mil-surp rifles ?

[nightrunner]

could someone give me a quick run-down on the common milsurp rifles? like the mosin, mauser, and the swiss rifle (fires a 7.5 swiss round)

saw a few racks of them at the outpost yesterday and all that i saw were less then $200. in my mind $200 for a quality rifle is CHEAP. only reason i didnt get one is because i didnt know what i was getting and like to do my research first. what models do i need to look for? certain features to look for ?

thanks for any help

[TripleDigitRide]

Don't let the <$200 price tag scare you away. The Swiss K31's are getting more difficult to find these days, especially for a decent price.

I'm no expert, but according to the research I've done, the K31's are supposed to be some of the most accurate milsurp rifles out there. In that price range anyway.

The K31 is a little more expensive to shoot than the Mosin, and the ammo isn't always as easy to find.

I have a Mosin that I picked up online for less than $80, and 300 rounds of ammo for another $75. Locally, I've seen them anywhere from $100-$130.

My boss picked up a K31 from The Outpost, and he's very happy with it.

I don't know anything about the Mausers, so Ill be no help there.

[nightrunner]

is there anything in particular i need to look for on the K31 swiss?

thanks for the help

[gtssilver]

I had a yugo mauser till a few weeks ago. It was a great gun but I needed funds to finish a build. The only down side was soon after I bought it the surplus ammo started to dry up and got really expensive. I had purchased 2 thousand rounds and shot 1100+ with only 1 hickup that turned out to be my fault.

I have not had a K31 or a mosin or even shot one but I have never really read anything negative about them.

[towerclimber37]

In my opinion, any one of these rifles are great rifles! Ammo for the 8mm mauser can be had if you know where to look...most of the cheaper ammo is corrosive so you'll have to give your rifle a bath after shooting and THEN clean it...but this isn't so bad when you consider how much you paid for it.

The Swiss K-31 is an excellent rifle and to the best of my knowledge, the only ammunition that the swiss government makes for it is match grade ammunition.

One of the things to look for is to ensure that the weapon is in good working order, not too worn. ensure the stock is in good condition..it's my understanding that it seconded for a hammer to pound tent stakes when one wasn't available.

The Mosin Nagant? very cheap. accuracy is within a "minute of man" and they're lots of fun to shoot!

again, as with all rifles like this, pick the one that is the least worn and has the best furniture...sometimes these things aren't going to be on the same rifle. Therein lies the fun!

the more you learn, the more fun you'll have collecting and shooting them.

hope I helped in some small way.

[nightrunner]

thanks for all the help guys

can anybody tell me the difference between the mosin M44 and the mosin 91/30?

[Bigiron]

Go to surplusrifle.com. A wealth of information lies therein. Of all my surplus rifles, The K31 is my favorite. Next is my mauser with many German markings. In Mosins, a 91/30 round top receiver in standard wood, and laminated. An M38 Mosin with an actual M38 stock(most have a M44 stock with the groove for bayonet. An M44 Mosin in standard wood, and laminated. A Mosin 91/30 with Hex shaped receiver. A Yugo 8MM Mauser model 24, and a model 48. A Japanese rifle of which the model number escapes me at the moment is also inexpensive. Todd, at FamilyFirearms & Finishing is a good place to buy, as he will not sell anything that he would not keep in his own collection. He is slightly more expensive that Aim, S&G, etc., but his rifles are hand picked. Most rare surplus rifles are in the hands of collectors and rarely appear on the market. If you haven't applied for a C&R license($30.00), I would recommend doing so. Enjoy.

[Bigiron]

thanks for all the help guys

can anybody tell me the difference between the mosin M44 and the mosin 91/30?

The M44 is the short(carbine) version of the 91/30. The M38 is a M44 without a bayonet.

[nightrunner]

thanks

[Guest Astra900]

I don't mind starting trouble with this statement, cuz it's true:

If you ain't got a Mosin, Mauser, Enfield, or equivalent mil surp, your war chest is incomplete, and I question your manhood. IT should be your next investment.

Personally I prefer the Mauser, but with the state of ammo, I'd recommend the Mosin any day.

[nightrunner]

care to give me a larger(more complete) name for the enfield, so i can look it up

[Garufa]

I don't mind starting trouble with this statement, cuz it's true:

If you ain't got a Mosin, Mauser, Enfield, or equivalent mil surp, your war chest is incomplete, and I question your manhood. IT should be your next investment.

