The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > The Hunt

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old November 18, 2011, 12:18 PM   #1
Schuyler
Junior Member
 
Join Date: November 18, 2011
Posts: 5
Which mosin fits my hunting style?

So, being a soon-to-be poor college student, I figured I dump a whole lot of money into a deer rifle, nor will I want to spend my life savings on ammo these days. As a result, I've recently fallen for the mosin nagant. I figure it is more than powerful enough to deer hunt with, and milsurplus ammo is cheap enough to plink around with and get accustomed to shooting it. Usually when I'm hunting, it's hiking through the woods, sitting for an hour or two, and hiking to a new spot. All and all, typically involves a good bit of walking in the mountains and hollows. So, on to the point of this thread: Would the M44 or 91/30 be a better choice for hunting in this type of environment? I would like to scope the gun, and as far as I've read, it's equally difficult with both guns, and does require drilling/tapping unless your comfortable with a clamp on scope. Also, just out of curiousity, anyone care to back up the stories I've heard of the mosin with open sights? Heard it's pretty deadly even out to a hundred yards...

Thanks!
Schuyler
EDIT: Oh, and just to throw one more thing in the mix: I'm left eye dominant and right handed, but I've always used a right handed bolt gun. Any new issues with the mosin I should be weary of? Hopefully I just don't need a quick follow up shot lol

Last edited by Schuyler; November 18, 2011 at 12:26 PM.
Schuyler is offline  
Old November 18, 2011, 12:40 PM   #2
kraigwy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 16, 2008
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 11,061
Quote:
Also, just out of curiousity, anyone care to back up the stories I've heard of the mosin with open sights? Heard it's pretty deadly even out to a hundred yards...
They are a heck of a lot more accurate then that. I have gongs set out on my back pasture to 400 yards. I can go out there any time and wack 100, 200, 300, and 400 in 4 shots no problem (8 inch gongs). The gun will shoot a lot further then that.

The problem being, past 300 wind gets you and there is no windage adjustments other then moving the front sight. If you can favor then they will shoot 600+ easily.

Mine is a 91/30, completely stock. I only shoot reloads.

100 yards isnt very far, dern near any rifle would work, pretty much all Mosins unless its pure junk.

Don't know what or where you are hunting, but to 300 w/iron sights the Mosin will serve you fine.

I don't normally put scopes on my Mil Spec Rifles.
__________________
Kraig Stuart
CPT USAR Ret
USAMU Sniper School
Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071
kraigwy is offline  
Old November 18, 2011, 12:48 PM   #3
Schuyler
Junior Member
 
Join Date: November 18, 2011
Posts: 5
Quote:
They are a heck of a lot more accurate then that. I have gongs set out on my back pasture to 400 yards. I can go out there any time and wack 100, 200, 300, and 400 in 4 shots no problem (8 inch gongs). The gun will shoot a lot further then that.
That's awesome! It's that kind of accuracy I was hoping to find.

Quote:
Don't know what or where you are hunting, but to 300 w/iron sights the Mosin will serve you fine.
100 yards is probably the max for where I hunt, and it sounds like the mosin is more than capable.

How would the 91/30 do as far as carrying it through the mountains? Would it be anymore cumbersome than the m44?
Schuyler is offline  
Old November 18, 2011, 06:58 PM   #4
Kreyzhorse
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 12, 2006
Location: NKY
Posts: 12,463
The Mosin will certainly handle 100 yards if you can As far as model goes, and you certainly sound like you'll be hunting 100 yards or less, I'd go with the M44. No reason to carry a longer, heavier rifle than the M44.
__________________
"He who laughs last, laughs dead." Homer Simpson
Kreyzhorse is offline  
Old November 18, 2011, 08:01 PM   #5
Schuyler
Junior Member
 
Join Date: November 18, 2011
Posts: 5
Quote:
The Mosin will certainly handle 100 yards if you can As far as model goes, and you certainly sound like you'll be hunting 100 yards or less, I'd go with the M44. No reason to carry a longer, heavier rifle than the M44.
That's sorta what I gathered, thanks! In the end it will likely come down to what I am able to find locally, but I think I'm certainly going to try to find an m44. In your opinion, what is the maximum effective range of the m44? Just curious, as I'm sure I'll like to stretch it out a little once I get my hands on some surplus ammo, lol.
Schuyler is offline  
Old November 18, 2011, 11:23 PM   #6
ialungo
Member
 
Join Date: January 8, 2008
Posts: 23
Either one. I own both & used the 91/30 this fall. Even though it's heavier than the 44 it carries well & I felt more confident with it at ranges around 100 yds. Open sights, 75 yd shot, dropped a doe in her tracks. Even with my 67 year old eyes I would fill confident out to 150 with a good rest.
ialungo is offline  
Old November 19, 2011, 12:24 PM   #7
Daekar
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 28, 2011
Posts: 458
I think what it is important to know is that the 7.62x54r you're shooting in the Mosin-Nagant is a full-power rifle cartridge similar in performance to a 30-06. This means that the effective range on whitetail is not so much limited by the power of the gun but by its accuracy and, most importantly, your ability to shoot it. Even at 300 yards, even the worst Mosin will have the energy to take a deer with a well-placed shot. But the placement is the thing. I would submit that even if the rifle is capable of accuracy which will allow a responsible 300 yard shot on a whitetail, most people are incapable of making such a shot with iron sights, particularly in the field. If long shots are your thing, I really advise you to scope the rifle. However, under 200 yards and certainly out to 100 yards, the irons will be fine, even with the short sight radius of the m44. Which brings me to another point - the bayonet matters. Many m44s will not shoot to point-of-aim without the bayonet extended. Just something to consider.
Daekar is offline  
Old November 19, 2011, 01:53 PM   #8
Schuyler
Junior Member
 
Join Date: November 18, 2011
Posts: 5
Quote:
Either one. I own both & used the 91/30 this fall. Even though it's heavier than the 44 it carries well & I felt more confident with it at ranges around 100 yds. Open sights, 75 yd shot, dropped a doe in her tracks. Even with my 67 year old eyes I would fill confident out to 150 with a good rest.
Awesome, thanks!

