"Cold war" weapons...

T

Toyuzu

Active member
I have long been an avid target shooter. A small paycheck has forced me to look for cheap options, so I was happy to discover that a local sporting goods chain (Big 5) was selling old military rifles classified as "curios" for under $100.00.

They still fire well, and in most cases are visibly worn but fully functioning. I bought a 1953 Romanian M44 for $79.99. It fires the 7.62 X 54R round.

I have fired countless hundereds of rounds through this weapon and it is very accurate and 100% reliable. It's obviously not viable for today's military, but it is loads of fun to stand along the firing line at your local rifle range and watch all the heads turn toward you when the forceful blast of a short-barreled scout rifle from the 50's exudes a shock-wave more deserving of something in the .50 Cal arena. ;)

Here it is - Does anyone else fire the cheap ones?

m44.jpg
 
I own one of those rifles. Mine is a Polish 7,62mm kbk wz.1944. Mine was made in 1953 and i have a matching Soviet dated sling for it.
It's a fine rifle and it sure does kick like a mule. If I can figure out on how to work the HTML COde to post a picture. I'd post a pic of my rifle.
 
Nice rifle. It seems the Mosin Carbine is a very popular rifle.

I own a M38 Soviet rifle and it also kicks like a mule. As for me, accuracy is not the best thanks to its recoil. However i discovered that the rifle is accurate once i have a recoil pad and a rest. When shooting the thing standing, the accuracy is shocking though. It also has given me a blood nose when kneeling. Though that happened, it was an accurate shot.

DSC00349.jpg
 
Yeah, they do kick a bit. I usually have a sore shoulder after going through a box or so of ammo. :m16shoot:
 
I heard that alot of military surpluss 7.62x54R rounds are meant for machine guns and thus being too powerful for a bolt action rifle due to different gunpower contents.

Another ***** about military ammo is that its corrosive as hell. I always need to clean that barrel in the range, right after shooting it. Modern ammunition though isn't as corrosive but they are hard to find in Australia. Im lucky to find a box of 20 rounds (Soft points) for $22 AU. FMJ's are way harder to find.
 
Sorry to hear about that lack of ammo. It's plentiful here. I buy FMJ surplus ammo, non-corrosive, for $6.00 per box of 20. Soft points are about the same price. For a high-powered rifle, it's very cheap to shoot here in the states.
 
I buy milsurp only for that rifle. I've never had the problem with the M44 giving me a bloody nose when shooting from the kneeling position. Just use window cleaner when you clean the barrel. The amonia eats the corrisve powder like it was candy.
 
Damn... i wish 7.62x54R was as bountiful here... :(

I believe i got a blood nose by not holding the rifle tight enough anyway. However i was proud of the accuracy from that shot. I once accidently hit a metal bar to which was meant to hold my target up with a soft point bullet, it just went right through it and made a small crater in the ground. Im proud of the little bastard's firepower.
 
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