which surplus rifle for fun ? ? ?

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I have been mulling over bolt action mil surplus rifles for quite some time now.

Which to buy and why? My thoughts...

I want reasonable accuracy. (will be a plinker, but could possibly compete in local surp rifle club class) I want inexpensive ammo that can be had in vast (surplus) quantities. I want a reliable warhorse that will be fun to shoot. I want something that can be had for under 200 bucks that is not going to be a p.o.s. or a pain the the arse.

These are the rifles I am considering for the above reasons in no particular order.

Yugo Mauser 24/47 (8mm) <--*are these bores chromed anybody?
Schmidt Rubin K31 (7.5x55)
Finn Mosin M39 (7.62x54r)
Finn Mosin 91/30 (7.62x54r)

Please post your opinions and favorites. I just cannot decide. :rolleyes:
 
get a mauser and a mosin i have both and i like em. pluse they are cheap to buy and feed. i have a m44 but i bet they are all good
 
I had a czech mauser that I sold not to long ago, and with even military surplus corrosive ammo, it did pretty good. I just cleaned it really really well after each range trip. It shot quite a bit high at 100yds, but that is normal. i would suggest that you get a replacement peep sight for which ever one you get, that will help out alot and probally make your shooting a little better in the process. Check out the Mojo sights, i always wanted to put them on mine but ended selling the rifle. lots of people use mosins and mausers, in military surplus type of competitions. any you listed would be great but the mauser is a classic.:)
 
I have owned enfield 303 ,mosin 91/30 ,mosin 44 ,german mausures in 8 mm ,even jap rifle 7.7 . I LIKE THEM ALL. I have hunted and killed deer with ever one of them. My boy says, dad go out with a 60 dallor rifle , and get more deer then his friends do with a 500 dallor rifle. He can hit a deer at 200 yards and not even have a scoop ,just open sights. My boy saw me do this using a mosin 91/30 off handed .Of corse I have been shooting , and hunting longer then him. I prefur the mosin 91 ,or 91/30 .I like the long barrel to me better accuracy for long range with open sights.Short barrel are good also but I use them in the woods more.Though I did kill a doe at 200 yards or so with a short german mausure in 8 mm open sights taken a rest to shoot from .If you like the rifle , then get the rifle and try it .Military rifles are pretty cheep ,some that is.Old bolt action arent to high in price.
 
I want reasonable accuracy. (will be a plinker, but could possibly compete in local surp rifle club class)
Click to expand...

I have all of those (except my Mausers are a K98 and a VZ24). I prefer the K-31. I find it the most fun to shoot. Mostly because the action and trigger are so sweet, but also because it's the most accurate milsurp I have (it will even give my accurized Garand a good run). The ammo's a little pricy though (I buy a case of GP-11 every month to build a good stock of it, just in case...). Second choice is the M39. The gun costs a little more and it's not as smooth or quite as accurate as the K-31, but surplus 54R ammo is really cheap! With reloads or match ammo, it would give the K-31 a good match.

The Mausers are quite as accurate as either of those and the 91/30 isn't even in the same ballpark.
 
I love my Enfield but surplus ammo is getting harder to find.

I shoot one of my Mausers allot. the 8mm Surplus ammo is still reasonable and plentiful. I shoot mine at our local VMBAR matches ( I cant hit **** but I still go :) ).
 
Have a few oldies and they are fun to shoot. But, the one that's the most distinct is the MN with its deep loud boom and big muzzle flash.
 
I would get the Yugo. There are some great ones out there now and the ammo is cheap (but corrosive, so take the proper steps).

The Mausers are much better than the mosins in my mind. The Swiss are great but liked mentioned ammo is a bit more and will dry up some day and get more expensive yet.
 
You'll have fun with any of those, but don't forget about the Lee-Enfield's. They can still be had for well under $200 if you shop around and are excellent shooters. Of the four you listed, I'd go K-31.
 
Finnish M39s are getting tougher to find for $200 or less. Empire Arms is selling shooter grades for that price (I should have one on Monday), and that's about the lowest I've seen for a few months.

They're great rifles, even at the prices they're going for-usually $250-400. I paid $220 for the '41 VKT in my safe, about 18 months ago.

Surplus 7.62x54R and 8x57 are both cheap right now. But when the surplus runs out, Wolf is already making cheap 7.62x54R that's not much different from the ComBloc surplus. New 8x57 is more expensive.

K31s are cheaper to buy but a good bit more expensive to feed.
 
I'll go out on a limb here and recommend an SKS. These guns can be had for $150 or less, are reasonably accurate, very fun to shoot, very rugged and reliable. I think these off maximum bang for the buck. The only downside right now, 7.62x39 ammo is in short supply, but this situation should be temporary.
 
If you want mountains of cheap surplus, don't get a K-31. Or an Enfield in .303.

