By definition the Mosin Nagant is/was a bolt-action, internal five round magazine-fed, military rifle invented by Russian and Belgian inventors in 1891, and was used by the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and many other nations. All formalities aside, the Mosin Nagant, specifically the M91/30, is a long rifle measuring in at around 48”overall length with the barrel being 29” and sports a steel but plate mounted to a wooden stock. The round is a 7.62x54R (“R” meaning rimmed cartridge) and depending on ammo can reach a velocity of approximately 2800+ feet per second (FPS). Sources say that the effective range with the iron sights is 550 yards. Owning an M91/30 produced in 1942 I can attest to that fact and I can’t help but think that the rifle saw some action in World War II similar to the action seen in the movie: “Enemy at the Gates”.
Back to the rifle and some of the thumbs up and thumbs down aspects. Thumbs down, one thing, the surplus ammo is dirty therefore the rifle gets dirty; quickly. One thing to remember is the barrel is not chrome-lined and should be cleaned right away to avoid pitting. That is the only item that gets a thumbs down from me. Thumbs up aspects are plentiful starting with the price of the rifle; under $120 in most cases. Next would be the price of ammo. The 7.62x54R is relatively inexpensive generally going for $12 for 20 rounds. The round has plenty of push and knock down power that I would not hesitate taking the Mosin out for a deer hunt. Another highlight of the design of the rifle is the five round internal magazine that can be fed either one bullet at a time or a more quicker method with five round stripped clips. With plenty of practice one can perform a “tactical” reload. Overall I give the Mosin Nagant 4 out of 5 stars as far as performance, cost, and ease of maintenance and recommend anyone on a firearms budget (or not) to buy one.
Sounds like an ideal rifle to own.
I love my mosins! Has to be one of the most fun rifles to take to the range.
this is going to be my next gun purchase.
I enjoy my Mosin. It’s a very solid rifle. It can be very accurate as well.
Not that I have any ….But has anyone used mercury for cleaning their gun barrels.
All good points. Especially the pitting warning .
Great writu up!
i own a 1943 mosin nagant, and i got it for about 120 dollars and the sling bayonet and cleaning kit came with it, ive shot close to a thousand rounds of the surplus ammo through it, i have to say this is an amazing rifle for 120 dollars, ive had no misfires,malfunctions, or anything of that nature, the surplus ammo is about 160 dollars per 880 rounds on the sportsmansguide.com. the best ive done with iron sights on it was a 4 inch group at 100 yards. keep in mind this was surplus ammo. it does need to be cleaned after every shooting session but i can say this gun has surprised me with how tough and durable it is, for being wood and from 1943. i would reccomend this gun to anyone looking for a cheap effective rifle buy.
I love Mosin’s. I shot a friend of mine’s at the range and have wanted a Mosin sniper ever since.
I have had mine for years.really enjoy shooting it. Best deal I have ever got.
I have a friend who recently acquired a Mosin Nagant from a local gun shop here in west Tn. for $85. I cant buy 100 rounds of ammo for my .30-06 for that price. I have been looking into getting myself one for the right price.This is a.helpful pot in the event I get one.
Im a huge Curio and Relics nerd. If anyone wants any infromation about a mosin they own ill be happy to help if you cna provide pictures of the prof stamps. Great write up. For all you people that say you love Mosins I highly suggest you look into getting your FFL03
Great rifle! Sounds very awesome!
It’s an older bulky gun but is reliable. I would have it for home defense but defenatly a keeper for any gun collector.
You and my husband would get along well. Good info.
Love me the Mosin. “This is Indiana, everyone and their dog has a Mosin in the closet.”
Can’t beat a classic.
Interesting! Cheap but good fire power! I’m relatively new to guns and rifles but I’m picking up on rifles more because I want to get one soon. Little facts like the no chrome barrel = pitting, was interesting to know.
Gotta love the ole Mosin Nagant! Good Review. Right on point with the ups and downs of that legendary rifle.
Been looking at getting one.. Don’t think you can go wrong for the money.
I’m not a big Mosin fan…I think the history is good to know though. Obviously it was a very large player in the World War, and was used as a sniper rifle. Very cheap which makes it something you can throw in with your collection, and I have even seen bullpup stocks that a Mosin can fit in. Good info all the same! Thanks….
Always heard good things about the Mosin Nagant. This would be a good one to own. Thanks for the review Dale.
Neat gun but Ive only shot a 90/31 once. Son of a gun hurt like a SOB with that metal butt plate
a classic that deserves a place in any collection!
Thanks for the informative review.I’ve never handled a Mosin Nagant ,but every review I’ve read about it has been positive,sounds like a good one to add to the collection.and you can’t really beat that price.
My son has a beautiful 1927 ex dragoon. I refuse to shoot it after my husband came home with a rectangle bruse and him asking me to make him a custom shoulder pad!
I love my Mosin. This is the type of gun that will last forever. When the world is take over by zombies I will find a clock tower somewhere and pick off zombies from 500 yards all day long (until I run out of ammo anyway). Ammo is a little difficult to find and fairly expensive but it’s so much fun to shoot. The nice thing is that the rifle itself is pretty inexpensive to buy. There is a decent website that talks alot about the history of the rifle just google mosin nagat and I think it’s the second link after wikipedia.
