Mosin Nagant 91/30. Good inexpensive hunting round/rifle?

[NEW TO THE GAME]

Been reading about these rifles. I'm interested mainly because of the prices they're going for I have to admit, but because there seems to be a lot of customization or "sporterizing" that can be done and some examples of these guns are really nice. And the price for these nice looking guns isn't bad either. Did I mention they're cheap? lol. Anyway I'm smart enough to know that looks don't make a gun shoot straight and that ugly guns kill game too. So I wanted to ask about this 7.62x54R round. Any one know the capacity of this round? How "accurate" is it and to what distances is it still good to? And where can one find nice accessories like stocks etc. for the 91/30's?

 

[sixgunner455]

Accuracy can be awful to awfully good, depending on the wear of the barrel, its actual dimensions, and what ammo you shoot through it.

The cartridge itself has similar power levels to the .30-06, .308, .303, 7.5x55 -IOW, loaded properly, any of those will kill anything in North America. An Alaska hunter, member Caribou, hunts big brown bears and everything else up there with the Finn M39 version and surplus ball ammo.

 

[Wylie1]

A sportized Mosin will cost about the same as a budget hunting rifle after scope mount, scope, good bedding material, stock and all.
Some of the work in sportizing a Mosin can be a bit tricky too if you plan to it do it yourself. Bring a gunsmith into the game and you're going to go through a bit more money too.

Drilling and tapping for scope mounts is something I have been asked to do for another Mosin owner and I'm hesitant at doing it again, especially on someone elses rifle!

 

[Franco2shoot]

I love mine... got it for less than a C note, and the work I did to create a 1 moa rifle didn't cost me anything more than a couple hours of elbow grease. My only complaint would be that it is heavier than my Model Seven Remington (which was 3x the price). Read all the threads, and you'll understand what to look for. Then be a smart shopper and you won't go wrong:
http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=88633&d=1228325329

Purchased with the ATI scope mode, and added Scope from Wallyworld (WalMart).
Refinised stock to my liking and added thin cork shims around barrel and under that first barrel band.

KKKKFL

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

If you take the time to become proficient with your rifle the stock open sights on a Mosin should be sufficient to take deer or elk out to at least 300 yards. I consistently hit a bowling ball sized target at a measured 300 yards with mine and that should be sufficient for hunting purposes.

 

[ball3006]

You can put a scout scope on the rifle with a mount that replaces the leaf of the rear sight. Darrell makes a good one. I get excellent accuracy out of Privi 150 gr sp ammo in my Mosin Nagants. Bore condition is important with a Mosin Nagant......chris3

 

[nathan]

It s a great rifle . Think of it as a powerful modern day version of a musket. Ammo is quite affordable and plenty.

 

[foghornl]

Don't use FMJ "ball" ammo for hunting, and you mosin-nagant will work fine for deer, etc.

ATI made new stocks for some models, but I don't recall which ones.

 

[firesky101]

silver bear has a 203gr sp that I have heard is extremely effective. I have some, but have never used any on game, so I can't personally vouch for their performance.

 

[docsleepy]

If you know how to use the hornady tool for measuring depth to the barrel lands, you can compare throat wear between rifles in the store....believe it or not. This is the one thing that you can't easily fix yourself, so choosing your purchase by throat wear is wise...

If you recrown (especially one that is counterbored -- cut off the counterbored area with a hacksaw) using the LARGE Lee case trimmer and, say, a 7mm spindle, you can get your groups to shrink by half.

Lee makes a Lee Loader for 7.62x54R. ($26) Norma brass fits primers better; S&B brass has a too-shallow primer cup. 150 grain "303" caliber bullets are available from Sierra and Hornady. ($26/100)

Not hard to get down to 2" groups at 100 yards. There is a dovetail under that rear sight. Sometimes all you have to do is knock out the pins (from left to right I think) and the rear sight comes right off. Glue on the rings with JBWeld, get a 2-7 x 32 NCStar pistol scope ($50) and you're set!

If your rear sight is silver soldered on, you can either use a torch (carefully) to get it off, or go for the UTG trirail mount that works very very well (poster above mentioned it)

I have even shortened one to "22 Rifle" length and used Trail Boss Powder and 110 grain .308 bullets (Sierra) to create a 600 ft-lb hunting rifle for a ten year old that feels just about like a 22 when you pull the trigger. Not kiddin'!

Pretty funny to set up at the local range working at 200 yard targets with a 74 year old rifle, entire setup under $200, and expensive rifles are trying to hit 100 yard targets.

Yes, it can be done and you'll learn a ton for very little money and jut a bit of elbow grease.

 

[juk]

You just have to touch off ONE 54R round to know that it has some authority. They are fun to tinker with and to shoot. The two that I have both shoot a foot high at 100 yards with surplus light ball ammo. I tried the wire insulation trick, but ultimately just sent the front sights off to be reworked. I'm still waiting for them to come back, but I expect that new sights will help my accuracy. As it is, they both shoot around 3-4 MOA. Not bad for 100$ each.

 

[YZ]

Mosin sighting

Many Mosins shoot high, regardless of the distance. Here is a DIY alternative to a front sight job. Disassemble the rear sight. Take a file to the bottom rear end of the slide. It will now ride the leaf lower, thereby lowering your point of aim. There is enough metal on the slide to take off some without risking its integrity.

Before paying for your 91/30, look at the rollmarks. Many if not all Soviet rifles built in the 30s and early 40s have been issued and fired, but not cleaned much. They will have darker bores and duller rifling, plus an awful lot of cosmoline grease. Under the grease there will be dirt. In 1945 the Mosin rifle production dropped sharply. Many of the post-war rifles have never been issued; they were warehoused for decades. Those are the ones you want, with mirror-shiny bores and sharp rifling, plus a modest once-applied amount of grease. Those include the M44 carbines (production commenced in 1944 toward the end of World War 2). Shorter and louder, otherwise identical.

I happen to like the rifle, but don't think it worthwhile scoping it, sporterizing and "deSovietizing". It is best left alone, as a truly practical C&R. Otherwise you will be better off with a modern hunting Ruger or T/C Venture for just a few $$ more.