The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Is the Mosin (91/30) a good survival rifle???

the possum · April 21, 2017, 01:02 PM

I'm of the opinion that the time for the Mosin has passed.

I bought my Finnish Mosin for $75, and it's very well made and in near perfect shape. It will shoot 2 MOA with its favorite surplus ammo (have never tried good ammo yet), and I got stocked up when that ammo still cost 20 cents per shot. I don't think a better rifle could be readily had for $75. For someone truly on a limited budget, they could walk out the door with a 440 round spam can of ammo, and a rifle capable of taking down a deer at 200 yards, for $150.

As others have pointed out, getting to know your rifle and learning to shoot to its full potential matters a lot. I submit it's much easier to accomplish that when you can practice 3 times more often, within the same budget. If it was your first rifle, you could really learn to shoot, and then after you'd burned through a couple spam cans, you could sell the gun again for what you paid (or even make a profit now). Then roll that cash into an upgrade.

But now that the prices of those guns & their ammo have gone up so much, that advantage is gone. Several manufacturers now offer entry level newly made bolt actions in about the same price range. They come in common American calibers, have a much better trigger, are made for easy scope mounting (and some even come with one), are usually lighter, almost certainly more accurate, have a real & practical safety, etc.

So, I'm glad I bought mine. But at today's prices, I'd look for something else. The poor soul who has no gun, and truly can't afford more than $100, is pretty much left out in the cold now.

April 21, 2017, 01:02 PM	#19
the possum Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2004 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 555	I'm of the opinion that the time for the Mosin has passed. I bought my Finnish Mosin for $75, and it's very well made and in near perfect shape. It will shoot 2 MOA with its favorite surplus ammo (have never tried good ammo yet), and I got stocked up when that ammo still cost 20 cents per shot. I don't think a better rifle could be readily had for $75. For someone truly on a limited budget, they could walk out the door with a 440 round spam can of ammo, and a rifle capable of taking down a deer at 200 yards, for $150. As others have pointed out, getting to know your rifle and learning to shoot to its full potential matters a lot. I submit it's much easier to accomplish that when you can practice 3 times more often, within the same budget. If it was your first rifle, you could really learn to shoot, and then after you'd burned through a couple spam cans, you could sell the gun again for what you paid (or even make a profit now). Then roll that cash into an upgrade. But now that the prices of those guns & their ammo have gone up so much, that advantage is gone. Several manufacturers now offer entry level newly made bolt actions in about the same price range. They come in common American calibers, have a much better trigger, are made for easy scope mounting (and some even come with one), are usually lighter, almost certainly more accurate, have a real & practical safety, etc. So, I'm glad I bought mine. But at today's prices, I'd look for something else. The poor soul who has no gun, and truly can't afford more than $100, is pretty much left out in the cold now.