[Tom2]

I have pretty much stuck to surplus rifles of fine to excellent condition, and had no issues with shooting them. If the gun is a model with potential or proven issues, usually something will be posted about the problems somewhere, if you care to search the net. Like the man said, matching guns seem to be fine. Some countries guns have a shaky rep or maybe should be approached cautiously, such as some Spanish rifles or maybe something like Pakistani rifles. Especially if they have been converted from their original caliber, even if done in-country for their purposes, not by some importer or a bubba. Mosins have an issue sometimes with sticking cases, but that is an ammo problem. The Russians were arsenal rebuilt and stored away for reissue, till sold off, so with numbers matching, I take it they are checked and safe enough. Deterioration or rust can negate your safety margins. I would think that, if someone had problems with a surplus gun blowing, there would be pictures and postings all over the gun forums about it. Remember when Glocks kaboomed? Posted all over the place!