1) I know that my Mosin Nagant is 7.62 caliber but when I go to order ammunition, there are several 7.62 calibers. Which one is it?
A: The Mosin Nagant fires the 7.62x54R cartridge. The R stands for rimmed.
2) How many models of the Mosin Nagant are there?
A: There were approximately 30 variations of the Mosin Nagant. The models that are best known are the 91/30, M38 and M44. An older version, the M91, can also be found in smaller numbers. The Finnish M39, considered by many to be the best variant produced, is also readily available. The M91, 91/30 and M39 are full-length rifles that use detachable bayonets. The M38 is a carbine-length rifle that does not have a provision for a bayonet, while the M44 is a carbine with an attached bayonet that swings out from a mounting point on the barrel. The M44 is also known as the “Cavalry Carbine”.
3) Are there aftermarket stocks available for my Mosin?
A: Yes. Several manufacturers offer aftermarket stocks for the Mosin Nagant. These are often synthetic and come in various styles and finishes.
4) I want to mount a scope to my Mosin. What are my options?
A: There are few options when mounting a scope to a Mosin Nagant. The original mount was a side mount that required the receiver to be drilled and tapped on the left side. This also required the stock to be inletted and the bolt handle to be turned down. These original scopes and mounts can still be found, but can cost many times the price of the rifle. Another gunsmithing mount requires the front ring to be drilled and tapped and the straight bolt handle to be replaced with a turned-down handle. This kit allows the use of most standard rifle scopes. The least expensive mounting option is the scout scope mount. This mount replaces the rear sight and requires no gunsmithing. This mount does, however, require the use of a long eye relief scope like a scout or pistol scope.
5) When I fire my Mosin and try to eject the empty cartridge, the bolt handle is hard to turn. What is causing this?
A: There could be several causes. A rough or dirty chamber can contribute to this problem. Most surplus ammunition is lacquer-coated and the lacquer can build up over time. Your bolt may also not stick with a different type of ammunition. Try several types to see if the problem goes away. One other possibility is that the rifle has excessive headspace. This can be checked by a competent gunsmith and it isn’t a bad idea to have the older surplus rifles checked anyway.
6) What is headspace and how is it checked?
A: Headspace is a given measurement from the face of the rifle bolt to a certain point of the cartridge. In the case of the 7.62x54R, and all rimmed cartridges, it is the front of the rim. Headspace is checked with gauges that are typically caliber specific. The gauges are inserted into the chamber and the bolt is closed on it. There are three gauges that can be used. The Go gauge; the bolt should fully close on this gauge. The No Go gauge; the bolt can start to close on this gauge but should not close fully. The Field gauge; this gauge is typically used by armorers in the field. It is actually larger in dimension than the No Go gauge, the bolt should not close on it, and during wartime, it is acceptable for field use.
7) Why is headspace important?
A: If headspace is not correct, damage to the firearm and injury to the shooter is possible. Insufficient headspace can cause the bolt to be difficult or impossible to close. Excessive headspace can cause problems such as pierced or blown primers, sticky extraction and in extreme cases, a blown up gun.
8) How many countries built the Mosin Nagant?
A: Mosins were produced by China, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Hungary, Poland, Russia and the United States.
9) Is all 7.62x54R surplus ammunition corrosive?
A: Unfortunately yes. Be sure to clean your rifle after every use.
10) How should I clean my Mosin after shooting corrosive ammunition?
A: Mercuric primers are the culprits that make surplus ammunition corrosive. These primers were used due to their ability to last longer in storage. You must neutralize the mercuric salts to prevent corrosion and one of the easiest and least expensive agents to use is ammonia-based window cleaner (Windex). Run a couple of patches soaked in the window cleaner through the bore and follow with dry patches to remove it. Then clean the bore, as you would any other rifle, with a quality bore solvent like Hoppes No. 9. After cleaning, run a patch soaked in gun oil through the bore and follow with one dry patch to remove excess oil. This method has worked flawlessly for me for years. Be sure to wipe off the bolt face and the bayonet (if you prefer to shoot with it fixed) also.
11) Which model of Mosin Nagant is the most accurate?
A: The Finnish 28/30 and M39 are typically the most accurate.
12) When was the Mosin Nagant designed and put into service?
