For durability and reliability, albeit with no frills, the Mosin Nagant is an easy-to-use, very sturdy, very reliable hunting rifle.
While its close-quarter, self-defense utilization is very limited (you could use it as a club,) its survival benefit in terms of hunting for larger game is potentially indispensable.
The Mosin Nagant is a bolt action rifle that was the primary battle rifle of the Russian Army from the 1890’s until after WWII when it was replaced by the SKS and the Kalashnikov. The Mosin Nagant is still used by insurgent forces throughout the world. In fact, when I was serving as a counterintelligence officer in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, it was common practice for the enemy insurgents to use the Mosin Nagant against the coalition forces due to its superior range during mountain combat. A recent influx of military surplus Mosin Nagants over the past few years have brought thousands of these battle rifles to the United States at budget prices. As I write this article you can readily purchase these rifles for well under $100.
The Mosin Nagant certainly meets the criteria for a survival rifle listed above. It is a simple yet rugged rifle with very few parts that has withstood the test of time. It is without a doubt one of the most proven battle rifles in the history of warfare. The Mosin Nagant holds five rounds and can be loaded with stripper clips or individual cartridges. It is chambered in the powerful 7.62x54R caliber which is able to drop any animal in North America. It ranges in power between the .308 and the 30.06 Springfield. Unlike the two American calibers (.308 and 30.06) which sell for approximately $20 per 20 round box, the 7.62x54R can be purchased in bulk military surplus ammunition tins.
So who would benefit from a survival rifle that cost under $100? A lot of people would. Not everyone has the financial means or the desire to spend north of a grand on a tricked out AR15. In reality, a survival situation likely won’t depend on a high rate of suppression fire. For those truly dedicated preppers, you can purchase four Mosin Nagant rifles and a case of 880 rounds of ammo for around $500.
Mosin Nagant Specifications and Range Time:
The Mosin Nagant may not win any beauty contests but it is effective. The standard model (M91/30) per Wikipedia is 48.5 inches long with a 29 inch barrel.
This makes it rather unwieldy for close quarters combat. There are carbine versions of the Mosin Nagant available which I would highly recommend; however, they usually cost a bit over $100 so they do not qualify for the purpose of this article. The Mosin Nagant weighs 8.8 pounds and has a listed effective range of 500 meters (550 yards) with iron sights and 800 meters with optics. It has a muzzle velocity of 2,838 fps. The accuracy you can expect from a surplus rifle will vary from rifle to rifle. Many people will enhance the Mosin Nagant with a synthetic stock and a scope.
Mosin-Nagant SafetyWhen it comes to ergonomics these rifles are a bit lacking. That said, they are incredibly rugged and reliable. They were designed for the Russian soldier wearing a heavy winter coats. The Mosin Nagant has a straight bolt (not bent), therefore when working the action it sticks straight up and can block your field of view. To engage the safety it requires a significant amount of force to pull back on a cocking piece located on the rear of the bolt. This is so difficult that most people simply don’t bother with it and just carry an empty chamber for safety.
In any long-term, wilderness or urban survival situation, possessing a reliable firearm is a must, whether you are using it for hunting for food or self-defense.
The Russian made Mosin Nagent is one such option and best of all, because of an influx of these rifles on the North American market and their relative age, they are readily available.
For more information on the Mosin Nagent and other firearms options, please check out Reality Survival.
Featured Image via Wikipedia
Surplus junk rifle, corrosive ammo, difficult bolt operation. Heavy, awkward, long. The only thing it Has going for it was being cheap
I just bought a savage 110 in 3006 for 150
Its strong easy to load for it dont care what you feed it
And ill never miss the 150
Old military
Idk…. mosins are great, but in our neck of the woods you can’t touch one for under 200 anywhere. Carcanos are often overlooked as an option. Good basic rifle and a lot cheaper than a mosin
Try that in Sweden…
Totally agree !!!
GOOD LUCK FINDING A DURABLE SURVIVAL RIFLE UNDER $100 even the Mosin Nagant is over $200 now!
Randy we also have our Precision Long Range Rifle also.
Here’s the absolute Golden Rule if SHTF and you need to bug out get there as fast as possible & here is the key, you don’t go looking for conflict at all that’s why you stay where your at and keep outing at the least possible.
IF you find 91/30
I paid $43.10 for my Model 44(folding bayonet carbine) in 1999 on Black Friday. God, I miss those days, when mil surp rifles were actually affordable. And surplus ammo was everywhere for cheap too. I bought spam cans for $30 each back in the day……
Wish I was into it back in them days when you could get an sks for under 100 bucks
Bill Bevans
5.56
Not familiar with that round.
Normal AR round. 5.56×45
.223
Mosin is great and you can find really cheap rounds online
Like 10 years ago maybe..
I paid $200 for my Nagant and it didn’t come with all that just the bayonet, got it at Cabella’s.
If anyone knows where i can buy just a bolt.please let me know.
You can also go to http://www.thesksmagadapter.com/ an muricanize it to take AR-10 magazines.
Good points. I’d prefer an SMLE in .303 but that is a personal preference. Good round, good rifle. One caveat, if purchasing ex military ammo be aware that the primers are corrosive! you HAVE to clean this rifle after shooting it. ok you can leave it till you get back to base but clean it that day. Soviet/Russian/Chinese ammo had mercury fulminate ( I think it was mercury fulminate) primers. these leave residues in the barrel that absorb moisture and are composed of chemicals that will quickly damage your barrel.
Almost any ww1 to ww2 bolt action rifle will serve as a worthwhile survival rifle. They were all made to be rugged and reliable with good battlefield accuracy. They’ll all shoot well enough however do not skimp on the usual second hand gun buying rules. Note : the Mk 6 SMLE .303 ,the Jungle Carbine, has a rep for not holding zero in its original configuration. Also, as with any short barreled rifle calibre you lose some muzzle velocity. while increasing blast. I can’t wrap my mind around a 16 inch barreled .308 for instance. You andt something that short get a ,44 mag carbine os similar, a .30.30 for instance. even with the .30.30 you’ll lose velocity with a 16 inch barrel. consider barrel length asopposed to cartridge when buying a rifle, why throw unburned powder out the muzzle?
I got myself a Type 53 (Chinese clone of the m44 misinformed carbine) that 7.62x54r will knock down a grizzly nbd, and its nice to have a bayonet just in case
Got one for 85 on gun broker
M91 my one of my favorite
Except they are no longer under $100
Where they getting them for $100 ??? There over $200 arou d here
Talk about outdated! Mosin’s are $160+ and the 880 spam can, which is hard to find now since bambam stopped imports, are $250+ when you can find them! Thanks to gov regs and the war on guns, you can’t find deals like this anymore!
You can find a $100 mosin if you time travel back to 2005. Now they are $200 minimum if you’re lucky.
Yes very affordable. Great gun. I have two Mosin Nagant. They have risen in price close to $150, but that is still a bargain.
Upstate NY they are going for $200 plus now
They are going for $250 to $300 in my area
Where the heck do you find a crate of 4 and 880 rnds for 500… These are going for no less than 200 EVERYWHERE this article is horse$#%&!@*.
You get what you pay for
my wife cant remember its name but she calls it “a mass of nuggets” got it for the boy
Mosins are great but north of $200 now. If the import ban gets lifted they might drop in price. I think the M44 version in particular is a great rifle.