dunhams mosin-nagant?

[XWrench3]

i see these in the store every time i go in, they are cheap enough @ $99.00. but how do i know if i am buying a scrap heap or not? i would not expect moa accuracy, but 2 or 3 moa would be as bad as i would want. are those capable of that? to be honest, this is the same question that has kept me from buying a lee-enfeild for many years. i just do not know how to tell which ones are scrap, and which ones are decent. they also has a NICE looking "Mitchels Mauser" there also, but that was more than 3 times the price.

[MtGun44]

Look at the muzzle rifling with a strong light and magnification. I bought a 1943 marked
91/30 last weekend that is absolutely new, I do not believe it has ever been fired.
First clue was the perfect rifling at the muzzle. Second, and clincher for me was a close
examination of the bolt face.

Most will have been fired, but the key is the condition of the bore and esp at the muzzle.

Bill

[Tom-ADC]

We have Big 5 here, I bought one a while back, cleaned it to get rid of the cosmoline especialy where the bolt face locks up. Thing is a ball to shoot I bought a couple of those 440 round tuna cans of ammo and just blast away with it, grandson loves to shoot it.
Great buy for the money.

[iron brigade]

m91/30- its a **** shoot. i have three. take the bolt out and look at the throat of the rifling. are the lands nice and sharp or smooth and flat? i have one that is pretty bad. i shoot cast in it so its good for that. but also have a pristine laminated version with like new bore. you can tell the difference by looking. look at the crown as stated above. without a doubt they are accurate rifles. bore size can vary from rifle to rifle. mine shoot .308 bullets very well.

[Gee_Wizz01]

I have a number of MN rifles and most have excellent bores; however, I have a 91/30 that looks pristine on the exterior but the bore looks like the proverbial sewer pipe, and it doesn't shoot worth a darn. When I bought it at the bore was full of that nasty Russian grease, so I couldn't look at the bore. Oh well, I am thinking about having it rebored to 35 Russian.

G

[Von Dingo]

Too bad you didn't pop in there a few years ago, they had VG-Excellent all matching Yugo M-24/47's for $117. FWIW, J&G Sales has the 24/47's for about $170.

[wallenba]

I find that the ones made between the wars have better bores, Just my experiences. I do have an M38 made in 1942 with a .314 bore that shoots well with a .315 sized boolit made from a lapped Lee C312-185-r1 mold. I got all mine from Dunham's except the M38. Occassionally they have 91/59 late model carbines that are in much better condition than most MN's. Most of the store clerks I encounter will not remove the lock (you need to get at the trigger to remove the bolt) and the bores are crammed with cosmolene anyway. A good look at the crown and a look down the bore can still give an 'idea' of what it is like. Expect to spend a LOT of time cleaning the bore.

If you just want a good shooter a Mitchell's is OK, but they are not always what Mitchells claims them to be if you want historical accuracy.

[northmn]

The MN will likely shoot depending on what you want to shoot. I had a carbine with bayonet that had a 317 bore. With jacketed it shot so-so and with cast was not so good as I ahd no 319 bullet making abilities. I sold it for pretty much what I paid for it whcih is the beauty of the Ruskies. You probably will get one that shoots, if not sell it and try again. I have taken deer and other critters with a Lee Enfield. Read the sticky about getting them to shoot. As that is the first high power I ever owned, I have a soft spot for the "Smellies" They are a little nicer for hunting than the MN with its pull type safety.

DP