A: The Mosin rifle and the Nagant rifle were both designed in 1889 to compete in testing for a new rifle for the Russian Army. Trials determined that both rifles had their strengths and weaknesses. The Nagant rifle was eventually settled on, but with design improvements from the Mosin rifle added in. The resulting hybrid Mosin Nagant rifle was adopted into official service with the Russian Army in 1891.
13) I want to hand load for my Mosin. What is the diameter of the bullets that I will need?
A: Bullets with a diameter of .311 are needed to load for the Mosin Nagant. This differs from the .308 diameter bullets found in cartridges like the .308 and .30-06.
14) Does my Mosin Nagant have a safety?
A: Yes. The safety is the knob on the rear of the bolt. You pull it toward the rear and rotate it counterclockwise 45 degrees until it drops into a notch in the receiver. This will block the firing pin, lock the bolt and disconnect the trigger.
15) How many serial numbers should be on a Mosin Nagant?
A: The Mosin has 4 serial numbers from the factory. These are located on the bolt, barrel, magazine floorplate and the buttplate.
16) How do you pronounce “Mosin Nagant”?
A: Ask ten people and you will get ten answers. After doing some reading it seems that the closest pronunciation is “mo-SEEN na-GOHN”.
17) What wars were the Mosin Nagant rifles used in?
A: The Mosin Nagant rifle has been used in numerous conflicts including; Russo-Japanese War, Russian Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Chinese Civil War and Vietnam.
18) Do any countries still use the Mosin Nagant?
A: Not officially. They will occasionally show up in third world counties being used by guerillas and insurgent forces.
19) What is a dog collar when referring to the Mosin Nagant?
A: This refers to a type of sling. The leather loops that attach the sling to the rifle resemble a dog collar.
I have enjoyed the firing of both my M-44 and M-91/30 for some time . It amazes me as to how inexpensive and yet , reliable and accurate they both are . ( How about hitting a golf ball off the top of a champagne bottle at 50 feet with iron sights / twice in a row in a standing position ) I’m not that great a shot so it must be the weaponry . I have also purchased bulk surplus ammo , 7.62X54R in the sardine cans with manufacturing dates in the 1980′s that claim to be berdan primed , non-corrosive . I certianly hope that is the case as I’m sure the blood red residue I used to find in my barrels was wreaking havoc on the rifleing and general accuracy .
Rest assured that regardless of the claims , I will follow the cleaning instructions recently brought to my attention . Here I am triple scrubbing the bore with all of these hi-tech solvents when the actual corrosive agent is water soluable . ” Dump some damn hot water down the barrel and let it dry ” was the latest info .
Wolf ammo is Russian made and current and about $.40 a round and seems to work great. It’s steel cased and non-reloadable but I don’t shoot enough to count on cost savings there .
ANYWHO , one of the last bloggers was asking about why such a difficult time rotating the bolt on the M.N. weapons and the varnish issues are probably valid but I have found , and adjusted to the simple fact that as you rotate the bolt after firing, that action is also re-cocking the firing pin spring and it does fight you a bit . Slowly trying to rotate it turns into a cussing struggle with virtually all of these rifles/carbines . A firm, swift upward swing of the bolt works well .
All I know is ,the 91/30 dated 1932 I purchased for $ 119.00 from a lucky dealer that bought a tanker of these fine, historic rifles was still wrapped in wax paper and burlap and it was never issued . It’s almost too pretty to shoot but I have , hundreds of times. These older copies weren’t made in the desperate times of Stallingrad . and were produced with the finest materials and pride the Russians are famous for .
I not sure that if mine were fitted with that scope used in ” Enemy at the Gates ” I could do so much damage to the Germans but it is one fine rifle for the cost . . . .
Comment by casey — May 11, 2010 @ 10:20 pm
i was wondering, can you scope a mosin nagant and still top load it?
Comment by Benjamin Myers — October 21, 2010 @ 4:02 pm
Hi,
I have five Nagats, and there all counterbored aprox 2″ at the muzzle end of the barrel. Does anyone know the reason for this?
Thanks Bill S.
Comment by Bill — November 12, 2010 @ 5:10 pm
I didn’t see any responses to the last two comments so I guess I’ll give it a shot.
