Ghetto fix for a ghetto fix on my Mosin Nagant

[rexpepper651]

how do you like the mosin? my buddy suggested i pick one up since they are cheap and ammo can be had at good prices. im in the market for a bolt action rifle.

[john]

Mosins are a crap chute.  You will get a good shooter sometimes, other times you get one that shoots crappy, has a lousy bolt, cracked stock, horrible finish -any combination of the above.

Still they are cool rifles that helped Russia win WW2.

Prices are heading north and quickly.  The same rifle I paid $90 is now $175.  Getting in range of a good 30-06: http://www.slickguns.com/product/rossi-wizard-3006-23in-blue-274 -How can you beat that price?

[rexpepper651]

only thing i dont like about the mosin is its internal mag. dang that rossi is cheap! ive been drooling over the mossberg mvp predator lately. so sick. bolt action that uses a ar15 mag in either .223/5.56

[Watcher]

Mosins are a crap chute.  You will get a good shooter sometimes, other times you get one that shoots crappy, has a lousy bolt, cracked stock, horrible finish -any combination of the above.

They aren't a crapshoot as long as you know what you are looking for.  Just like any other used rifle, they should be looked at thoroughly before purchase is made.

Work the bolt and see how it feels (stiffness can usually be solved with a good cleaning, feel for anything that seems like it's hanging up), check that the extractor has nice tension and isn't rigid or loose, if you can dry fire it see how the trigger is, inspect the stock for cracks or stress (especially near the action screws), check for stock repairs, take the bolt out and look down the bore to see if the rifling is clear and distinct, and last but not least check in the muzzle to see if it has been counter-bored or if the crown is messed up from improper cleaning.
Also check that the serial numbers match on the bolt, receiver, and magazine floor plate.

Don't buy one sight unseen.  If you take the time to inspect your Mosin and give it a good proper cleaning you'll get a good shooter.
My M44 was basically perfect and shoots better than I can.  My M91/30 ended up having a stripped cleaning-rod nut in the stock but there was no way to tell that before buying it.  It only surfaced when firing it when the rod fell out.
The biggest limitation to either rifle is the crude iron sights, most are fairly accurate off the rack.

[Badot]

Watcher covered it pretty well... Bore/muzzle, cracked stocks, and the extractor condition are the three I'd recommend focusing on. Trigger can be very easily modified if you have basic machining skills. If you get a real good one off the shelf, I'd expect 3-4" groups at 100 yds or better. A real bad one... maybe 3 feet. I don't care much for iron sights in the first place so I couldn't tell you what degree of accuracy they get to.

Promag has a $150-200ish stock for the mosin with a detachable mag. No idea if it's any good. May as well buy another Mosin instead.