How about a 2A in 7.62 NATO? Good action, inexpensive rifle, ammo not hard to get.
 
If you really want one for surplus competition get the K31 for now, since you have a rifle thats usually capable to between 1-2moa. Its really accurate for the price and surplus G11 rounds designed specifically for the rifle aren't too badly priced right now. It be even better if you can find a full length M1911 Swiss rifle but that is going to put up the price.

If you get rid of this factor probrobly the Mosin 91/30 on price and the Mauser for overall quality, though it has more recoil and you can sometimes found ammo currently a penny or two cheaper a round. Usually the Kar 98 and some other Mausers are much more refined and prettier looking than the Mosins. Best Mausers by far are the Persian ones but you pay alot for it. Best Mosins are Finnish but that will add $100-200 to the asking price usually for a similar rifle, but are much better built than the usual Mosin are.

Lee Enfield would cost a little more to keep it shooting but you can't get a better bolt action battle rifle than it. You could even perhaps find one of the 2As or 2A1 Lee Enfields in 7.62mm for the price of the others and that would bring down the price of shooting.

The Mosin M38 are rather little neat carbines. It seems alot of people are turning these into scout type rifles, though you loose some accuracy from the shorter barrel and more recoil, they are certainly rather handy. Most Mosin M44 are shot out pretty badly but sometimes you can be lucky, though I don't care for their integrated bayonet, which effects the point of aim if you don't have the bayonet extended. Of course the M44 can be found for as little as $40 sometimes.

Arisakas are nice if you can find the ammo. Particularly the early ones are really well built with a strong action. Just avoid the later WW2 ones as some are so bad its amazing they didn't explode when the trigger was first pulled or just fell to pieces.

If you are really lucky you might find a decent price P14 or M1917 rifle. These are a Mauser design with really strong actions and a great piece. The first is in .303 British but the later in 30-06 will be easier to you to obtain.

Springfield 03s will cost you much more money than the others. Other than the fact you want to collect american they usually not worth the extra asking money for a Mauser type rifle, other than commonly available ammo in the form of 30-06.
 
Lots of good feedback here people! Thank you all.

Rangerruck - your saying that a mosin 91/30 is generally going to be more accurate than a mauser? I always figured that would be the other way around.

Redneck - SKS is not an option here, must be mil surp bolt action. I already have an AK in 7.62x39 that is somewhat difficult to find ammo for.

I lean towards the 24/47 because I'm a southpaw and I've found straightbolts easier to operate.

But I do like the K31's and know their rep for being highly accurate. Also the lighter recoil is a plus. Ammo availability is still a concern though.

The Enfields I hadn't really considered as it was my understanding they would not be as accurate as the ones I listed above. A .308 version might be a good option though if they have reasonable accuracy.

Hmmmmmm.... Still undecided.
 
Enfields not accurate? Not so. My 1943 No4 Mk1* will give me 1 inch groups at 100 yards with some handloads. Its a Factory Total Repair, with mismatched bolt and reciever.
Do you reload? If you do, Enfield is awesome. If you don't, get the 91/30, (check the reciever stampings, look for a hex shaped reciever stamped before WWII, for good craftsmanship), and a couple of cases of Polish light ball. The Czech Silvertip light ball is decent ammo, as well. My 1943 M38 will give me 5 inch groups with Silvertip at 100 yards, and 3 inch with Wolf. Also, the new Wolf Gold line is brass cases reloadable...if you buy some 7.62x54R, and don't reload, I'll take the brass!!!:D
I know nothing of the K31, wish I had one.
The Mauser K98 I had years ago was quite accurate.
 
My enfield 303 at a hundred yards makes a one inch groop also.Its a No 4 MK 1 Long Branch ,though I like the mosin 91, and used it more then the others I had.I love shooting ,and hunting with my enfield also.The other thing I dont use surplus ammo it rust the barrels .I know if you clean the rifle good it would be ok,but if you dont it will rust.Their some surplus ammo that not bad for this,but alot out there will.
 
K31

If you are a reloader then the K-31 would be the best. PLus you can use .284 brass which is thicker than the 7.5x55 and last a little longer. I love mine and am looking for more of them.
Enjoy which ever one or ones you get.
 
Actually this group was at 50yds, with my "accurized" k31 shooting gp11. My rifle is scoped, with a bushnell elite 10x tactical scope. It also has a cheek rest (those cabellas ammo holders with a few pieces of mouse pad underneath to raise the comb and soften recoil). The group was actually only .2 inches, or .4moa. 3-shots. Most groups were at 100yds but it got gusty.

I would like to eventually handload, I know Ill get it below 1MOA consistantly. Supposedly you can also put some spacers between the handguard and stock to reduce pressure on the barrel. Recoil does get old with that steel butt pad. I only fired 30 rds today.
 
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