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Just Starting Out: Selecting Your First Military Surplus Rifle or Carbine |
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| Article by Jamie Mangrum | |||||||||
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I get a lot of email questions through the
Surplusrifle.com website and when I see a topic or
question start
to come up repeatedly I get an idea for an article. This
is one such article.
I have received many questions that follow the following premise: I don't have a lot of money and I want to get started in collecting and shooting military surplus (mil-surp) rifles. I then usually ask the sender what kind of shooting do they want to do. Do they want to shoot just for fun or do they want something reasonably accurate? The answer to this question helps to narrow things down considerably. My approach is that most folks just starting out in shooting are not going to want to tackle reloading at the same time and will need a rifle in a caliber that facilitates an accessible, affordable, and abundant source of ammunition. Because of this several of the firearms currently on the market are eliminated from my suggestion list. It is not that they are not great firearms, just not the best for a budget minded, entry level collector that still has not quite made up their mind that this is the "right" hobby for them. I formulate my answer based upon the following factors:
I am going to offer two starter kit ideas. The first suggestion is a fun semi-automatic plinker and the second is a more accurate bolt action setup. Both meet the above criteria.
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| If you are looking to have fun and accuracy is not as much a concern then I recommend the Yugo 59/66 SKS carbine. | |||||||||
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The Yugo 59/66 SKS carbine is offered all over for a great price. It is a high quality
semi-automatic carbine that offers inexpensive and fun shooting. The
functionality and operation is very simple and pretty
much bullet
proof. Yugo SKS accuracy ranges from middle of the road
to surprisingly accurate. Disassembly and general maintenance is
easy to learn and we offer detailed instructions on this
web site. Recoil is negligible with the somewhat
diminutive 7.62x39 cartridge (although I would prefer
to carry a 7.62x39 then any 5.56 NATO firearm any day of
the week) so this makes the SKS a
great entry level firearm. Ammunition for the SKS can be found anywhere that sells ammo. Good quality surplus ammunition can be purchased in large quantities of 400, 800, and 1000 round boxes for under $100. Checking around on the internet it is very easy to find deals on quality 7.62x39 ammo for around $.08 per cartridge and sometimes considerably less. That is pretty cheap shooting and believe me you can quickly blow through a couple hundred rounds or more with an SKS during a single shooting session. Anyone collecting military surplus firearms should have at least one SKS in their collection. |
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| If you want precision accuracy at an incredible price then the Mosin Nagant 1891/30 rifle is the way to go. | |||||||||
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The Mosin-Nagant 1891/30 was the primary battle rifle of the Soviets
during WWII. Just about every sporting good store that
sells military surplus firearms or local gun stores will have
one or two on display. Lately most available have been arsenal
refurbished and look as they did when first issued to
Soviet troops - pretty much new. The Mosin-Nagant offers a great
opportunity to pick up a .30 caliber, simple, rugged,
and accurate bolt action firearm in great condition for less than
$100. If you shop around you can find a good specimen
in the $59 to $79 range. This is just amazing to me to
the point of being ridiculous! The
only problem I have is that every time I pass a
Mosin-Nagant 1891/30 I have
this compulsive disorder/impulse (or whatever you
want to call it!) to purchase it and bring it
home. I have this ailment because the dang things are so
inexpensive and available. Some day when the supply dwindles I will
actually have enough of them in my house to repopulate the market place
and keep supplies flowing. Surplusrifle.com offers a full suite of
articles to help you with a newly purchased Mosin-Nagant
including bolt and rifle disassembly as well as other
maintenance and operational tips.
Ammunition is widely available and inexpensive. You can easily find ammo in case quantities of 480 to 800 rounds. Usually if you shop you can find 7.62x54r cartridges for around $.08 per cartridge. Most if not all is corrosive so I have included a link to our "How-To Clean After Shooting Corrosive Ammo" article below. |
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Both of my suggested firearms are a good way to get started in
military surplus rifle collecting without breaking the
bank or your marriage. Both are reliable and inexpensive
to shoot and should last for years and years. Once you
feel comfortable with your new purchase you can venture
out into collecting other rifles including but not
limited to: Enfields, Mausers, and heck you
could spend a life time just collecting U.S. mil-surp
rifles. There is a whole undiscovered world out there of
metal and wood just wrapped up in history waiting for
you to make them apart of your collection.
Once you pick up your first mil-surp firearm you will be hooked! Gradually you will feel the compulsive disorder rising to the surface driving you to purchase more and more until you finally move the wife and furniture out into the back yard and turn the living room into an armory. It can happen! Believe me! Especially if you start a website about mil-surp firearms. |
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| jlm;) | |||||||||
| Article by Jamie Mangrum |
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