What is the best surplus rifle for hunting?
May 15, 2009 by blog100
Salami and Orange Juice asked:
Since there are so many bargains in the surplus market, I’d like to buy one for hunting and hopefully save $ while still having an effective hunting gun.
Which is the best – 8mm mauser / Mossin Nagant / Enfield / other?
I think you can find non-corrosive 8mm ammo – right?
Post Questions
Since there are so many bargains in the surplus market, I’d like to buy one for hunting and hopefully save $ while still having an effective hunting gun.
Which is the best – 8mm mauser / Mossin Nagant / Enfield / other?
I think you can find non-corrosive 8mm ammo – right?
Post Questions
ak you cant miss
I love my Mossberg
My pick would be something non-corrosive. That is the biggest problem with many older surplus rifles chambered in 7.62×54R or 8mm Mauser. They all have corrosive ammo. It can be a pain to clean.
Try and seek out something in 7.62×51 (308 Winchester). If you can find an Ishapore Lee-Enfield they rock. Or start scrubbing with hot soapy water after you shoot something corrosive, then clean normally.
edited to add: Of course you can find quality non-corrosive ammo but it makes the reason you want a surplus rifle kind of odd. Cheap ammo. Which is why I pointed towards the 308 Enfield. I have one, as smooth as butter. Ammo is plentiful and I don’t have to worry about the ammo becoming scarce. It’s a NATO caliber and a good hunting round.
.308 Enfield from C.A.I. Made in India in the late 60’s.Fabulous
rifle for +/- $100.00.Mine is good out to 150 yds.with the open sights,
and I remember seeing clamp-on mounts for a scope at one time.Check with Navy Arms.
Springfield M1903. Cal 30-06. Far More superior than anything mentioned.
Enfield .303 N1 Mk4 is a good rifle. I bought one for $90 and put a new stock and scope mount/scope and it works great, out to 300 yards so far. Also Mosin Nagants are also pretty accurate. 1903 Springfields are also good if you can find one reasonably priced.
Ok call me old fashon, but I like the old lever action model 94 30-30. They are accurate, easy to use and clean, they last forever with little work. They have been around for over a hundred years. you can get ammo almost anywhere. Its one of the most popular hunting rifles around, and will stand up to the abuse you might put it through. I mean geez they were made to be hung from the side of a horse!! average price of one $300-$500 unless it is and Older one that was made in the early 1900’s. This gun is good upto around 150 yards with open sights. you can get what is called a “scout” scope for and older top eject model. and then it is good arund 250 yards. Solid Gun!
Killed a lotta deer with a 91/30 MN.
I have used several surplus rifles for hunting, it’s hard to go wrong with most any of them. My personal favorite iis the Swedish Mauser in 6.5×55 caliber. Recoil is light, the quality of the macxhined surfaces is excellent. If you choose to sporterize, there are many stocks and styles available. It was also the most accurate of my surplus guns, holding a 2″ group at 100 yards with military open sights. I have since fabricated my own scope mount that requires no permanent alteration to the gun, and mounted a 2-6 variable pistol scope, ala the “scout rifle”. It is one of my favorite deer guns.
Just saw a sporterized 03-A3 for 250 w/Leupold can’t beat ‘06
6.5×55 is a sweet euro 270 with alot of variants.
Iv alwas used my Enfield 303 or my M44 carbine that shoots a 7.62×54R very good for deer
I’m gong to get on my soap box about the illogical fear of “corrosive” ammo some people have.
I’ve been shooting corrosive surplus ammo in military surplus rifles for several decades and never had a rust or corrosion problem. Not one, in dozens of rifles and hundreds of outings. Unless you are a complete and total lazy slob about cleaning your tube out and prepping your guns to be put away in the safe, you will never have any problem either.
This kind of ammo was all your grandfather shot with, and his father, etc. going back to the invention of the cartridge. Did their guns corrode away on them? No, because they cleaned them, like you’re supposed to. Every single surplus M1 Garand, M1 Carbine and 03 Springfield ever used in the US military at one time used “corrosive”: ammo.
OK, off the soapbox.
My #1 hunting rifle is a beautiful 1950s customized Springfield 03 in the original .30-06 that was left to me by a friend of my dads and grandads. He spent a fortune on this one getting it done back then and the workmanship is excellent. While I kept her as a “Safe-queen” for many years, I decided to take her out and use her for what she was built for. A lot of honest field wear later, and I have no regrets, it’s a fine gun that has taken many a meal and a few trophies as well (Yes, I’m one of those!).
I’ve also used Mausers for customizing and hunting and have one Mosin carbine that is now my pig gun, in Scout rifle setup. I’ve owned or had friends that used Argentine 7mm, Czech 8mms, Swede 6.5mm, Swiss 7.5mm, Brit Enfield .303s, etc.
All the .30 caliber range of WWII era rifles can make suitable hunters. The Swede 6.5×55 could very well be the most influential hunting round ever developed.
Problems do exist. Scope mounts can be a challenge, barrels may be worn, requiring replacement or custom loaded ammo for a snug fit. Stocks are avalable for many and you may need to replace or customize the bolt to clear the scope. In the Mosin, you simply cannot trust the safety mechanism, so you need to carry with an empyt chamber.
If you intend to build a custom rifle, the small ring Mausers make fine starting points.
Out of the box, in original configuration, the rifles that I would actually select to go in the field after deer would be, using original iron sights:
Springfield 03 .30-06
Swiss K-31 7.5mm Swiss
Swede M38 carbine 6.5×55
Yugo M48, 8mm
Enfield No. 4 Mk I, .303 Brit
SKS carbine, 7.62×39
The Mauser 98K. Norma, Privi, and Wolf (Golden ammo) all make modern ammo for it. The Springfield comes in next.
get a browning .270 its only 249.99
It sounds like you are trying to save costs, so here are three inexpensive surplus rifles that still see a LOT of service.
The Mauser, Mosin-Nagant and the Enfield are all good quality rifles.
Each has their own distinct ammunition, and you can find quality, non-corrosive rounds at most any good sporting goods store. Any of those rounds will take most North American game – remember, placement is more important than quantity!
The least expensive will be the Mosin-Nagant, at under $100 for a nice rifle. Practice with fifteen cent corrosive surplus rounds that do NOT have a lacquer coating or you will suffer from the dreaded “sticky bolt syndrome”, with all brands you would then fine tune your sights with the newly made, non corrosive hunting cartridges for about 75 cents a round.
Next up is the Enfield. You can get a .303 or a .308 for under $200 and they have actions that are usually quite smooth.
Last, the 8mm Mauser. Most modern bolt actions were fathered by this type of action, and they are fine rifles but they may average $250.
Of all these, the older caliber .303, #4Mk1 Enfield seems to have the best sight for me, a peep sight in the rear like all modern rifles.
You can get scope mounts for all of these, but at distances of about 150 yards or less, you truly do not need a scope.
Depends on how big of game you are hunting. For medium deer sized game and less a SKS is an excellent firearm. SKSs are affordable ($200) and reasonably accurate at resonable ranges. SKSs are semi-automatic which allows for quick follow up shots should you miss. The ammo for the SKS (7.62×39) is the cheapest rifle ammo excluding rimfire that money can buy.
mosin nagant 91/30
its 69 bucks
the 91/30 is longer and bigger than the m44, but also less recoil
7.62×54r is still plentiful by the case online.
corrosive only means you need to clean your gun with windex often.
c/r eligible
SVD rifle (surplus)
a bit on the expensive side
semi automatic “sniper”
7.62×54r
same action as AK47
also c/r eligible
if you miss, simply aim and pull the trigger again.