First timer here.. Two new Mosins

[Chiroptile]

Hey, guys.. New to the Mosin community. Ordered my first one last Friday, a 91/30.. Stewed on it over the weekend and placed an order for the M44 on Monday morning..

Was a little bit perplexed when I pulled the M44 and discovered it to be like new, unfired, not covered in cosmoline. 1945 Izhevsk.. The numbers on the receiver, bolt, mag, and butt plate all match, and the stock just looks immaculate. The crown is perfect, too.. Turns out it's one of the Molot rifles. I didn't know anything about them so I searched through this forum.. I honestly can't say that I'm any less mystified having read the Molot threads.. That said, It sure is a beautiful rifle..




The 91/30 is a 1943 Izhevsk rifle. All numbers match, and it has definitely been fired. Nice crown, no counterbore. Nice little galaxy spiral down the barrel, too.. Was able to get a little bit of the Cosmo off today, but the gun is absolutely caked in it. Going to be my project for this weekend..




Have a feeling this isn't the last time I'm posting one of these..

[BuckeyeSgt]

Welcome to the Forum. glad you found some good ones. So are you a doctor or James Bond? Those are the only people I know that wear white jackets.

[Chiroptile]

Than you, Sir.. I am a medical student.. So, technically not yet a doctor, but they make us wear those silly things anyway..

[BuckeyeSgt]

Than you, Sir.. I am a medical student.. So, technically not yet a doctor, but they make us wear those silly things anyway..

I'm not a sir I work for a living so I guess we are even.
Again welcome to the forum. If you have any questions throw them out there and we will all be glad to help out.

[Chiroptile]

My apologies.. and thank you again! Actually, I do have a question.. I want to sweat some cosmo out of the 91/30. I keep reading about this nice summer day lock it in your car thing. Well, it was 18 degrees this morning. I don't really want to bake the rifle and don't want to take too many chemicals to it. I was thinking of lining my bathtub with tin foil and using a clamp-on heat lamp over the stock. If you can think of any reason why this is a bad idea, I would really appreciate a heads up.. Would hate to do any damage.

Thank you

[WeldonHunter]

Welcome to the forum. Since you read some of the Molot threads I suppose you have an idea what the questions are about them and who refurbed them. I won't go into that. These are both in essence refurbed rifles and are force matched. Matching numbers on refurbs is normal. That's also why they both look new. They're both basically rebuilt rifles made from parts from many other rifles. The M44 being a 1945 is a bit more rare than we usually see but it's been fired. These rifles are deceptively clean sometimes. Where'd you get them?

There's also no need to sweat the grease out of the stock. It's not cosmoline but grease and has been on the rifle for a long time. Wipe the rifle down and leave it. The grease will come out on it's own as you use the rifle but if you try to force it you may not like what happens. Sometimes the shellac bubbles and comes off.

[BuckeyeSgt]

My apologies.. and thank you again! Actually, I do have a question.. I want to sweat some cosmo out of the 91/30. I keep reading about this nice summer day lock it in your car thing. Well, it was 18 degrees this morning. I don't really want to bake the rifle and don't want to take too many chemicals to it. I was thinking of lining my bathtub with tin foil and using a clamp-on heat lamp over the stock. If you can think of any reason why this is a bad idea, I would really appreciate a heads up.. Would hate to do any damage.

Thank you

No apology needed. Just me since I was never an officer. +1 on what WeldonHunter said.

[Chiroptile]

I got them through Classic Firearms.. the 91/30 is a laminate stock. I don't see a MOR serial number on that rifle.. It has an electo-engraving stating that it's an M91/30 from Russia imported by Century International. It also came with the whole set, really greasy oil can, clip puches, and the strap.. I had a feeling it was a post-war refurb. You think it was a recent one?

[Chiroptile]

Also, I don't know if this would mean anything, but the M44 invoice states that it is a Molot.. The 91/30 invoice says it's a Curio and Relic

[WeldonHunter]

Also, I don't know if this would mean anything, but the M44 invoice states that it is a Molot.. The 91/30 invoice says it's a Curio and Relic

Well they're both Curio and Relic. That's just a classification so it can be shipped directly to C&R FFL03 license holders legally. The M91/30 being from Century most likely isn't from Molot. The M91/30s from Molot don't have the MOR serial number if I remember correctly. I believe that was just on the first few shipments of M91/30 PU snipers. I have one. The import stamp with Russia on it doesn't mean it came from Russia but simply that's it's of Russian origin. Most likely came from the Ukrainian storage facilities but was made in Russia at Izhevsk. If it was Finnish Mosin Nagant it would be stamped Finland, meaning it was of Finnish origin. That is if they stamped it correctly. I have a Czech VZ24 Mauser from Century they stamped Romanian M1969.

