Need advice on picking out of a crate

[soylentblue]

I got in on a group buy of a crate. My question is what do you guys think would be the most desirable pick bearing in mind that I already have a round Izhevsk?
Hex Izhevsk - mid 40s
Round Tula- mid 40s
Round Izhevsk with a date in the late 30s? (I can see in a 37 & 39 in the pics)

I wish I could be more specific, but the pics are not great.

There is one that has a large "P" stamped just to the right of the Soviet crest - anyone know what that is?

[soylentblue]

Well going by what you said definitely the hex mid 40s! Lol

I thought that should be the first choice, but there are only 2 hex receivers in the crate, so I may not be able to get one - pick order will be a lottery.
What should be my choice if I'm not pick #1 or #2?

[desdem12]

Get the hex 40s. Unless more info on the p marked one.

[Junk Yard Dog]

With a lottery it sounds like you will get what you get and no cherry picking, if the price was right then whatever you get will be good.

[Longcolt44]

Not to pour water on this but I would be concerned about what licence it was bought under. If it was bought with an 01 licence, fine. If it was bought using someones 03 C&R licence the holder is actually committing a possible felony buy using their licence to sell off commercially what he has by violating the terms of their licence. I hate being part of that. I don't like feds at my door.

[mogunner]

Just had a bunch of guys go together on Facebook on a crate buy (01 FFL) from AIM and they got a totally picked-over crate of wartime rifles, 16 were Izhevsk arsenal. Only passing interest was an ex-sniper and it had a broken bolt and they got messed over a little bit on a replacement rifle for that one. If you're going in on one try to find a seller that isn't cherry-picking the crates...

[Gsragtop]

Just had a bunch of guys go together on Facebook on a crate buy (01 FFL) from AIM and they got a totally picked-over crate of wartime rifles, 16 were Izhevsk arsenal. Only passing interest was an ex-sniper and it had a broken bolt and they got messed over a little bit on a replacement rifle for that one. If you're going in on one try to find a seller that isn't cherry-picking the crates...

Your getting things confused,there was two crates.. One purchased by one guy from AIM, that was picked over.. There was a second crate purchased from somewhere else that was a group buy.. Took me a couple of posts to realise it myself..

AIM really did not take care of that guy at all, the MO they gave him a "discount" on was not all tht great, he sure was disappointed in it and them.

[mogunner]

Yeah, I went back and reread that post, I worked late tonight and skimmed over everybody's postings in there, lol. Yeah, I haven't seen anything at all from the folks in AL that went in on their crate, just his. And yeah, giving you a "deal" on a MO at the same price as you can buy it off the website would just twist my knickers badly...

[finloq]

The Soviets switched from hex receivers to round receivers in the mid-30's. So a hex receiver 40+, would mean an older recycled receiver mated with a newer barrel. A bit more uncommon and desirable feature.

[zeebill]

My advice is don't! Bill

[millman]

My advice is don't! Bill

Don't be an old fart Bill.

[zeebill]

I wish I could not be an old fart but alas I am. In the morning especially I wish I were not an old fart as it is a pain in many places! However I stand by my statement Don't! Bill

[soylentblue]

Save your money and get a NONrefurbed 91/30

I'm just trying to get some good looking, old, wood stock rifles at a price that my wife won't kill me for.
If anyone wants to sell me a non-refurb at refurb prices let me know and I'll be in touch next time I've saved up some fun money.
At least every refurb I pick up is one less rifle that will get bubba'd

[millman]

There is a non refurb around here I can get for $150 tomorrow. Send me the money and ill get it for you. Just pay shipping

Refurb 91/30s suck and lack personality IMO.

To each his own.

[Darryl]

There is a non refurb around here I can get for $150 tomorrow. Send me the money and ill get it for you. Just pay shipping

Refurb 91/30s suck and lack personality IMO.

To each his own.

Absolutely! If we all liked the same thing it would be boring.

But the problem I have with refurbs is, to me it feels like the history of the rifle has been covered up.

Ridiculous As a "collectable" and as high a value as others, no, but that is a crazy and "broad" statement. By your own standards, none of the US milsurplus rifles are worth anything. They are mixed parts just like Mosin refurbs, replaced barrels, and many refinished. In fact many milsurps fall into this same category. Hard to find a "matching k98k Mauser. The bolts sure don't match and neither do most of the parts. On a few, yes, and those are $1200 plus rifles. Most firearms after WWII were brought back to the arsenals and refurbished including the Finn Mosins. There are hardly any rifles out there more "mixed" than the Finns. So,... are the Finn's lacking "history"? A lot of the M39's are nothing but parts. Some of them are even built after WWII. So no history on those? No, They all have history, just in various ways.

They are ....the way they are ......when they leave the arsenals. History included. Years of collecting Mosins tells you that.

dolk

[Junk Yard Dog]

The Cold War, that is the history of the refurbs, The Cold War, the war that nearly killed us all this very month in 1962 among other golden moments

[Darryl]

The Cold War, that is the history of the refurbs, The Cold War, the war that nearly killed us all this very month in 1962 among other golden moments

Yes.....and WWII. I don't care if they were parts of different rifles or not. They were there in WWII. And certainly the "main part" of the rifle was.

Dolk

[Junk Yard Dog]

the Department of Defense, at 10:00 p.m. SAC announced a full nuclear alert – DEFCON 2 . 24 Oct 1962

[Junk Yard Dog]

[Junk Yard Dog]

I'm not talking about parts being mix matched...And in the end I said it was my opinion. So why the hostility Dolk?

The attitude that "these are just parts rifles" tends to be Bubba's justification for chopping them up, the refurbs anyway. They are a real part of history.