The Mosin is a very good rifle to own, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy more. It makes a good long range shooter also, there a various video on youtube of 1000 yard shots with a 91/30. Dale good job on the review.
I would love to own one of these pieces of history. With all the modern technology available this can be modified into an excellent contemporary rifle.
Nice gun
Like my wife (Nan said) my sons Nagat did some damage to me. The bolt is a bit sticky? but fun and cheap to shoot. I do admit I had Nan make me a padded strap on pad because after 8 rounds down range I had to say now more. Since the pad its great and I dont have a bruise reminding me about it for a week
I hope to get one soon!
got a 91/30 and M38 both with the ATI stock that really calms the recoil. Have 2 hex receivers that are stock. when Hathcock was called out by the NVA sniper the NVA was using a mosin with the PU scope. I have hit consistently at 500 and when one of the gun mags did a test of WW2 snipers the Mosin was the only one to hit at 1000 with a 16″ group using 1943 surplus ammo.
It is definitely a rile on my want list!!!!!
I used to have one and my step son has one now. The pressure wave actually shattered the windshield once by shooting across the hood of the car. Now he’s got a supressor. Great gun.
Might have to go shopping for one … loved watching it on Top Shot this season!
Nice to know a little something about the Mosin Nagan. Would love to shoot one, just don’t know anyone with one!
I bought a Mosin Nagant not too long ago. I think it is a very nice rifle to shoot. The ammo is inexpensive, unlike some other european military calibres. The recoil is much less than the mauser that I own and recoil pads are easy enough to find. Modern accessories are also easy enought to find. I would love to own a second rifle that I could add a scope to.
Been looking for one locally. Hoping to stumble on a good deal soon.
Oldie but goodie!!!
Great review. I’ve seen a lot of people that seem to love these guns on different forums, and the availability and price makes it even better.
Nice review!!!
I may look into one… good info.
I have thought about buying one for several years now. I have seen them as cheap as 79.00! WOW! That is a lot of fire power for that kind of money. Mostly you can find them in my area for 99.00. My biggest complaint with them, and it’s mostly the reason why I haven’t bought one, is the cosmoline. How in the world do you get that stuff off of it? I handled one recently at a gun show and got the stuff on me. I have read over the years they are hard to clean up. I think for the money it would be a good addition to anybody’s collection.
Good review, I will have to shoot one if I get the chance!
The Mosin Nagant is one of my favorite military rifles out there. I just got my 3rd one yesterday. These guns have a rich history through out just about every major war since it was first introduced in 1891. It is deadly accurate rifle with a simple design. I can break one down in less than 5 minutes and all the parts of over engineered to not fail or break. For a cheap firearm that is a lot of fun to shoot, I belieave ever gun owner should have at least one in their collect. One of the things I enjoy is finding all the arsenal markings it has to see what kind of history it has. BTW the best way to clean your new Mosin Nagant from the cosmoline that it comes packed in is using a kerosene heater to heat up the stock an wipe it down until you can’t get any more. Then take some paper towels and put a little 409 on it the wipe off the excess. DO NOT SOAK THE WOOD STOCK WITH IT! I also use kerosene to clean the all the hardware. LOVE THESE GUNS!!!
jimmy, I just disassemble and soak in a hot bath tub and then scrub. since I’m single I often put the metal parts in the dish washer and whatever wooden parts fit (I always refinish the wood anyway). when you are done and it is clean spray with WD40 (WD means water displacement) then clean with denatured alcohol and next is normal gun cleaning. After shooting I run a patch of windex (high ammonia to neutralize the salts) before I get home for a good cleaning. Hope this helps with the cosmoline problem. Easy way is to take off the stock, clean the metal then put on the ATI stock (about 50-70 dollars depending where you get it)
Have many. M44favorite. Note check headspace on these to be safe. Nothing like the power of a mosin…and ammo is cheap..get one they are fun!
Looks like a lot of fun for a bargain. Thanks for the review
I may have to look at one tomorrow when I’m out getting another lower. Seems like it could be a fun gun to play around with, although I’ve never shot one.
No wonder the Russians kicked the German’s ass!
MOSINS ARE AWESOME! For around a 100 dollars there a blast! pun intended..any way so yeah abunch of my friends have them and they are quite impressive! Can get 440rd mil surplus spam cans for around $75-90. I will be picking one up soon maybe two of them!
i love mine talked a guy in to buying one at last gun shop i went to
The Mosin Nagant was my first rilfe and a love it. When i go to the range i end up shooting it more any of my guns. Fun to shoot and accurate. Get one.
It is one that I haven’t shot but it is on my list of to-do’s
Very cool review. My buddy picked one up with an after market (obviously) synthetic stock. He nor I have shot it but after reading the review I am going to have to make some time to get out there and give it a try. (I’ve typically seen them at sporting good stores for $79-$99 bucks to boot, with reasonably cheep ammo).
great review ! cant go wrong with the old Mosin Nagant and def. great price !