[Sidecarnutz]

I got a really great re-arsenaled MN 91/30 at the gunshow last weekend. Took it to an indoor 25 yard range today just to try it. That, and to break in my new Taurus PT745.
I used Czech silver tip milsurp ammo.
I was out of targets and stapeled the ammo box to the bullseye. At 25 yards it was no challenge to shred that box. That was fun though. Very pleasant rifle to shoot! Big boom! But moderate recoil. Well balanced and easy to sight and hold. Not too bad a trigger either. I loved it! Makes me glad I ordered in a whole case of ammo. It has the worlds most awkward safety, but that is the only bad thing I can say about a MN. It was $100 well spent! You just gotta love a good C&R gun!

 

[MauserMark]

Awesome.

The recoil will be a little stouter with some heavier grained ammo. The silver tipped stuff is the lightest you can get next to the czech 60gr practice ammo. :mrgreen:

 

[Sidecarnutz]

I saw on the SG site that the Polish milsurp ammo is similar in spec to the Czech and less expensive to boot. ($77 a case delivered.) That's what I ordered a case of so we'll see how that works. But my local shop where I got the Taurus carries a number of good C&R guns and a ton of ammo. They sell the Czech silvertip ammo there either by the box, tin or full case. But at $99 a case plus tax, SG was the cheaper way to go. So I just bought a few boxes of silver tip to try the gun out today.
I've been reading in my books how US troops that were issued MN's in WWI and afterwards hated them and abandoned them when they came back to the states as late as the 1920's. I'm sure the 1903 Springfield was more accurate and a better gun, but it sure seems extreme that historians could document that troops actually "hated" a certain gun. And these were American made MN's!
These guns do have a fascinating history!

 

[SturmGrenadier]

People have been bad mouthing the Polish LPS of 80s mfg but say the 70s is cool.

Personally the only case ( I have five 440 cans of it) I have shot out of is a 84 dated and have had no bad results.

My 1940 Tula ex PEM sniper loves it and you can see the accuracy at

http://www.gunboards.com/forums/topic.a ... _ID=135937

 

[Sidecarnutz]

Mine's a 1943 Tula 91/30 with all matching numbers and no forced matches. New barrel from the looks of it and a very clean stock with no arsenal repairs. Just a few storage rubs. It was re-arsenaled. So it's no historic battle rifle, but is a very shootable relic gun. That's what I was looking for when I got it. Trigger is pretty good. Better than my Yugo SKS had. Yeah, I know... That ain't saying much. But it takes up smoothly at a steady 7-8# and then breaks cleanly. Easy to maintain sight picture while squeezing a round off. I was only shooting at 25 yards. But the lighting did suck! Still, I was putting the rounds in a 1-2" area on that box I aimed at. And that was firing from the standing position. I didn't even brace with the sling. Just balanced it nicely in my hand and held as steady as I could.

I really need to get out to a proper outdoor range with my C&R guns soon! I think both my SKS and 91/30 will do pretty well!

Looks like yours is a real keeper! That group at 50 yards was what, about an inch? Excellent on open sights!

 

[Fireman]

mmmm..Tula....mmmm I like Tula's. :razz: Nice pick up. The barrel on it would not be new. It just is one that was kept clean. When they rearsenaled these if the bore was real bad it was scrapped andI think the rest of the rifle parted out.

 

[Sidecarnutz]

When I checked it out I put my little AAA LED light into the reciever to shine down the bore. All I saw was dust, a shiny bore and sharp rifling. It looked good. When I got it home I ran a few solvent patches and dry patches through. Just a little dirt on the first two and clean after that. Checked it again with a lamp and it appeared as a new barrel looks! Just like my unisued Yugo SKS looked when I brought it home. That is why I thought they perhaps re-barreled it.
Looking at it closely tonight it has many little inspection marks. I'll try to get photos. And the underside of the reciever forward of the mag well has a little triangle & arrow IZH mark. Yet the stamped serial number matches the rest and the big stamp on the top of the action is dated 1943 with a Tula star & arrow. It has a two letter code and then a three digit serial number. Makes me wonder if it was late 1943 production due to the two letter code used. They used two letters after going all the way through the alphabet first using the letters singly! They built THAT many rifles.
So she's a "mutt" for sure, but a nice one!

 

[Q-gunner2]

Most rifles are rearsenaled and electropenciled, lined out and renumbered, or flat out scrubbed and renumbered.

It is RARE to get an non rearsenaled rifle.

Speaking of which, I have a no-rearsenal M-38 Izzy. 100% matching, all parts Izzy, no refurb marks, excellent condition. It even has the stock SNed to the rifle, and it is an original M-38 stock, not a '44 stock. No counterbore.

Then I have a 1931 Tula Hex 91/30, all matching, floorplate lined out and renumbered. Deep blueing, some wear on the muzzle but 100% EXCELLENT barrel, the rifling looks like it is off a new Model 70.

Then a regular "beater" Izzy M-38. Refurbished, matching and the floorplate is lined out/renumbered. It is counterbored. This gun is accurate and reliable, even with laquer coated Silvertip.

Finally, the Hungarian 1952 M-44. Bolt, reciever, barrel, and floorplate are stamped matching- no number on the buttplate. The bolt was captured from Russia (its Izzy) and was scrubbed and renumbered to the bun. Good barrel, no pitting or counterbore. Good dark stock too.

I do not like the Polish ammo. It stuck in my M-38 pretty bad even though the gun never sticks with laquered Silvertip. Here is my rating (based on readily available surplus):

Accuracy: Laquered Silvertip wins, but E. German 123gr. practice rounds are good too.

Penetration: Silver/Yellow tip Hungarian wins.

Low recoil: Hollow Core Czech 46gr. ammo.