Benjamin – You can put a scope on just about any Mosin-Nagant and still keep the straight bolt by removing the rear site and replacing it with a special mount for a long eye relief scope. Do a Google search on “Mosin Nagant scout scope”. That should give you all the info you need.
Bill – Barrels tend to wear out quicker at the muzzle leaving loose sloppy rifling that negatively effects accuracy. Counter boring lets the bullet leave the rifling from comparatively fresh sharp rifling.
I purchased my first Mosin-Nagant (M91/30) about a month ago and it has turned into a favorite rifle for me and my family. There’s nothing like getting knocked around a little when you’re at the range. It just adds to the “fun factor”. Be sure to buy a few extra rounds because you’re not going to want to stop at just 10-15 rounds. Shooting the .22 afterward is a bit anti-climatic.
Comment by Mike — December 7, 2010 @ 9:34 pm
I have a M91/30 that i just sporterized for less than $300 gun and all thanks to UTI and BSA. I now have a synthetic stock, a pictany tri rail system, a red dot scope, and last but not least a lazer sight. I use it to hog hunt in TX. It has not failed to bring one down yet. SWEET GUN for the money!!!!!!!!
Comment by Tony — December 29, 2010 @ 4:15 pm
I’d like to say for which you always provide clear information and looking an avid reader of your site for quite a while. Just wanted to say thank you really for all beneficial financial work you do!
Comment by san pedro water damage — January 5, 2011 @ 2:49 am
There are not “10 different” ways to pronounce Mosin Nagant.
That’s like saying there are 10 different ways to pronounce Browning, simply because you heard an Italian man speaking broken english say it.
Just ask a russian how to say it.
Moe h-sin NahGahnt
Comment by Dave — February 24, 2011 @ 11:57 pm
Itˇs truly a nice and helpful piece of information. I am satisfied that you shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
Comment by Greg Holze — October 22, 2011 @ 2:19 pm
The M-N is hard to beat. If I only had $300 for rifle, ammo, and accessories it would be my choice. Anything that continued to work in the horrible conditions at Stalingrad will not let you down in CONUS. The M38 is a great balance of size, power, accuracy, dependability, and price. I would love to find a Finnish M-N for a price I could afford. For now I’m happy with what I have and love taking it to the range.
Comment by revjen45 — December 8, 2011 @ 9:07 pm
A round of applause for your blog post.Really looking forward to read more. Fantastic.
Comment by Mason Harrill — January 29, 2012 @ 3:49 pm
Out of all the different ammunition brands I have fired out of my M91/30, I have found that just about all the cases will stick in the chamber after I rack the bolt back, this includes all surplus I have tried(Czech, Russian, Serbian, Chinese), Norma 200gr soft points, Winchester 200gr round nose and 150gr FMJ ammo, and a few others, but oddly enough it seems to prever PRVI Partizan 150gr soft point ammo. Ejects the spend case every time, and the cases are reloadable, and the ammo is extremely accurate as well (2″ groups at 100 yards with iron sights on a bench rest)in addition to being relatively inexpensive. I think the last box I bought was $9 and some change…compared to $25 for Winchesters.
But then again every rifle is different and will like different ammo brands, so experiment around, but I highly recommend PRVI Partizan.
Comment by Zachary Fisher — May 14, 2012 @ 11:53 pm
[...] Mosin Nagant FAQ | The Shooter's Log Ask ten people and you will get ten answers. After doing some reading it seems that the closest [...]
Pingback by Mosin nagant pronunciation - Gun & Game - Gun Forum Community — July 19, 2012 @ 7:44 pm
I have a M1939 Finnish Mosin Nagant I acquired recently. I have not been able to use the safety on it. The knob is incredibly hard to pull back and when I turn it to the left it doesn’t engage anything. How far do you rotate it to the left? Is the safety broken or it just very difficult to use or what an I doing wrong? Thanks.
Comment by Tom Belton — March 1, 2013 @ 8:52 pm
Tom,
The Mosin’s safety is notorious for giving a lot of grief. A solid and strong pull back should be followed by a 45 degree clockwise turn, else you may need to have the rifle taken to a gunsmith
Comment by Craig — March 14, 2013 @ 4:27 am