What's the difference between some of the Nagants and ones that are "arsenally refinished"? Usually see those a bit cheaper. John, what would be best for my needs? (bastardizing it)
Almost every one that you buy has been arsenally refinished to some degree. They are usually marked with a cartouche on the stock to signify that it has been. Sometimes they fixed or changed out the stocks; replaced parts and force matched the serial numbers; etc. Every once in a while you'll find one that wasn't. My Mosin Nagant M44 wasn't, and you can tell. It literally looks like a battlefield pick up (which I think it probably was), and then somehow emerged into the market as such. I'll have to post a pic of it. I absolutely LOVE the thing in the current condition. It shoots like a freakin' dream, too. When these were imported there is also an importer stamp that was usually applied to either the barrel or receiver of the rifle.
I have some Mosin's that I play with gunsmithing and such; and others that I won't touch. It all depends really on the person and the history of the rifle to be honest. I have a book that I can look through to identify certain markings on the rifle. Some of them are more rare and unique, and those I keep as is to retain and respect the history. I have a few though that are very basic with no significant markings on them, so I decided to refinish and modify them a bit.
Ultimately, it all comes down to what gives you the most enjoyment. There are some guys that will rip you for refinishing or modifying a Mosin, but in the end it's your rifle and you can do what you want with it. You can refinish these guns back to very good condition and still keep them original.
You can't go wrong with a $100 rifle like the Mosin, Tim. They are fun as hell to shoot and the ammo is still very cheap. It's a great way to get into rifles as well and learn about the whole bolt action system. The most common variants are the M91/30, M44, M38, and the M91/59.
The M91/30 was the standard infantry rifle in full size. The rifles that noted superb accuracy were marked (depending on the arsenal that made them) and became sniper rifles.
The M38 is a carbine (meaning smaller version of the gun) that was issued to transporters, tankers, and artillery units.
The M44 is also a carbine version, but it has an attached folding bayonet. They are freakin' awesome little guns. They were made after the battle of Stalingrad when the Russian's learned that they needed a smaller gun with a bayonet capability during the house to house fighting.
You need a Mosin my friend.
-T1