor]

People telling you to sell are waiting to buy them. Keep them all.

 

[Tank]

Had it when they were $80.


It got hard to be interested in them when you could get a Mauser for the same price, or an m1 from the CMP for a few hundred more

That's interesting you brought up the M1, this also came with the inheritance. He had it listed as a M1 Carbine. Again, I know squat about these type of older units. I don't see many markings on it except on the barrel and top "barely." Barrel says " Blue Sky / Arlington, VA" and on top "US Carbine Cal 80" ?

I thought the M1 Garand was a lot longer, although it does sat Carbine on it which would make sense it being so short.

I know Doc had some military experience and stories around them illuded to some kind of Russian capture...and he had quite a few metals/commendations from his service. He had some surgery at my hospital and I was there in recovery when he woke up from anesthesia. He kept telling me "I didn't tell them anything." It was a weird experience. He would never talk about it when I brought it up however. Who knows what people went through back during the war(s)...

 

[zackmars]

That's interesting you brought up the M1, this also came with the inheritance. He had it listed as a M1 Carbine. Again, I know squat about these type of older units. I don't see many markings on it except on the barrel and top "barely." Barrel says " Blue Sky / Arlington, VA" and on top "US Carbine Cal 80" ?

I thought the M1 Garand was a lot longer, although it does sat Carbine on it which would make sense it being so short.

I know Doc had some military experience and stories around them illuded to some kind of Russian capture...and he had quite a few metals/commendations from his service. He had some surgery at my hospital and I was there in recovery when he woke up from anesthesia. He kept telling me "I didn't tell them anything." It was a weird experience. He would never talk about it when I brought it up however. Who knows what people went through back during the war(s)...

Not as valuable as a "normal" ie non import marked carbine, but should make for an excellent shooter, unless it's one where they used Thor's hammer to put the marks in.


The Garand is a lot longer, and heavier. Top markings on the carbine should say "U.S. CARBINE, CAL. .30 M1" chambered in .30 carbine, and it is roughly equivalent to .357 magnum out of a revolver.


The garand is... A little different

 

[Tank]

Not as valuable as a "normal" ie non import marked carbine, but should make for an excellent shooter, unless it's one where they used Thor's hammer to put the marks in.


The Garand is a lot longer, and heavier. Top markings on the carbine should say "U.S. CARBINE, CAL. .30 M1" chambered in .30 carbine, and it is roughly equivalent to .357 magnum out of a revolver.


The garand is... A little different

View attachment 340535

There we go Zach, that's exactly what I was thinking the Garand should look like. Thanks for the reference. If it was a Garand, I think I would keep it. But my wife's uncle flipped out when he saw the carbine; stating he has been looking for an original one for years so gonna just give it to him.

 

[popsgarland]

Would you, please, post a full picture of the SKS?

Mine is a Chinese, all numbers match, made in 1955 and is 000,000,000,004 out of 400,000,000,000.

It also has the blade bayonet, the spike bayonet came later, and is set up for the RPG. and shoots the 7.62x39

 

[Tank]

Would you, please, post a full picture of the SKS?

Mine is a Chinese, all numbers match, made in 1955 and is 000,000,000,004 out of 400,000,000,000.

It also has the blade bayonet, the spike bayonet came later, and is set up for the RPG. and shoots the 7.62x39

Pops, per your request. This one has the spike. I had a blade bayonet one but sold it recently to my boss at work.

 

[popsgarland]

Pops, per your request. This one has the spike. I had a blade bayonet one but sold it recently to my boss at work.

Thanks.
Yours is newer than mine and isn't set up for the RPG.

I paid $600.00 for mine from one of our members 9 - 10 months ago. I Googled it and the price was in line with what they were selling for at that time.

You can Google SKS COST with your SERIAL NUMBER and look at what was brought up. There will be pictures and manufacturers. It should pull up the manufacturer for your serial number. It will tell you what year it was made and you can also find out what they are selling for.

Here again, If I were you, I would keep it and shoot ti.

Do what you need to do and keep us informed.

 

[Mohawk600]

keep them all..............or give them away here.

 

[Laufer]

My pair of MN 44s acquired in 2008 shot terrible groups. I used a soft benchrest.
Approx. 6-8" groups at 50 yards using Bulgarian surplus ammo, and either the muzzles or the rifling must have been corroded / over - scrubbed etc.

The Chinese SKS in the photo, the extremely widespread 'commercial-military' version (SKSboards), appears to have the Soft choa wood.

This is much softer than what they put on the Chinese Type 56 military SKS which US importers received from Albania or Slovenia ('Third-Country Chinese imports') about seven years ago.

My Chinese SKS with choa was extremely reliable and durable, but This wood is easy to cut, scratch, scrape - and I try to 'Baby' my guns.

 

[Ozzman]

My pair of MN 44s acquired in 2008 shot terrible groups. I used a soft benchrest.
Approx. 6-8" groups at 50 yards using Bulgarian surplus ammo, and either the muzzles or the rifling must have been corroded / over - scrubbed etc.

Were you using light ball (147 gr) or heavy ball (182 gr) Bulgarian ammo?
If you want to tighten the groups you may need to try different loads to see what it likes the most.
Bulgarian ammo (especially HB) is definitely no slouch and recoil is stout coming out of an M44. You will find the POI change with different types of surplus.

Understand that these rifles were quickly machined, quickly slapped together, packaged, and thrown out into the frontline. The Russians were losing the war in the early part of the 1940's, thus refined metal work and precision craftsmanship was put on the back burner during production... they needed a rifle that would spit rounds towards the enemy, and if that meant 6-8" groups so be it. Minute of Man was the game for many of these rifles, so don't expect sub MOA on most Russian military surplus.

 

[Laufer]

Ozzman:
my MNs have been gone for about ten-twelve years.

My 7.62x54R ammo back then was in the small paper wrappers, in the extremely common dusty gray cans (with metal strip) surplus.

 

[XLR8R]

Thoughts on washing cosmoline off Mosin-Nagant to install Archangel furniture?

 

[candcallen]

Don't bastardize milsurps. You'll goto hell.

 

[Ozzman]

Honestly, it's your rifle... do what makes you happy.
Just don't sell or lose the parts that you take off. The rifle (future value) is always worth more with the original hardware.

IMO, the Archangel stock isn't that great. It looks "cool" but doesn't change the shooting experience by much. For the price, you could buy another Mosin, lol. I say go for it, and experience it for yourself.

 

[XLR8R]

Strikes me as a poor man's 308...

 

[zackmars]

Thoughts on washing cosmoline off Mosin-Nagant to install Archangel furniture?

If you like going to hell, yes

 

[zackmars]

Strikes me as a poor man's 308...

A savage axis or ruger American is a poor mans .308

 

[Ozzman]

Strikes me as a poor man's 308...

With an Archangel stock, yes I agree... the rifle looks very cheap.

However, left alone and in original condition, it's a historic WWII battle rifle.
Lots of us appreciate Milsurp firearms for this ^^^.
The rifle is older than most of us here. If it could; imagine the stories it would tell.

I agree with Zachmars here, if you want to have a poor man's .308; nab yourself a Savage Axis or a Mossberg 100 ATR.
There are better .308 rifles available today that look and perform exceptionally.