Just when you thought you knew all about them…
(for belter readable versions right click and search google images - it is reproduced in dozens or hundreds of places…)
Just when you thought you knew all about them…
(for belter readable versions right click and search google images - it is reproduced in dozens or hundreds of places…)
too many fucking mosins!!!
But don’t need more, though.
The Mosin’s history is neat. It’s arguably the worst bolt action service rifle of both world wars, but it’s still in use today in the middle east.
Even as the “worst” is was still reliable, accurate, and peasant-proof, and with the cheapest surplus ammo available today it remains an extremely popular weapon all over the world for civilians.
It’s not really reliable, three of the five mosins I’ve owned, after being thoroughly cleaned, have had issues with extraction, and all that cheap surplus ammo isn’t what anyone would call accurate. I’ve achieved good accuracy with handloads for vintage rifle matches, but never with surplus eastern bloc ammo. Robust? Yeah, it’s tough as nails. But from an engineering and manufacturing standpoint, it’s gotta sit in the top five worst front-line smokeless service rifles.
Plenty of people are very happy with it - I’ve only ever fired one, but the owner loved it - and it is constantly talked up as a nice gun - not great, but good enough, and also cheap, on forums and in person.
Sure it can have mechanical problems - they are old after all, and often have had a hard life. A bit of maintenance may well be required for problems - more than just cleaning.
Anyway - longevity, vast numbers, widespread usage = enormous numbers of recognizable variants that can be given 0.1 second difference in reload rate as different versions in Enlisted
There are few things good about a Mosin, but it has a cult following just for the wrong reasons.
Most places that do firearm reviews all say the same thing. Its not accurate (in the context of Bolt Actions), the bolt action itself is clunky and gets hung up more times than I care to count.
On average, I can put 10 rounds downrange with my 98 than I can with a Moisin.
Was it durable? yes, but it was not a nice gun. Collectors of old firearms have some nostaliga about them, but as a frontline grunt, if you were given the choice, trust me you’d pick anything but one of those.
The only gun I’ve ever held that has stood up to a Mauser, is a MAS36 and my own personal favorite, my K31.
Nothing else comes close IMO.
Fair enough. Throw em in moscow and have a blast XD
TBF, I enjoy my Mosin. It’s no fun to shoot prone, or benched, and that bolt is heckin’ squishy to open, but you’re right, they worked well enough for two world wars.