The Good, The Bad, and The Overrated...What are your experiences?

**Scrapper** · Posted On: 4/21/2010 11:50am

I've reviewed the 605 and the 66. Check the articles section.

I also have one of their airweight 38 specials. 3000 failure-free rounds through the 66 and 4000 through the 605.

**AMF** · Posted On: 4/21/2010 12:44pm

The Mysterious:

The "Super Magnums": Things like the 454 casull and 500 magnum and **** they say can be used as a back up for game hunting. The range near me has a S&W 500 magnum they rent for $30 and it includes 5 rounds with it. This thing looks like what The Joker shot the Bat plane down with.

I have shot the mighty .454 Casull (my brother in laws, he carries it when he goes elk hunting out west)

While it is a beast to shoot, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will buy one for my own piece of mind when I head out west.

My next gun will be a Mosin Nagant, I seriously want one to work on as a project gun.

We shot the same day when I shot my .357 and did a phone book test with it (8 taped together) I don't have any pictures, didn't bring the camera or my phone so trust me on this, but that behemouth went through 7 of the 8 and maintained damn-near perfect expansion when we dug them out.

**Mr. Machette** · Posted On: 4/21/2010 3:48pm

Originally Posted by AMF

My next gun will be a Mosin Nagant, I seriously want one to work on as a project gun.

Oh hell no!

Do that to a 91-30 Izzy or not at all. Most of those weapons are museum pieces. You don't chop history man.

I swear to god, if you wind up Bubba'ing a Finn, I will personally come to your house and **** you up the ass with it.

**Cy Q. Faunce** · Posted On: 4/21/2010 4:00pm

Originally Posted by Scrapper

They are simpler in execution, not in parts quantity. By eliminating the gas-operated mechanicals, feeding process, and ejection process, you eliminate a host of variables that must occur correctly from the nominal cycling sequence.

There are three common types of ammunition failure I've encountered: weak load, dead primer, extruded primer. For the first two, a Tap Rack Bang will put you back in action almost as fast as a double-action trigger pull. For the third, which is in my experience the most common, the auto will do fine, and the revolver will frequently jam in a fashion where you'll need a workbench to fix it.

Originally Posted by Scrapper

Furthermore, very few of a revolver parts move more than a fraction of an inch during operation, and all but one experience no impact or reciprocation. None of them slide against any of the others other.

Go look at your trigger group again.

In any case, the revolver's sensitive timing mechanism is far more susceptible to incidental damage than the gas or recoil systems of a typical semiauto pistol, and the whole works are constantly exposed to environmental contamination, even the space between the firing pin and the cartridge. That's what the tight, slidey design of a semiautomatic will buy you.

**IMightBeWrong** · Posted On: 4/21/2010 4:13pm

Originally Posted by Scrapper

Why would anyone over 120 pounds carry a 6-shot .380 when a snub-nosed revolver provides far more power and reliability at half the price?

I would. Because they're more reliable and easier to handle than 9mm pocket pistols and a snub nosed revolver can easily double the size and weight you're willing to carry. If I'm at a formal occasion, a pocket pistol in .380 is going to print far less than a revolver. Plus when you compare .380 to .38, you're not talking about a huge difference in power.

**IMightBeWrong** · Posted On: 4/21/2010 4:17pm

Originally Posted by Mr. Machette

Oh hell no!

Do that to a 91-30 Izzy or not at all. Most of those weapons are museum pieces. You don't chop history man.

I swear to god, if you wind up Bubba'ing a Finn, I will personally come to your house and **** you up the ass with it.

I agree. I don't go for customizing them either. They've got too much of a cool factor to mess with.

**AMF** · Posted On: 4/21/2010 7:28pm

Originally Posted by Mr. Machette

Oh hell no!

Do that to a 91-30 Izzy or not at all. Most of those weapons are museum pieces. You don't chop history man.

I swear to god, if you wind up Bubba'ing a Finn, I will personally come to your house and **** you up the ass with it.

You and what Army kiddo?

(just kidding)

Have no idea what you are talking about, explain please.

Just so you know my intent is to get one, mount it in a good synthetic stock, do any gun smith work on it it may need to get it to fire and cycle right, mount a scope on it, and finally use it for LONG distance hunting/shooting.
(probably for elk and moose)

**Mr. Machette** · Posted On: 4/21/2010 8:48pm

Originally Posted by AMF

You and what Army kiddo?

(just kidding)

Have no idea what you are talking about, explain please.

