The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

hey there, I'm new to mosin nagants having just purchased my first one. In my reading iv learned that hex receivers are more sought after and rifles from the Tula factory are more desirable. Is this the case in your oppinions? If so why? Are there any other features I should look out for that would make one rifle more desirable than another. how important/ hard to find are matching numbered mosins?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated

A lot of things you are asking are very subjective and personal. I could care less where the next rifle I buy comes from as far as arsenal and as far as hex or round receiver I guess I like the hex but merely because they are usually older and I like the old stuff because of its possible history and collectability. First off I have little use for refurbs which everyone seems to start with collecting because they are parts rifle assembled and redone. Generally they can be good shooters but I see little reason to accumulate them as possible collectors. Time will tell whether I am right or not and frankly we may all be gone by the time that is decided. I just have a hard time thinking that something that is so available and still being imported one way or the other in the millions will ever be worth too much other than for practical shooting usage. They are however most easy to find and variety seems endless and changing with every new group that shows up on the sales market.

Matching numbered rifles seem to be desirable to many people and while it is a plus with the Finnish Mosins I desire most it is only possibly necessary to have the receiver and the bolt matched, this is sometimes referred to as Finn Matched. Many new collectors value all matching non-counter bored rifles and while they are most times the best shooters if the bore is nice to begin with they offer little added value to me. Sometimes I will get a Finnish Mosin that looks like it is totally shot out and useless for anything other than a wall hanger. With work and patience and many range trips it may turn out to be a decent shooting rifle.

Again I repeat my opinions are just personal and my own and each and every collectors sought after collector pieces will reflect on what they search for and collect. I encourage new collectors to read and decide on their own with patience and knowledge where they fit into the overall picture of collecting rifles. Many collectors never shoot what they collect but I head to the range at least once a week or more if weather and time allows me to. As I get older I find I am getting very lazy and often fail to shoot as much as I would like to but as they say that is life. You have some decisions to make, Good Luck! Bill

You will hear Tula is more desirable and/or "better" for some reason but there is really no rhyme or reason why this all started. What is really most desirable are the examples that are just not
your everyday run of the mill refurb.

"Matching" numbers are most of the time only matching in the sense that they have been renumbered or force matched to the receiver.
This will help you out:
information/refurbishment/index.html

That was a helpfull article, thanks. It's a shame though, I thought I had stumbled across an all matching 10/10 condition 1935 Tula with hex reciever! Dissapointing to hear they were all refurbed and force matched. Oh well, guess my mosin isn't as special as I thought

Actually it is. It is pre-war, hex receiver. There are a finite number of those, many fewer than the war time round receivers. It has history behind it, a long and hard history.

Since nobody has asked, I will. Have you disassembled you rifle yet? Sometimes there is a hidden jewel hidden on the underside of the tang. It may be in the form of a date earlier than the year stamped on the barrel. You should take it all apart anyway to do a thorough cleaning. My favorite shooter is a 1937 Tula.

Longcolt44 wrote:Since nobody has asked, I will. Have you disassembled you rifle yet? Sometimes there is a hidden jewel hidden on the underside of the tang. It may be in the form of a date earlier than the year stamped on the barrel. You should take it all apart anyway to do a thorough cleaning. My favorite shooter is a 1937 Tula.

Absolutely true! One of my favorite shooters is a 1927 that's on a 1901 receiver!

No I haven't even got it yet, australian gun laws, we have to wait on paperwork being processed by "The Man" before we can take them home to play! Very frustrating. But from what iv seen on the surface it's in way better condition than any other mosin iv seen here. You must remember in Australia EVERYTHING even Lee Enfields are generally far scarcer, in much worse condition and approx 3-4x the price of what you spoiled yanks have available to you! Should get the old girl middle of next week. Pics to follow

Hex receiver rifles have a bit more value associated with them simply because they are older and, thus, a bit more scarce. I don't know if a Hex from Tula is any better than a Hex from Izhevsk. A war years Tula may be a little more desirable since their fit and finish was superior to those being cranked out by Izhevsk in addition to Tula being shut down for much of the war beginning in late 1942, making them more scarce. But both were indistinguishable as far as what they were designed for - their shooting quality. I, personally, like the Hex's for no other reason other than their historical significance and, subjectively... they're pretty cool. 99% of what is available now are refurbs with numbers having been force matched. Every once in a while you can come across an original rifle with factory matching number but they are pretty rare and expensive. I won't bore you with a discussion of the pre 91/30 (hex) rifles. Hang around here long enough and you will see rifles that will make you drool with their historical significance and their infinite variations.

All that said, you will enjoy your new rifle and am looking forward to seeing it posted.

Oh, did I say

It's a lot of fun to take them apart and learn how they work. It is really simple. You should learn how to disassemble and clean the bolt also. Not very difficult at all.

Yes, most M1891'30 rifles are in fact factory refurbished, but they have plenty of history behind them and don't let anyone tell you differently. Most of the M1 Garands we have now are factory refurbished made from mixed parts and nobody would dare say an M1 Garand isn't collectible or historically significant. These M1891-30 rifles fought on the most devastating front of the most devastating war in human history. Of course they are going to need repaired and rebuilt. Your 1935 is a veteran of Russia's Great Patriotic War and the refurbishment was done by the Soviets themselves, so it's still 100 percent correct and definitely historically relevant.

Hex Receivers are more sought after because they are the older style and fewer M1891-30s were made with the hex receiver in comparison to the round receiver.

Tula manufactured rifles are more sought after among Mosin collectors but for no real solid reason.

There are countless things that can make a Mosin rifle more sought after than most.

I recommend checking out this page for the basic run down.

http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinRarity.htm

Thanks! All these articles are fantastic. Obviously alot of hard work has gone into this page. Well done to everyone involved! For 1 new collector, all these resources have been invaluable

No problem don. If you run in to some round receivers at a good deal don't bother with them. Just PM me a link, I'll take it from there.