I own, by my own admission, an absurd amount of firearms in a lot of people’s eyes. The first gun that I ever owned was not in fact my first Curio and Relic firearm, it was a Remington 597 chambered in 22LR–a great round and gun for almost any novice shooter. However, my first C&R gun and the first gun I purchased, was a 91/30 Mosin Nagant(more on this later) purchased slightly over the usual price from a Cabela’s in Central Texas. The price was not too terrible, about $10 above usual, and made for a sound first investment. The rest of this post will be my reminiscing on my purchase and the thrill of owning my first C&R firearm.
So, about 18 months ago I was tempted to purchase my first firearm. I had looked at several different variants from handguns to deer rifles, and was eventually persuaded by my roommate to look at C&R. The obvious place for me to begin at was with the Eastern-bloc countries. The obvious advantage to me, the noob and broke college kid, with Eastern-bloc weapons was that they were inexpensive and beyond sturdy. Now, I can admit when I was getting into this I had no clue what I was doing. Not one bit. I just decided I wanted an awesome, cheap, and war-era gun that I could act like I was the coolest dude around town with. Well, in case you did not already know this, almost no one will think that it is cool to own a Soviet Surplus…unless it is an AK-47. This was, I was convinced, the perfect time to buy a gun. They were fun, I had a place to shoot them, and I had an awesome girlfriend who gave me a gift card to Cabela’s for my birthday.
The fact that the card was to Cabela’s severely limited my selection for C&R guns, effectively, to Mosin Nagants and Mausers. Given the option between the two the Mauser seemed the logical choice, superior firearm, except for the price tag. So, needless to say, without really knowing anything about Mosin Nagants I picked one out. I picked one off the shelf based on it’s barrel and the way the stock looked, it sounds so sad to say that I bought a gun based on how the stock looked now. I managed to get lucky though, I got a gun with all matching stamped serial numbers, great bore, great barrel, all around the rifle was in great condition, and for under $100. I was so excited about this gun, ecstatic really, about owning a piece of history that it was really what compelled me into the hobby that I am full blown about now. The gun is beautiful, and a masterpiece of engineering for the day. The bolt is not that slick and the trigger is pretty heavy but that is pretty standard for any type of Soviet arm.
The real surprise came later on when I got it looked at by a friend and gunsmith. The surprise was that it was an never shot prewar Izhevsk 81/90. This made me incredibly grateful that I did not take my roommates advice and immediately begin firing dirty surplus rounds through my untainted barrel. I could not, and still can not, believe that on a rack at a Cabela’s I found an unfired 70+ year old firearm, a piece of history. This all began my fascination with the Mosin Nagant (all models) and Eastern-bloc weapons overall. It is almost inconceivable that a firearm created and born over 100 years ago is still seeing active military conflicts across the world in the modern day. I mean, Taliban soldiers and the people of Africa are still using these long range rifles today to attack their enemies and in some instances fight for liberty.
I share this rambling post about how I came across my first gun that was outright purchased by me as much for the actual story as what the story represents. This gun made me fully appreciate firearms, something that a Remington 597 or 870 just could not do. It had weight, it had history, it had enough behind it to make me see it as an object to be respected and esteemed. For so many people who go out and purchase a Mosin Nagant, the rifle is deemed a “beater”. The rifle is cheap, the ammo is cheap, so it must be used to be thrown around and abused. I just cannot see it that way. Whether you agree with communism or not, or with Imperialism, this gun played a major role in the spreading of Imperial ideals and the establishment of the Communist party in Russia. The Mosin Nagant lasted through two World Wars, a Cold War, Korea, Vietnam, and several other conflicts. Through all of this it was relied upon by people who wielded them to protect their lives and defend a country. This is the very gun featured in tales such as “Enemy at the Gates” and by the real Vasily Zaytsev. I am not saying to do what I did with mine and never fire it, I am just saying that you should treat it well and with the respect that it deserves. Who knows, maybe like me you can run out and pay your ~$100 and get hooked into collecting Curio and Relic firearms and Military Surplus. Even if you just really like Mosin Nagants there are Hex bolts, Dragoons, Carbines, Finnish, Russian, Sniper, and even more variants of this fine and affordable weapon. I apologize if I geeked out too hard about my favorite gun, or if it was too school-boyish, but I hope that if you haven’t already that you will consider looking into a first Curio and Relic gun and started in the hobby.
Stay Safe and Keep Shooting.
Around the Ammo Can 