new mosin fan, 1939 and 1943 M91/30 which one do I shoot?

[sgtkmk]

Happy Friday all,
I am a new fan, I assume like many here I am a firearm enthusiast and also a student of history. I have two M/91/30 rifles both round receivers, one is a 1939 the other is a 1943. The 1943 has that rougher look as if the rifle was produced much more quickly. The bore and overall condition of both is basically the same. In all of your experience here is there a hard and fast rule on which one I should use as a "shooter". Just don't wont to trash any history. thanks in advance, Semper Fi.

[Lee-online]

The rule is, there are no rules when it comes to Mosins. The worst looking bore just may be the best shooter. Take them both and see what one you shoot the best.

If you want a really good shooter, get a Finn Mosin. A M39 will be a great shooter but all the Finns are very likely to be better than an average Russian refurb.

[bocephus]

No real difference. I'd try them both and shoot the one that shoots better.

[Adam_9130]

I'd shoot the one with the best trigger more often!

[Lotema]

Get 50 more and rotate once a week! That will keep them all in pretty good shape for a very long time. Of course you'll want to add variety to them, m38, m44, m91, 91\59, 91\38. Then like Lee mentioned, get some Finn variants, you won't be sorry. After that fill in the holes with some Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, Chinese and American Mosins!

How about some pictures of the two you have? We love pictures.

Welcome to the forums by the way!

[steelbuttplate]

I've had two '39 Tula 91/30's both VG shooters. I still have one I'm keeping. Both shot better groups than most of the 91/30's I've had, (around 20) . '39 was a good yr. SBP

[Sirex]

I make it a rule to shoot every Mosin I have at least once.I don't need wall hangers.

[zeebill]

Shoot them both and then you will develop a favorite and usually you shoot best with it. While I collect Finn's most exclusively now I have found that each individual rifle will shoot the way the person who owns it points it. I have had some really great Finn shooters and others that most refurbs shoot better than. The aura and history of the Finn made rifles attracts me to them more than anything else to be honest but they are far from guaranteed great shooters and often have to be tinkered with to get good results. Pick one and learn the ins and outs of it and enjoy it the best way you can. Good Luck! Bill

[Junk Yard Dog]

Welcome to the board, if you treat them carefully and don't get carried away shooting 1000's or rounds every range trip then there is no reason why you can't shoot them both. The sort of gentle handling these rifles get from us at the range is much easier than any work these rifles have ever seen before. Shoot it lightly, by that I mean ten rounds slow aimed fire, set the rifle aside to cool for 20 minutes while you shoot the other one the same way. This prevents the forend from heating up to the point that the oils bubble out of the stock and take the shellac with it. If you shoot corrosive primed surplus ammo then take the proper steps to clean the salts out of the bore once you are done shooting.

[sgtkmk]

Thank you all for the replies and info. I attached a picture of what is in my collection of communist days past. The PU Sniper, 1939 M91/30, 1943, 1944 M44 everything matches except for the magazine on the 1943 looks arsenal re-stamped. I am waiting for my go,no-go gauges to arrive before I give them a try.

[bunkysdad]

Welcome to the forum sgt. We welcome you as a collector, shooter, and history fan. When I read your first post I was thinking you had just got started, but now I see you have a very nice collection with enough variety for all kinds of fun shooting times. You won't hurt the history by using them, we just advocate preserving them, and by the looks of your rifles you like them like we do-in original condition. I hope you find some valuable information here. Oh and we do strongly support military here, and although I am not a veteran there are a lot of Veterans here.