My cousin brought up his Romainian made Mosin M44 Carbine this weekend and we two took the time to put a few rounds on a target. The weapon was made in 1955 and was bought unissued by my cousin a few years ago. It is in great condition, but the strap had dry-rotted. The weapons were stored by the Romainian army without the bolt, and the rifle was bought and shipped without it, but later mated with a Russian made bolt. The weapon was easy to handle, with or without the bayonette extended and wasn't too heavy. The wood finish was in excellent shape and bluing of the barrel was original, with no evidence of scratches or rust on it. It kicked like a mule, but I was able to keep in on water bottle target about 70 yds away fairly easily. The bolt's action was smooth. It fired 7.62x 54 rimmed ammunition and we were using Russian made steel-cased, copper jacketed cartridges. We were wearing ear protection, but the report was still strong. I cannot imagine firing it for extended periods of time and still being able to hear. We fired it through and through a 18" diameter hickory tree and I have no doubt that it could have gone through twice that thickness or better. Attached are some pics
I would like to have fired that thing at night to really see how much fire came out the barrel. I could feel the noticeable concussion standing over to the side about 5-6 feet away. Could you compare the '03 Springfield or the Garand to this weapon, or were there too many years between firing them?
This is 1898, made in Tula Arms Factory. It is heavy and it is not at all like M1. But after firing a couple of round, I like how the whole range stops and people look my way. It is a small cannon.
Nice carbines ya'll! I've always wanted one. I've heard that they tend to be a bit more accurate with the bayonet extended vs. folded. Never had a chance to range test that theory, but would be interested in your thoughts.
I did not mean to highjack this thread. My gun is not Mosin M44 Carbine, but a full size Mosin-Nagant 1891 model rifle. The picture that I posted is taken on an 8 Foot Pool Table, so as you can see with bayonet on it is a very long rifle. I have never fired the weapon with bayonet attached, so I could not comment on the balance wile firing. This gun was made to reach out and touch someone at a good distance away.
My fault, I just skimmed the thread and did not check out your pictures olegbabich. Your rifle is indeed in another arena accuracy wise. Nice looking weapon! I like the display case too. Did you make it?
I have an M44, Izhevsk production. It shoots to different points with the bayonet extended and stowed. I have adjusted the sights to fire to POA with the bayonet stowed. I now have 4 Mosins. An M44, an M91/59, and two M91/30s (one with a laminated stock). Here 's a vid of my M91/59 shooting fireballs in the daylight: YouTube - M91/59 fireballs at the range. tom
I shot a nice 7 point buck in Oct '08 with a Izhevsk M44, using a 200gr Wolf SP. Worked great! But I'm back to using my 30-30 lever rifle - more accurate, scoped, and much prettier.
