Comments on the rifle itself? Reliable? Accurate, etc??
There are whole groups of Mosin enthusiasts on FR including myself. For the price, they are great guns. Also, because of the availability and low price, they are fun to tinker with. I find them very accurate but of course, due to the age and the many different factories, it is hit and miss. Still, I would bet 8 of 10 are out of storage accurate.
As for reliable, there is a reason why they have been in continuous service from 1890 until recently (and probably still use in deep Afghanistan and Africa).
I like Mosins. They are accurate for what they are, main battle rifle for Ivan in WW2. The Finns acquired a lot of them before and when they fought Stalin, beefed up the stocks and accurized them. Their M39 model is very accurate for it’s time.
http://www.mosinnagant.net/finland/simohayha.asp
“Many remember Simo Häyhä only as using the Mosin Nagant M28 or M28/30 rifle with open sights and only credit his high kill total to his role as a sniper; however, this is not entirely correct as Häyhä was also an expert with the Suomi K31 SMG and a large number of the Soviets that he felled were from his K31. Above are examples of the tools of Simo Häyhä in his hunts in Kollaa.
Mr. Häyhä was credited with over 500 kills in his service during the Winter War with his service cut short as he was wounded on 3-6-40 by a Soviet sniper. Simo was shot in the face with what turned out to be an exploding bullet and he was taken out of action due to these wounds. The total time that Simo Häyhä served in the Winter War was 100 days with about 500 kills credited to him. His record is truly remarkable and is long since remembered in the nation of Finland.”
Russian version of the 30-06. If you want a highly accurate rifle for hunting, get the 30-06. If you want a cheap rifle with cheap ammunition that has halfway decent accuracy, Mosin aint bad.
On the down side, a lot of the surplus ammunition is corrosive, the gun is heavy and long, and it does have quite a report when fired.
Comments on the rifle itself? Reliable? Accurate, etc??
You can reliably hit the broad side of a barn with one, regardless of condition or how vodka-soaked you are.
Perfect for human wave attacks.
If the bullet doesn’t kill ‘em the muzzle blast will.
Buy one. You'll find that it's a tool, and a very robust tool at that. You get the feeling that you could stab a tank with that bayonet, and it's fun to fire a round at the local range to announce your arrival.
The MN is by far the most popular and often the first rifle owned by C&R holders. At one point I owned 9 of them. They come in many different flavors and from many different armories and from many different years.
Ammo is dirt cheap.
Reliable? I’ve never seen one NOT fire. You often get fireballs from the muzzle from some of the cheaper milsurp ammo, and you WILL turn heads at any range, esp. indoor.
Accurate? My best shooting ever from a bench rest came with a hexagonal-receiver Mosin I refurbished. I shot five rounds in a 2” group at 300 yds. on iron sights. Couldn’t do it again if you paid me (mostly cuz I sold it), but with proper care, maintenance, and ammo, it’s a tack driver and a damn proper long-range rifle. Most, however, will need some work.
Def. worth it if you’re still in your “shooter” stage, and with some selling for less than $100, you’d be a fool not to pick one up.