adam11082

I have a M44 that I got earlier this year, and finally got to fire it this week. What a sweet gun. The 7.62x54r packs a hell of a punch. I'm just curious if any of you guys have hunted with one, and what you have taken with it?

Thanks

Doe Dumper

Several millions Germans would agree with you on the punch part

eldeguello

It is slightly more powerful than the .308 Win., more like a .30/'06. It will kill anything an '06 will kill. I'd use 150-grain softpoints on deer, 180 or 200-grainers for bigger stuff.

driftrider

Well...um...if you say so.

I would describe them as "crude but effective."

A .378 Weatherby Mag packs a hell of a punch. The 7.62x54R just FEELS like it does with the light carbine rifle, with the crudely designed stock and steel butt plate. It's loud as hell too. I used to have one, but decided a long time ago that having one good rifle is better than having 10 cheap, Soviet surplus rifles that have long since passed their prime.

It's about the same as the .308 Win, though not quite as powerful as the .30-06. With the Mosin-Nagant M44 carbine and it's short barrel, you'll be lucky if actual velocity is the same as a .308 with the same weight bullet. That being said, it certainly is enough gun for deer, but with the crude open sights (and short sight radius), the fact that a scope cannot be mounted without significant gunsmithing (WHY?), and that accuracy can be literally hit-or-miss, I'd limit my shots to 100 yards or less. I've heard of some Nagant's that shoot very well, but I've personally witnessed a dozen or so that would not (including both my M44 and M1891 rifle). Both mine were doing great if they shot 4" groups at 100 yards from the bench. Good enough for deer, but just barely.

I'm really not trying to rip on you. The Mosin Nagants are very inexpensive and decent "fun guns" when fed a diet of cheap surplus ammo, but if you really want a good hunting rifle, I'd save a little money over time and invest in a nice little Savage 10/110 rifle (7mm-08 or .270 Win would both be great choices) and scope. It'll serve you much better than all the M44's in the world.

Good luck,

Mike

adam11082

Actually, you are wrong about the mounting of a scope. They have scope mounts that tie in directly with the rear site with no gunsmithing what-so-ever. There is a guy at the range shooting groups in less than 2 inches at 150yards. Thats good enough for just about any game.

I know they are cheap "fun guns". For a 60+ year old rifle, they shoot pretty damn straight. I'm shooting3 inch groups at 75 yards with open sites. I like the idea of taking an animal with a weapon that has so much history, thats why I started this post. I have a .308, .300, 30-30 and 30-06. All are great guns, but lack the history my M44 has.

Passafist

I just picked one of these up yesterday for $50 and it's stamped "Made in Russia, 1924." I intend to change it to a monte carlo stock, add the sniper style bent bolt and add a scope to it and turn it into a brush rifle. Do a search on "Lil Black Beauty Mosin Nagant" and let me know how yours turn out. As for ammo, I picked up some Wolf 124 grain FMJBT that touts 2855fps/muzzle from ammoman. I think it's going to be a neat little project rifle. (Remember, getting there is half the fun. I love the journey sometimes MORE than the destination.)

Here are a couple of pics of sporterized Mosin's:

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2544/mosindesertcamocl3.jpg

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/1949/lilblackbeautyvb7.jpg

driftrider

I was going to say something really nasty, but in the interest of not degenerating this thread to petty bickering over the "merits" of cheaply mass produced surplus Soviet peasant conscript battle rifles, I will refrain.

What I will say is that if you want to spend money on a custom rifle, there are MUCH better actions out there to base it on. If you MUST have a rifle with "history" (like a history of being the historic arm of choice for Communist peasant conscripts poorly trained to use it to kill Americans), I'd strongly suggest you look for either one of the various Mausers or a '03-A3 Springfield. The '03's are not so cheap anymore, but good Mauser 98K rifles can still be found at great prices, as well as the occasional M93 Spanish Mausers and M96 Swedes.

Mike

Dougk

I have no use for the gun andI unfortunately sell them working part time in an outdoor store. In handling them, I find them extremely crude, ugly, and a real club.

can't imagine how anyone would want one, and certainly how one could actually want to carry one afield especially considering there are much better choices.

a real piece of junk

adam11082

Oh, I'm sorry I forgot what forum I was on. Half the guys on here have to over compensate with a $1000 dollar gun because they can't please their wives in bed. Thank you for your smart a$$ remarks.

So, if there is anyone who actually has taken game with their Mosins, I would love to hear about it.

eldeguello

My son-in-law has shot deer with his, but I have not. I am still working on trying to get it to stay on paper at 100 yards. I don't know if the problem is the rifle, or the fact that I just can't use the sights effectively. I've just glass-bedd34ed the thing, but haven't tested it since glassing it. A scope might help. I see that the Weaver M71 Winchester side mount base will fit the M/N receiver. It would onlybe a matter of drilling & tapping four 6/48 holes, and buying one of those bolt bodies with the already-bent handle. With that, I can use the same bolt head, sriker, spring, guide rib, etc., that is in the present bolt, and swithc back to "as issued" if I want. The receiver holes can't reduce the value much, since it has no value to begin with...... I have six or eight older scopes just lying around looking for a rifle to go onto.

The "crudeness" of the M/N comes from wartime manufacture, and is not as apparent on ones made during peacetime. The same thing happens to the equipment of most countries when the stresses of war influence them. There are some pretty sorry excuses for Mausers out there too!

The M/N's wood/metal fit is often very sloppy, and I really don't know what that wood is, but it is quite soft! Many M/N stocks are soaked with some grease like Cosmoline, or some machine oil. This makes them even softer!

The Mosin/Nagant is basically a gooddesign, and if it were executed with a little care as to fit and finish, the result could be quite pleasing.

An interesting side note is that the U.S. Wolfhounds Infantry Regiment was rearmed with Mosin/Nagants when they were sent to fight the Bolsheviks at Vladivostock right after WWI. This was so they could use captured ammunition, if necessary. I believe the rifles issued to them were from the supplies of such rifles made by Remington, Winchester, and New England Westinghouse during WWI under contract to the Czar, but which were never shipped to Russia due to the Bolshevik coup...... This U.S. -made bunch are among the nicest M/N's ever made.

(A scaled-down M/N military rifle, complete with functioning miniature ammo, was made for Czar Nicholas II's son Alexis. I don't know what caliber it was, but I have seen pictures of the rifle and the ammo. I'll bet that piece is worth a king's ransom - or perhaps a Czar's ransom, today!) As far as "custom" rifles are concerned, I don't beieve any other cartridge than the 7.62X54R,or one made from a necked up-or necked down 54R case, could ever be used in in that action. It's magazine is "custom fitted" to hold and feed that particular case configuration, and could not be made to work with anything else w/o costing as much as making a new receiver!

BTW, the M1895 Winchester lever action rifle was available chambered for the 7.62X54R cartridge at one time.