Which WW2 Surplus Rifle?
#31
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: west central wi USA
Posts: 2,242
i need to appologize for my rant last week.i do like my old surplus rifles that are worth shooting.i bought a m1917 remington enfield,already sporterized for 75.00,just the barreled action.i got it home and cleaned it up and guess what?i gotta 300 h&h,it had been barreled and never finished.i had it checked out by 2 gunsmiths and they said shoot it so im gonna stock it and give it a try.not bad for 75.00
#32
Typical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Buffalo, WY
Posts: 992
#33
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Marriottsville, Maryland
Posts: 1,058
I recently talked to an employee who works for James River Armory at our AGC range at Marriottsville {they test fire restored military rifles there}...and he told me that parts for some guns are drying up.
#34
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Pine Hill Alabama USA
Posts: 1,280
Why own a Mosin Nagant? Here's a little info to base your decision on.
http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinHumor.htm
http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinHumor.htm
#35
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Midwest
Posts: 1,079
That will make a fine rifle, JD. I have the same model made by Winchester, it has the origional shortened 30-06 barrel on it. The rear sight ears were ground off and a Lyman peep sight added. The trigger guard was straightened so there is no "hump" and a sporting stock added. The down side is that it is a little on the heavy side, but in .300 H&H, you won't mind that. It is a good accurate rifle, I passed mine on to my son last year. Have fun.
#36
Spike
Join Date: May 2014
Location: 40 acres of woods in Gods country
Posts: 8
A few years ago an old boy up the road from me went to meet his maker.His son a lawyer from Chicago came to settle the old mans estate,part of which were a lot of WWII items and a few capture weapons.All the son wanted to do was clear the place out and get back to the big city,I ended up with a Arisaka 6.5 rifle with the Mum still intact.To shorten this story I got it home checked it out and found that sometime in the late 50s or early 60s the old guy converted it to .257 Roberts,I spent a little money getting it D&T put some good glass on and it is my go to rifle for the Wisc.white tail ( Iowa is a shotgun only state) season.So IMHO there are some good milsurp rifles out there but the Mosin-Nagant is not one save your money
Gunny
Gunny
#37
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: west central wi USA
Posts: 2,242
I gotta disagree with you on the Mosin Nagant Gunny. If you're talking about the generic Fleet Farm Mosins, no argument. You could get a good one but don't count on it. The Finnish Mosins, on the other hand, are another story. The Finns took the Soviet mosins, replaced and floated the barrels, lightened the triggers, and shimmed the actions. The Finnish M39's were spec'ed to shoot 1.3" at 150 meters or they never left the armory. They, along with the Swedish mausers and the Swiss K31's were considered by many to be the most accurate rifles of the era.
#38
Spike
Join Date: May 2014
Location: 40 acres of woods in Gods country
Posts: 8
I gotta disagree with you on the Mosin Nagant Gunny. If you're talking about the generic Fleet Farm Mosins, no argument. You could get a good one but don't count on it. The Finnish Mosins, on the other hand, are another story. The Finns took the Soviet mosins, replaced and floated the barrels, lightened the triggers, and shimmed the actions. The Finnish M39's were spec'ed to shoot 1.3" at 150 meters or they never left the armory. They, along with the Swedish mausers and the Swiss K31's were considered by many to be the most accurate rifles of the era.
Gunny
#39
Typical Buck
Join Date: May 2010
Location: South East Pa.
Posts: 526
I have been around longer than most of you, so I guess I should throw in my 3 cents (Inflation). The guy wants a surplus gun to target shoot. Right now, the Russian is the cheapest deal around. It is pretty worthless to hunt with, but I did use one once. Do not even start a stupid argument about that. I have hunted with a 30-40 Krag and it is the same thing, heavy, slow, lousy safety, lousy trigger, ect.. The man wants to go plinking, so the Russian is the deal here. I recently sold off my Arisaka collection. I got lucky, there had been a lot of Japanese war movies right at that time. I did well. Magazine articles and movies are what dictate gun prices, not collectors. I actually had people give me Arisakas years ago because they were considered worthless. NOBODY wanted Russian rifles years ago. I bought my first ever deer rifle through the mail (Hex receiver long russian) and then found out that the only ammo available cost more a box than I paid for the gun! That is no longer the case. There will be ammo and brass around for them the next 60 years. Do what YOU want to do, it is your money.
#40
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: land of the Lilliputians, In the state of insanity
Posts: 26,274
I'm debating purchasing a WW2 surplus rifle to target shoot. I'm only looking to spend a few hundred dollars because I'm also doing an AR build, so unfortunately an M1 Garand, Springfield 1903, or a nice German Mauser are out. The three rifles I was looking into are the Mosin Nagant M91, Arisaka type 99, and the Italian Carcano. At this point I am leaning towards the Mosin Nagant because there are plenty to choose from and there is actually ammo on the shelves in my area. Any advice on these rifles? What do I look for in a good surplus rifle?