Just so you know my intent is to get one, mount it in a good synthetic stock, do any gun smith work on it it may need to get it to fire and cycle right, mount a scope on it, and finally use it for LONG distance hunting/shooting.
(probably for elk and moose)

It's all good, I was just kidding too... well, kind of.

Here's the deal, some of the Mosins out there are VERY rare. In teh case of my Finnish m39 B-barrel, there were only @ 8000 made, and they are already the most accurate general issue rifle of their day. (possibly ever) No need to mess with it, and to do so would ruin a rare, and exceptionally fine piece of history.

Not all the rare mosins are priced as such. I found a Finn 91-30 worth @ $500 - $600 dollars once in a store for $125 OTD! (It was gone when I came back with the monies :( )

So if you insist on chopping one up, you've got to use the most common variety. The Izmash 91-30, wartime manufacture. Or an Izmash M44 postwar. There are hundreds of thousands of them out there. (For now anyways) Even that is kind of messed up, but it is at least not destroying something rather unique.

You should not have to tinker with the Mosin at all to get it to feed and fire. If there's one thing they do, it's go bang with monotonous regularity. God bless the old warhorses. The nicer examples tend towards a degree of accuracy not normally seen in this modern era of semi and full auto weapons. In fact, only the trully abused ones are poor shooters. (Something to note is that the m44 was sighted in with the bayonet extended, so the POI tends to move when the Bayo is in it's stowed position. Has to do with Barrel Harmonics.)

As for mounting a scope, the receiver must be tapped to do so. A permanent change, ruining a piece of history. The Bolt handle must also be chopped, and turned down to accommodate a scope. Another permanent change.

As for the round. 7.62x54r is a hell of a kicker. Designed to stop horses dead in thier tracks. (The mosin and it's ammo are from 1890's, when cavalry charges still meant something.) But it's ballistic performance is all but identical to 30-06, and .308. So it does nothing that can't be accomplished with more modern ammunition, which I might ad is far more consistent and reliable than the corrosive surplus you'll be firing from your mosin.

So, for the money, if you want a nice long range shooter. Buy a Savage or a Tikka in 30-06 or .308. Both will run you about what it would cost to "destroy" a genuine war relic, and perform much better for your goals. Especially since they come ready to mount a scope, and with the synthetic stock.

If it's old school cool you want. Get a Mosin Sniper Repro. Has the scope, has the turned down bolt handle, and will reach out and touch someone for sure.

Finnish Mosins are deadly accurate, but not tapped for scopes. To mess with one is a sin against firearms. Use the Iron sights, just like ol' Simo Hayah.

Anyways, messing with WWII relics is bad juju. It's costly, it doesn't turn out as well as a modern, purpose built rifle that has the features you're really looking for, and it erases a piece of history witch can never be regained. The only reason to do this is when the thing is so far gone that playing with it would be an improvement. Even middle of the Road Mosins do not count for that.

The real reason to buy a Mosin is for scarring the wild life and others people at the range with your Tsarist era cannon, and enjoying a piece of Soviet history. They are a unique machine unto themselves. The markings, and the different types of receiver or stock, all tell the history of the weapon, and our modern world at large. Some are still fighting in wars to this very day. My Finn M39 had components that saw action in two world wars and fought for three different armies. That is why it's a shame to mess with them. Chop it up, and those details, that history, is lost for good.

So save yourself the money, the trouble, and the bad luck of making Vassili Zaitsev roll in his grave, buy getting a Savage, and shooting the **** out of things too far to see with the naked eye.

Shoot safe man!

**Hooded Justice** · Posted On: 4/21/2010 11:03pm

Originally Posted by AMF

You and what Army kiddo?

(just kidding)

Have no idea what you are talking about, explain please.

Just so you know my intent is to get one, mount it in a good synthetic stock, do any gun smith work on it it may need to get it to fire and cycle right, mount a scope on it, and finally use it for LONG distance hunting/shooting.
(probably for elk and moose)

Out of curiosity is there any reason you are choosing a Mosin over any other bolt action?

**AMF** · Posted On: 4/21/2010 11:03pm

Thanks for all the info and you sold me cold on not altering the Mosin.

I still want one just to shoot and for historical sake; but it will remain as is unless it is in poor shape and it becomes a safety issue to shoot it as is.

I have a Weatherby 30-06 BTW, it has slain it's fair share of game and I will probably use it when I go hunt the bigger game.