Think about it you can get in the woods hunting for under $100 how can you beat that?? .... I will never buy another new rifle again using mosins is the way to go but we have much more too.
First, I never thought about it, but a true MN 1891 could be a Cowboy action rifle. What an interesting thought. An 1891/30.....was probably manufactured sometime in the 1930's or early 1940's. I have an MN 1891/30 made in 1939 at the Tula factory and it is great.
HOWEVER let's not swear off all new commercial rifles!
While I like my MN a lot, it is not as accuate (even with extensive handload work ups) as either my Winchester Mod 70 in 30-06 or even my Marlin 336 30-30. My MN will do nice small fist-sized groups at 100 yards. Great for a $79 hunting gun. It will do open large hand sized groups (smaller than a dinner plate) at 200 yards. While great for hunting, expecially at the price, There are lots of factory out of the box (at $400 to $1000) rifles that will do a little better.
I think they are great buys and folks should really own one or two. But then again, I bough two Norinco SKS rifles when they were practically giving them away. I also have two Norinco 9mm Tokarev pistols. The SKS is to the baby boomer, what the M1 Carbine was to my father's generation. It is a truly "got to have" general purpose rifle.
The MN is quickly becoming the equivalent of the old Springfield 03 (30-06) or Kraig 30-Government of my father or grandfathers day. I am personally surpised that more commerical reloadable factory ammo is not available for them (yes there is still tons of surplus military ammo and prices so low, you can't come close to beating by reloading.
Milsurp rifles are great buys, but gosh, Swedish Mausers, K-98's, Argentine mausers, Centme and FN FAL rifles, swiss straight pulls, oh the list goes on....where to start.....where to stop.....or maybe a new Savage 110, or an old Savage lever action, or a 45-70 trapdoor reproduction....or...oh my two gun safes are just too small.
