For some reason,I keep hearing people say to get a 91/30 as a first Mosin, maybe because the M44 is supposed to recoil harder or something, not sure, but one thing that disappoints me about the 91/30 when I went to a gun showis that the stock is thinner at the forearm, whereas the M44 was thicker, providing a firmer grip, I saw a M44 at Gander Mtn, a gun store in Knoxville, but the M44 had a very weird action, that jams sometimes, and would take alot of practise to get the hang of.
You sorta' have to put pressure and palm the bolt-handle to smoothly operate it.

The cool thing about the M44 is the way the bayonet folds side-ways, which I'm sure you noticed.