Mosin Nagant as a Survival/SHTF Gun?

Question

I am going to purchase a Mosin Nagant. Would it make a good SHTF/Survival gun? Which would be better, a 1891/30 or the M44? I plan on upgrading it e.g. synthetic stock, scout scope, bipod, etc. Please give me some input.

PS: I also plan on buying an SKS....

Answer 1

What are you planning on "surviving".....?

I own more Mosins that I care to admit, have every model including some rarities and shoot them often. They are rugged, simple and robust rifles, but not without some shortcomings.

The Finn M39 Mosin reworks are by far the best MNs and easily on par with the Mauser and Enfeild as the top bolt action rifles of WWII. Nearly all the shortcomings of the Mosin design were fixed by the Finnish Armory....improved trigger group, heavier barrels, better sights, stronger wood stocks. They are the cream of the crop and well worth the investment.

You want to inspect a number of them and select the best one you can find. Look for matching numbers, particularly the bolt and receiver. I have found that a match here is a good indicator of fit and operation.

You also want to check the bore thoroughly, rejecting any visually worn lands in the bores.

Also, check for being 'counterbored'.....that is, the bore has been drilled out from the muzzle for a couple of inches. This was a Soviet 'quick fix' for innacurate rifles that had the crown worn or innacurate. You will most often find M38 carbines counterbored, but any model could have been. A counterbored rifle is not necessarily a bad shooter, but you can bet it's had untold thousands of rounds throgh it.

A mis-matched bolt Mosin should always be checked for headspacing. This is done with a 7.62x54r Go-NoGo gauge. A rifle with too much headspacing can blow hot buring gasses back in your face when firing...... and potentially worse.

All things being equal, get the 91/30 rifle.

While it's a bit longer than the carbines, and it doesn't have that bad-*** folding bayonet (which when shooting is a heavy liability you don't need getting in the way) it is going to be more accurate at range and more pleasurable to shoot. You have a longer sight radius and you can shoot accurately with iron sights to hundreds of yards.

If you have never shot a Mosin, be prepared for some teeth-rattling and shoulder bruising. The 7.62x54R is a powerful rifle round of the old school philosophy and a bit easier to handle in the 91/30 rifle format over the carbines. Get a rubber slip-on butt pad that's sold in sporting goods stores and WalMart, it's a needed accessory, given that skinny metal buttplate on the Mosins.

Please think twice about it before you start over-accessorizing the Mosin, especially if you've get a sweet all matching excellent condition one.

Respect the history....this rifle and the man carrying it helped crush the Nazi empire one bayonet charge at a time in brutal fighting and survival conditions.

They are fine looking and shooting rifles as is.......none of that stuff is really required.

That said, I did build a Mosin Scout on a M44 that I bought damaged and it is a fine hog hunting gun for thick brush and cover. ATI stock (that was worked on a lot to free float it), Darrell's Scout Mount, LER scope and a custom machined muzzle break that replaced the entire 'front site and bayo assembly. It's light, handy to bring on target and damn hard-hitting. It is not a setup for over 100 yards though.

Be very careful....some of the scope mounts sold are just junk.

Sorry for the length....I could go on for hours. Please write me via my email in my profile with any more questions.

For a SHTF gun, the SKS is better.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Modernized Mosin Nagant

Answer 4

2

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Mosin Nagant as a Survival/SHTF Gun?
I am going to purchase a Mosin Nagant. Would it make a good SHTF/Survival gun? Which would be better, a 1891/30 or the M44? I plan on upgrading it e.g. synthetic stock, scout scope, bipod, etc. Please give me some input.

Answer 6

I have a few M44's and one 91/30. I would say definitely get the 91/30. It has a longer barrel, feels more balanced and lighter - the spike bayonet on the M44 is cumbersome. My 91/30 has the best trigger in my collection, but the accuracy is only decent. I recommend looking at some Mausers also. The 8mm is cheaper and the actions are so much smoother. Plus you won't have to deal with the rimmed cartridge which need to be overlapped from top to bottom in the magazine or stripper clips for them to feed properly when you cycle the bolt. It is easy to learn to load manually, but an annoyance and keeps the stripper clips from working most of the time.

If you really are set on a Mosin, the nicest ones IMHO are the Finnish Winter War converted Russian captures: The M39... which were selected for accuracy and restocked by the Fins... Mine is superbly accurate with anything but crappy surplus COM-BLOCK 7.62x54R. The best thing abou these is that the Finns only used the ones that proved accurate to abou t 1.3 MOA at 100 yards, which gives you piece of mind since it is luck of the draw as far as trigger weight and accuracy with old surplus rifles even if the bore looks good.

For a longer range survival rifle, I guess these are ok if you get one for under a hundred dollars or under $200 for a M39, but there are other rifles that are a lot lighter / handier and allow for much quicker follow-up shots and use more modern calibers. When you are looking at these pick them up an shoulder them... compare to something more modern. The old guns are cool, but feel like huge overweight pieces of wood and steel.

If you want a customized modernized Mosin, check out the already converted models at various online relics dealers. You can probably buy one already in a synthetic stock with scope mount, chopped barrel, bent bolt handle, etc... for less money and work than it would take to do it yourself.

http://www.centerfiresystems.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1066

http://www.centerfiresystems.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=543

http://www.centerfiresystems.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1031

http://www.centuryarms.biz/categories.asp?cat=66

Answer 7

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Answer 8

If you are looking for a SHTF rifle why are you even looking at Mosin Nagants or SKS's ? Look for rifles chambered in the most readily available ammunition there is available namely either a .308 (7.62x51), .223 (5.56x45) or 22LR. Very few shops even stock 7.62x54 Rimmed and the surplus 7.62 Soviet round is dried up. If you have room for additional rifles after that then and only then would I consider the old Russian rifles.

Answer 9

I have the M44, it is a very good rifle, the longer one would probably be better, I also have a Russian SKS..... both are great and very accurate, ammo is dirt cheap for both and can be found at any gun shop, I pay $20 for 100 rounds on each of the 2 weapons..... you can also get ammo from Federal and Wolf. I would leave both weapons wood stock, you could scope them.... the wood looks more classic.....

Answer 10

A good survival gun would be a semi-automatic of a readily available ammunition type. If you want a good survival gun why don't you spend a just a couple hundred dollars extra and get an AK-47 instead of the SKS. The AK shoots the same ammo as the SKS, is lighter, easier to operate and is A LOT more reliable. If you're still thinking about the SKS you have obviously never tried to reload one.