(07-17-2017 07:41 AM)TigerBlue4Ever Wrote:  I just read a thread on some gun BBS that mentioned a Nagant. I'm a gun enthusiast - but not an expert on any of them by any stretch of the imagination - and I had never heard of this rifle. Most of the comments mirrored yours here. I may have to look into one although I can't imagine ever replacing my Browning A-bolt 7 mag, at least not as long as I can manage to hold that heavy bastard.

It's hard not to love a bolt action, dependable rifle that can be bought for less than $200. Depending on when the one you are purchasing was made (pre-war or during WWII) you can end up with either a really beautiful rifle or a butt ugly one because the ones manufactured during the war weren't machined anywhere near as good as the pre-war models so there's tool marks in the metal.

Add in you can find surplus Warsaw Pact ammo for really cheap, and even the modern non-FMJ rounds one would use for hunting is cheap. I have a box of 150 grain soft points I bought to try for hunting I got for less than $15.

The one draw back to using the surplus ammo is they used corrosive primers. My gunsmith friend told me that as long as you cleaned it after shooting even a couple rounds with hot water (he even said as hot as possible) it will remove the corrosive salts used in the primers. He also said that normal cleaning solvents will not touch them, but can be used after the water bath to remove the other residues.

If you do decide to buy one I suggest checking to see if they have several to choose from as these are surplus weapons and while they mostly have been depot reconditioned some of them do show wear. The one I bought was the third one I looked at. The action seemed tighter and there as less wear in the receiver.