Personally I prefer the Mauser, but with the state of ammo, I'd recommend the Mosin any day.

That war chest is incomplete without an M1 Garand or M1 Carbine, not to mention Springfields or M1917's, which I don't mention because they are bolt guns like the Mauser, Enfield, etc.

[Garufa]

care to give me a larger(more complete) name for the enfield, so i can look it up

SMLE (Short Magazine Lee-Enfield). Are several variations, but most common are: No. 1, Mark III (WWI) and No. 4, Mark 1 (WWII) however both were widely used and manufactured in WWII and for some time thereafter.

[GLOCKMEISTER]

right now we have plenty of Mosins... very clean... cash gets them for $150 out the door.

[mousegunner]

Plus one on going to Collecting and Shooting the Military Surplus Rifle (2006) - Surplusrifle.com Go there and read everything.

Personally, I like surplus military rifles. I've had several Mosins and SKS rifles. Never had a Mauser (yet). They are full of character!

[PirateQui]

I don't mind starting trouble with this statement, cuz it's true:

If you ain't got a Mosin, Mauser, Enfield, or equivalent mil surp, your war chest is incomplete, and I question your manhood. IT should be your next investment.

Personally I prefer the Mauser, but with the state of ammo, I'd recommend the Mosin any day.

I've got a Mauser, Enfield, and M1 carbine.. am I good?

[Guest Astra900]

I've got a Mauser, Enfield, and M1 carbine.. am I good?

Just the three? Well, I guess we can bend the rules and let you have a basic membership. You'll have to do better if you want to upgrade to platinum club:D:D:D J/K

I have had 2 M1 carbines, both were clunkers. I'd really like to have a good one. What kind do you have?

[Guest joeharris]

If you are looking for a real German Mauser, be ready to cough up some cash. Russian captures will avg $350. at a show and usually in rough shape and never matching.

The M-44 is slowly getting rare, and you can usually get one at a show for $160. but prices have gone up on all, you can sometimes find a mint 91/57 which was a 91/30 but cut down to the size of an M-44 in 57, i got one mint last yr. these are sometimes hard to find.

Any Mosin is a good rifle and some are almost mint, but they all kick like hell, especially with the heavy ball, most people can only shoot 4-5 rounds out of a M-44 before their shoulder gives out.

The biggest prob. on all Mosins is the safety, which is impossible to use, which the russians never did, the bolt action is awkward comped to a mauser, but once used to it it is OK!

I have a M-44, 91/30,91/57,m-48, and 2 Enfields of which ammo is getting exp. and hard to find, at least the good stuff.

Best wishes!

PS. The Enfield was the fastest bolt action ever made, but a good one will cost some coin!

[clarky07]

PS. The Enfield was the fastest bolt action ever made, but a good one will cost some coin!

Germans didn't think they were shooting bolt action rifles. That's how fast they were. lol.

I have the mosin and the enfield. still working on a mauser. is that worth a basic membership too?

[hkusp40cal]

I have been looking for a collector grade k98 and those are getting up there in price, last I have seen were $500+. Wish I had purchased when they were cheap.

[Guest joeharris]

I did get really lucky last yr. and found a NIB Enfield Irish Contract 1954 with Bay. and Leather sling for $500. OTD in GA. These have been going for $1000.+ avg. Just had been out of the Mummy-wrap a week! This was 100% mint!

Alledgedly these were the best ever made.

[Guest Revelator]

Just ordered a Swiss K31 from Samco. It'll be my first milsurp.

[Guest Spuds]

you can sometimes find a mint 91/57 which was a 91/30 but cut down to the size of an M-44 in 57, i got one mint last yr. these are sometimes hard to find.

Thinking you mean M91/59, and they were cut down from M91 rifles as well as M91/30s. Interesting carbines.

Soviet M91/59

[canadienmike]

The first rifle I bought was an Enfield, No4 Mk2 .303 British. Love it. High on my list for next mil surp rifle is a German K98. Sad story...when I was young I remember my dad had a German K98 sniper that his brother had brought back from the war that dad used for hunting. He gave up hunting as he got older and gave the rifle to a relative who used it a bit and then sold it. Ahhhh....I REALLY wanted that rifle.

[Guest joeharris]

Thinking you mean M91/59, and they were cut down from M91 rifles as well as M91/30s. Interesting carbines.

Soviet M91/59

Yes, that is what i meant 91/59!

Thank's Spuds