Quote:
Many m44s will not shoot to point-of-aim without the bayonet extended. Just something to consider.
Are 91/30's better known for their bayonet-less accuracy? I am not planning on hunting with the bayonet even attached to the m44 if I got it, and was not planning on using it with a 91/30 either.
Schuyler is offline  
Old November 19, 2011, 02:17 PM   #9
Buzzcook
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 29, 2007
Location: Everett, WA
Posts: 6,126
You're young with good eyes. Iron sights are fine and weight shouldn't be a big problem.
The 91/30 will have a bit less recoil and the longer barrel makes it a bit easier to aim.
The M-44 will be a bit easier to bring to bear on target.

Flip a coin.
Buzzcook is offline  
Old November 20, 2011, 02:27 AM   #10
sc928porsche
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 29, 2008
Location: now living in alabama
Posts: 2,433
Get the M44 and add a recoil pad. They make one that fits it and it is inexpensive and well worth installing.
__________________
No such thing as a stupid question. What is stupid is not asking it.
sc928porsche is offline  
Old November 20, 2011, 06:22 PM   #11
Kreyzhorse
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 12, 2006
Location: NKY
Posts: 12,463
Quote:
That's sorta what I gathered, thanks! In the end it will likely come down to what I am able to find locally, but I think I'm certainly going to try to find an m44. In your opinion, what is the maximum effective range of the m44? Just curious, as I'm sure I'll like to stretch it out a little once I get my hands on some surplus ammo, lol.
The 7.62x54R is about the same as a .308 or a 30.06. I wouldn't question it out to 300 yards. What I would question would be either open sights or a scope. With open sights, you ought to be able to handle 100 yards easily. Longer than that and I'd need a scope.
__________________
"He who laughs last, laughs dead." Homer Simpson
Kreyzhorse is offline  
Old November 21, 2011, 07:16 PM   #12
Cascade1911
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 27, 2011
Location: Dutchess County, NY
Posts: 450
Quote:
Usually when I'm hunting, it's hiking through the woods, sitting for an hour or two, and hiking to a new spot. All and all, typically involves a good bit of walking in the mountains and hollows. So, on to the point of this thread: Would the M44 or 91/30 be a better choice for hunting in this type of environment?
So my first question would be: what were you hunting with? (the next, why not hunt with that?)
Cascade1911 is offline  
Old November 21, 2011, 11:18 PM   #13
stolivar
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 24, 2004
Posts: 394
try mojo sights on it.

http://www.mojosights.com/mosin_nagant.html


steve
stolivar is offline  
Old November 21, 2011, 11:32 PM   #14
doofus47
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 9, 2010
Location: live in a in a house when i'm not in a tent
Posts: 2,483
I had an M44. I took the bayonet off first thing and the accuracy never suffered. I could hit milk jugs at 100 yards pretty easily. When I missed, I was always close enough to scare them. Take off the bayonet.

It's a bit heavy, but the heaviness absorbs the .308-style recoil that you will be dealing with. 7.62x54 is closer to a .308 than a .30-06 in my opinion. Total disclosure: I've never had a .308, but my .30-06 shoves me noticeably more than the MN did.

They are stone reliable rifles.

An M44 is short and quick. The front sight hood is almost like a ghost ring. You don't need the extra barrel length of the 91/30 unless you're planning on lobbing out more than 200 yards (which is pretty silly if you're using iron sights in my humble old-eyed opinion). Deer aren't elk-sized and you might very well not have all of their target area to look at in a forested environment.

2 cons I can think of:
1. the bolt sometimes rattles and clatters. It's the price of loose tolerances. It sounds acceptable in a store, but it would suck if you were sneaking up on bambi and your rattling rifle were tattling on you.
2. The safety is a little suspect in my opinion, but if you train yourself to pay attention, it's passable. To be honest, I also feel that the safety on my Ted Williams/Win70 is also easy to inadvertently release.

Good luck hunting. Good luck in school.
doofus47 is offline  
Old November 22, 2011, 01:37 AM   #15
hornetguy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 14, 2011
Location: on the north side of DFW
Posts: 970
I'd go with the M44, if you have the option. I bought mine about 15 years ago. It's a Romanian, made in 1954, and appeared to be unfired. Seeing how it was an $89 milsurp, it didn't bother me a bit to take the bayonet off, and whack off some of the forend wood.
Mine is way more accurate than I am. I bought several boxes of S&B 180gr softpoint ammo back when I got the rifle, and it's plenty accurate for me out to at least 100yds. If my vision was better, I'd go further with no qualms.. the gun is fully capable.

Group at 50yds

Group at 100yds
hornetguy is offline  
Old November 24, 2011, 05:22 AM   #16
Bamashooter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 12, 2010
Posts: 1,860
I killed the biggest doe of my life with a M-44 and S&B 174gr. Match ammo. It was almost 300yrds. give or take. I know now that match ammo wasnt intended for hunting ammo but when I killed her I didnt know that. I dont really know why because that bullet made a massive exit wound on that doe. I actually still use them when I hunt with one of my mosin's.
Bamashooter is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:03 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.10228 seconds with 10 queries