1932 M91/30, serial number 88888?

[SniperInShadows]

Hi everyone,
I bought my second mosin nagant on gunbroker and am still very new. My local gun range/FFL i usually use offered to buy it from me for a decent price. The owner said it was because of the serial number. Which is no kidding 88888. The receiver and bolt are both 88888 and the rest are forced matched. Is this something rare that I should keep or go with the deal. He said he would keep it on display in one of the cases and not sell it.

Besides the odd serial number the blueing is very nice with patina. The stock seems original and not refinished. The bolt has no real rust on it or the firing pin. Over all pretty nice but i'm no expert. The pictures on the auction don't really portray the gun very well....Is this something i should keep. I'm interested because of the owner seems exited about this particular rifle.

Here is the gunbroker auction with the pictures. The rifle is still on background delay for me a the shop.
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/663739471

[millman]

In my opinion it is just a typical refurb with a slightly odd serial number. If he is willing to make it worth your while, sell it to him. It looks to be a nice rifle, but nothing too special unless one is a fan of the number 8.

[SniperInShadows]

Thanks , I guess he must like the number 8.

[redspoon]

Unless you were born at 8AM on 8-8-88, I agree it's just a typical refurb. Maybe $20 premium for 32 hex receiver plus $20 premium for MO double date. I think you did ok for $270. If your friend wants to give crazy money 300/350, then I would sell.

[SA1911a1]

I bought a M-91 because the serial was my birth date, month-day-year. I couldn't walk off and leave it..... There is no logic to collecting Mosin-Nagant rifles, so if the serial intrigues you, that is a good enough reason.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Didn't someone have serial 666? It's just a number, I would not pay extra to own it unless the number was very low, and then only for the cool factor as serial numbers on these rifles mean nothing.

[Rongo]

Didn't someone have serial 666? It's just a number, I would not pay extra to own it unless the number was very low, and then only for the cool factor as serial numbers on these rifles mean nothing.

This one I think? 66608 actually... Don't want to sell that though.

44t002.jpg

I don't know... I would keep 88888 rifle unless you could sell it for good money. Hex 91/30's are selling for what, $270 I guess? Yikes! I would keep it unless your FFL is willing to part with ½ a Grover Clevland. That may seem like a lot, but in 5-10 years Hex 91/30's WILL fetch near $500.

I say keep it.

[qz2026]

Interesting rifle. Is a double date too. Some think that the double date was just a refurbishment facility but this one has an additional refurbishment stamp. And something weird going on in the crest area. Kind of a cool gun but I wouldn't have paid that much for it.

[Longcolt44]

Just another refurb, see what he would trade for. Does he have something in his shop you would want?

[zeebill]

Paid $270 and if he offer $50 over that I am out the door with a smile on my face! 88888 forever! Bill Its a bloody refurb and I made money

[NLMosin]

Heres another devil's rifle...

1932.6662.jpg

[Rongo]

You guys are all quick to say it's just another refurb; That's true... I agree.

But, consider things from his point of view. It's just his second Mosin & he's still new to it all. Personally, I say he got in the game very late... Later than we all did. I remember walking into shops & browsing through whole racks of rifles & cherry picking the best of the bunch. Best part was they were dirt cheap. Then I would do it a few days later, and so on.
Not nearly as many 91/30 refurbs out there today, and far fewer M91's, M39's, M38's, 91/59's, Finn variants & such. The only places I see those now are Gunbroker, & they go for a lot more than $270.

At the moment he has a decent refurb with an interesting serial number & it's the prize in his budding Mosin collection. Give him some time to enjoy it.

I still say hang onto it, shoot & use it at least until something better comes along.

[bunkysdad]

I might be the only one to say this, but that is indeed a pretty rare, extremely desirable rifle. First off, extremely desirable because it's a early 30's hex receiver Mosin in great matching condition. But think about the rarity of it for a minute. I think it is almost a certainty to be one of a kind. No other known examples from that year with 88888 for a serial number. If the shop buys it, can you replace it?

[Pahtu]

Didn't someone have serial 666? It's just a number, I would not pay extra to own it unless the number was very low, and then only for the cool factor as serial numbers on these rifles mean nothing.

I came across a SCW 91-30 with a serial 666, the shop owner was very eccentric....read crazy.....she would not budge on the price of 400 several years ago.....but quickly sold me a SA 1930 Tula Dragoon for 200.00.....I often wonder about that 666 91-30....I asked a friend that lives in the city where the eccentric lady had her shop....said she passed away and does not know what happened to her inventory of firearms.....she was sitting on a ton of misc milsurp.....

Pahtu.

[entropy]

Maybe he's a white supremacist.