[Sgt. Rob]

You have two very nice Russian refurbed rifles. Don't let the Molot controversy dampen your day. Some folks are maybe wound up a little too tight about just who and when their surplus arms were refurbished. In time, that will disappear. Just like the stigma that is pretty much gone from Blue Sky / Arlington Ordinance M1 Garands and carbines. As availability decreases over time, enthusiasts start to get less picky, and I am going to be brutally honest, Molots are in no way even close to what Blue Sky / Arlington did. Many of the B.S./A.O. firearms have that hideous sparkly grey parkerizing that they applied themselves, shortened barrels (tankers) and it is widely known that they slapped parts on at whim/as needed. Molots are far more in line with what we know as correct Iron Curtain era refurbishment practices, and so far there is no confirmation that Molot has or has not refurbed them. Just some collector speculation that Molot will not comment on. I feel that time will, if not actually confirm the Molot pedigree one way or another, and irregardless of that outcome, they will become more accepted by a majority of collectors.

Wow, second soap box of the day! You guys have to stop winding me up!

Semper Fi, Rob

[Chiroptile]

Well.. Guess now I'll just have to get another one..

I'll be honest, when I saw the M44 I thought I had a mint rifle and didn't want to shoot it to preserve the mintiness. Now I'm really excited to take it out to the range and have as a shooter. Would you guys still suggest that I take it apart and degrease it and all that? Have a gunsmith go over it? Or is it shootable out of the box?

Also, I'm Russian. Had family who fought in the war, and would really love a rifle with untold stories. It's a sentimental thing. From what I now understand Classic seems to mainly sell refurbs. I don't mean this as an affront to them, really happy with their business.. Nothing but great things to say about them, so I don't want this to reflect negatively on them in any way.. It seems as though most of the online retailers I have visited so far offer refurbished rifles. I was wondering if somebody here could suggest where I could pick up a rifle in its original configuration.. Something tells me there is a reason I keep seeing posts about finding them at gun shows and in gun shops..

[Judi and her Mosins]

Welcome the the RMNF this is the best site on the internet. You have two very nice Mosins rifles. Take your time when you clean them. Look at all the stamping marks.

Take pictures for us, also how did you come about purchasing them. Take your time and explore the old threads. Plan on how you want your collection to look. you can find the best advice and information here. Enjoy yourself and ask questions. Judi and her Mosin's

[Junk Yard Dog]

Don't worry, none of us know what Molot is doing, they don't talk much. Nice rifles

Dentist, Pharmacist, lab workers, the guys who will come for you with the straight jacket one day, all wear white jackets, the one person I have never seen wear a white jacket...my Doctor !

[jimpierce7]

Very nice!!

[slcampbell]

Nice looking guns, I think the molots are all part of the Mosin history.

[Lotema]

Congratulations on your first two Mosins, great looking rifles. Welcome to the boards!

[WeldonHunter]

Well.. Guess now I'll just have to get another one..

I'll be honest, when I saw the M44 I thought I had a mint rifle and didn't want to shoot it to preserve the mintiness. Now I'm really excited to take it out to the range and have as a shooter. Would you guys still suggest that I take it apart and degrease it and all that? Have a gunsmith go over it? Or is it shootable out of the box?

Also, I'm Russian. Had family who fought in the war, and would really love a rifle with untold stories. It's a sentimental thing. From what I now understand Classic seems to mainly sell refurbs. I don't mean this as an affront to them, really happy with their business.. Nothing but great things to say about them, so I don't want this to reflect negatively on them in any way.. It seems as though most of the online retailers I have visited so far offer refurbished rifles. I was wondering if somebody here could suggest where I could pick up a rifle in its original configuration.. Something tells me there is a reason I keep seeing posts about finding them at gun shows and in gun shops..

Most places selling Mosin Nagants online are selling refurbed rifles. As far as getting one in it's original configuration that's not really the way they are. Most of these mil-surps have been through some sort of refurbishment/rearsenaling. What you may want to look at is the older Mosin Nagants like an M91 or maybe a Finn. You might want to look through Liberty Tree Collectors, Axis Arms and Trinity Arms (Call him, he has stuff not on the site, his name is Chris). There's banner ads at the top. Just click them. Some other places are, Pat Burns http://www.gunsnammo.com/ and http://www.empirearms.com/ Then there's www.gunbroker.com First and foremost read through this site and get to know what you're looking at. Ask questions about rifles you may want to purchase. Make sure if it' an auction not to post the link to an active auction because some here may also be watching it and it may drive up the price for them or even you if you're bidding on it. There's other places too. I'm sure others will post them.

One last thing. You asked if you should take these rifles apart and clean them. The answer is a resounding "Yes" That and you should make sure when you put them back together that the headspace and the firing pin protrusion are correct. Here's some good reading about all of what I mentioned. information/clean/index.html and http://www.russian-mosin-nagant-forum.c ... m.php?f=66 To check headspace you should get these. http://www.okiegauges.com/sales.html Don't search the net because you'll come up with some that are cheap copies. At a minimum you'll need the field gauge but mostly guys get the Field/No-Go set. If you didn't get the multi tool with these rifles for checking firing pin protrusion Liberty Tree Collectors has them. I'm sure you'll have many of these rifles and they tools pay for themselves over paying a gunsmith to do this stuff. It's also easy to do.

Last thing is ask questions. If you're unsure about anything ask first. There are no dumb questions. That is anything except how to alter one. This site is full of information and extremely knowledgeable collectors that love to help out.

[gurn]

Looks like everyone has covered about everything. Welcome to the club. Any good gun shows in your area?

[kamakazi339]

We do love new faces around here! Welcome to the tank ;) Nice rifles be sure to ask questions!