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Old January 25, 2009, 01:47 AM   #1
dcobler
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Looking to purchase with your help

I want to purchase a few older firearms. The current list I am interested in includes: Russian 1895 Nagant Revolver, Mosin-Nagant 91/30, and the Steyr 1895 Stutzen Carbine. What info/reviews are out there for these things?

The 91/30 comes in a round and hex receiver which advertisements claim the hex is the better. Is this true?
If all goes well, I will purchase from J & G Sales. These suppliers offer select grades for an additional price. I was considering the select bore on the 91/30 over the select grade, an extra $10 over the select grade and $20 over the regular, but possibly worth it since I plan on shooting the rifle a bit.
Also, what type of ammo should I look for? FMJ? Soft Point? J&G has both.

Same deal for the revolver, extra $10 for select, worth it?

With the Steyr clips are mentioned but not included. Any idea where to find them, and are they required as advertised? What about ammo? J&G can include with purchase but did not find any on the sites I visit for this firearm.
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Old January 25, 2009, 01:53 AM   #2
noyes
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best site & forum

http://www.surplusrifle.com/russianm...9130/index.asp


http://www.surplusrifle.com/pistolm1895/index.asp
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Old January 25, 2009, 09:20 AM   #3
Tom2
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Hex receivers are nicer finished than the wartime round receivers, which can have what looks like file marks all over them. But is possible that the hex receiver rifle is totally mismatched, as nearly all the MN rifles around now have been totally rebuilt at the arsenal after WW2 and you might have parts from all kinds of rifles reassembled and refinished into a serviceable but not original gun. The rifle you get with the hex receiver might be identical in every way to the 1943 rough as a cob receiver except for the receiver! For me then, the bore condition is paramount if you wish to shoot the thing. Frankly, with the MN rifles now, I think it is better to go to a show or gunshop with an inventory, and hand pick the one you want, yourself, rather than rolling the dice with a mail order. They are all a little different and you really don't know what you will get thru a "hand pick" from a wholesaler. Notable variations from gun to gun, as far as stock finish, stock condition, maybe quality of the metal(but most arsenal reworks have nice blueing) bore condition, counter bored or not, how smooth the action works, how tight, etc. I have gone to a table full of MN rifles and picked thru and handled a dozen before making a pick. As for ammo, ball for shooting, more expensive soft points if you plan to hunt with it or something. Some people do, so a couple boxes of SP can't hurt.
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Old January 25, 2009, 09:45 AM   #4
Calfed
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You do not absolutely have to have clips for your Steyr 1895 carbine--but it will be a single shot without them.

Also, unless you reload, be prepared for some pretty sobering costs associated with buying ammo for the Steyr.
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Old January 26, 2009, 09:09 AM   #5
jsmaye
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Quote:
With the Steyr clips are mentioned but not included. Any idea where to find them, and are they required as advertised? What about ammo? J&G can include with purchase but did not find any on the sites I visit for this firearm.
Ammo can currently be found at www.ammo-one.com and www.buymilsurp.com. Several other sites carry it, but are out. Clips can also be found at buymilsurp.com.
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Old January 26, 2009, 03:31 PM   #6
carguychris
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Ammo comes up frequently when the Steyr 1895 carbines are discussed. Here's the skinny:
  • Military surplus 8x56R ammo availability is spotty; few suppliers ever get it, there can be long dry spells, it's usually expensive, all of it is corrosive-primered FMJ, and some of it doesn't work very well (lots of hangfires and duds).
  • Commercial ammo in this caliber is nonexistent.
  • Ready-made 0.361"-caliber bullets and brass for handloading are nearly nonexistent. If you do find some brass, it will often be used; if you find bullets, they won't be from Speer or some other large supplier, they'll probably be from a shop in the back of some guy's barn, and there's no guarantee that they'll be high quality, or that you'll ever be able to get them again.
  • Lee makes a 205gr bullet mold for this cartridge, but bullet casting is not everyone's cup of tea.
  • This is Reason #1 that the rifles are so cheap.
Reason #2 is that they kick like a mule. FWIW if you haven't seen one, you need to know that pictures don't make you appreciate their size, or more precisely, their lack thereof; they're tiny compared to most WWII battle rifles. Big cartridge + little gun = RECOIL.

Regarding 7.62x54R, the reasons for choosing the commercial Russian soft point ammo (which is usually what the milsurp dealers stock) is that it's better for hunting, the primers aren't corrosive, and some public ranges prohibit FMJ because it tends to overpenetrate and ricochet. Regarding corrosive primers, all Russian military primers (no exceptions, including today's) are corrosive because they perform slightly better at extremely cold temperatures. Corrosive primers won't cause your gun to rust prematurely if you clean it promptly, but you have to clean it promptly.
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Last edited by carguychris; January 26, 2009 at 03:40 PM.
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Old January 26, 2009, 04:19 PM   #7
Calfed
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The situation for the 8 x 56R ammo is not completely bleak. Commercial ammo is available from Graf and Sons--but for better than a buck a round.

http://www.grafs.com/ammo/257

reloadable brass is a better deal--about .56/round

http://www.grafs.com/metallic/798

Graf's does carry a Hornady 205 grain bullet suitable for reloading the 8 x 56R round, which is .329 diameter

http://www.grafs.com/metallic/933

As I said--sobering to say the least.

Corrosive surplus ammo, when it is available, is usually in the neighborhood of $1/round. Not worth it, IMHO. The Hornady is just a bit more and is both non-corrosive and reloadable.

Good luck and welcome to the collecting community
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Old January 29, 2009, 10:09 PM   #8
Sabot
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Here is another site for reloading.

Brass: http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,3861.html

Bullets: http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cf...atid=92&step=2

I shoot the .330 Dia. 205 Grn. @ $30.00 / Box of 100
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Old February 4, 2009, 09:44 PM   #9
dcobler
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Quote:
With the Steyr clips are mentioned but not included. Any idea where to find them, and are they required as advertised?
Calfed
Quote:
You do not absolutely have to have clips for your Steyr 1895 carbine--but it will be a single shot without them.
Any ideas where to obtain the clips???
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