Mosinitis: Sounds like a myth to me ...

[ecvorst]

It all started innocently enough.

After doing some research on reliable, inexpensive, and fun to shoot rifles, I decided to purchase one Mosin Nagant 91/30. Of course, this was at the height of the hysteria in early January, 2013, so I placed a reserve order with an online gun shop and decided to be patient. Despite all these posts I had read from these lunatics who insisted "you can't just buy one" and that "cosmoline is an addictive substance", I was sure I would have no problem with spending my $150 and being satisfied with a cheap, reliable, and fun piece of history for shooting.

As it turns out, while I was being "patient", I started frequenting a local big-box sporting goods store once (OK maybe twice) a week to see if any Mosins would magically appear. After a couple of weeks and to my great surprise, this store happened to have a 1935 Izhevsk Hex receiver in stock. I gleefully jumped on the chance to pick it up for $150, even though I knew I had another $150 order for a random 91/30 still open. "No problem," I thought, "it can't hurt to have an extra one "for parts" if I need it in the future."

Well, after thoroughly cleaning every last vestige of cosmoline from every nook and cranny in my '35 Hex Izhevsk (including blasting steam down the receiver and bore and using Q-tips for an hour to meticulously wipe all traces of cosmoline away into a nice, sticky, jam-like collection), I took my "new" rifle out with a few dozen rounds.

It was love at first recoil.

Afterwards, I started revisiting some of the posts that describe the fireballing goodness that is the M44 carbine. "Sure," I told myself, "it would be "novel" to have a different version of the Mosin, but I have one ... and a "back-up" ... so why bother? Anyway, nobody has them in stock so might as well forget about it. Just in case ... maybe I should add myself to one of those "notify me when available" e-mail lists."

In the meanwhile, I started accidentally dropping by the same big-box sporting goods store "just in case" an M44 would happen to drop by the used guns section. Unfortunately, over the previous few weeks I had become acquainted with one of the employees who happened to be one of those "Mosin Fans". Like some sort of sick pusher on the street corner, he offered to look in the store's database to see if another location in another state might have one.

Again, unfortunately, one did (although it was on an ATI synthetic stock). One thing led to another and I accidentally bought it. "Hey," I told myself, "this isn't authentic ... but maybe down the road I can find someone selling a wooden stock and then I'll be in good shape."

As fate would have it, one week later that pesky little reminder e-mail showed up in my mailbox informing me that a limited supply of "excellent condition" M44s were in stock. But hey, I already had three Mosins, so I didn't really need another. Although it would be nice to have an M44 in original condition. Despite walking away from the computer, I tripped over my cat, hit my head, got dizzy, in the process of trying to catch my fall I somehow grabbed my wallet out of my pocket, the credit card flew out, I stumbled backwards, and by some weird coincidence my forehead hit the keyboard in a random and repeated fashion that resulted in me ordering the M44.

Well ... I guess four isn't too many. I could just leave the other M44 in its synthetic stock and use it "for parts" some day.

At least I can stop here at four Mosins in 8 weeks. I am good to go.

Until ....

I got an email that must have been surreptitiously designed for repeat customers (OK I happened to order two crates of ammunition at some point) to inform them of a nice shipment of Hex receiver 91/30s in excellent condition. Well, considering I accidentally got my C&R license a few days ago, I guess I might as well make use of that $30 fee (again). Who knows, I might just land a random Dragoon (did I even know what a Dragoon was two months ago)?

As it turns out, buying one Mosin turned into five in two short months.

But I swear, that "Mosinitis" I have heard so much about has GOT to be a big pile of BS. That's why I have no doubt I will be able to sell that extra 91/30 round receiver to help pay for those other Mosins. I can stop anytime I want.

I'm sure it's only a myth.

[Junk Yard Dog]

It's a myth, that crate of Mosins on the couch, and this Tula here against the wall and all the ones in the vaults just appeared, I have no idea how.

[Gsragtop]

Yeah, I got it bad my self...finances, a wife who hates guns, etc are holing me back.. However I am spending way o much time on this forum, and gun web pages for my own good.. A c&r is looking very good, and I did not even know what one was last month... On the positive note the area I am working now only has one pawn/gun store so I can't look like I did last month..By 30 min the other way is gun meeca.. How to get a day off is now the question..lol

[desdem12]

5? Wait for the 20 mark. You are obviously on the path...Have you checked out the Finnish mosins yet?

[ecvorst]

I have made the grave error of saying "yes" when my new Mosin friend (I mean enabler) at the big box sporting goods store offered to let me know if any M38s, M39s, 1891s, or other variants happened to appear.

[ecvorst]

It's a myth, that crate of Mosins on the couch, and this Tula here against the wall and all the ones in the vaults just appeared, I have no idea how.

OK, so I am starting to feel a little better now. I am starting to wonder if these randomly-appearing Mosins are being carried in at night by Kachina dolls at the behest of the ghosts of Colonel Sergei Ivanovich Nagant's ghost.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Gremlins, it's Gremlins, I know it, the same ones who hide my keys, wallet, and take small screws off the table when I am cleaning guns.

[Celt]

5? Wait for the 20 mark. You are obviously on the path...Have you checked out the Finnish mosins yet?

That was mean Mr D!

[WeldonHunter]

I love your story....all except the part where you mentioned you could use the rifle for parts. Oh the horror of it all! I cringed when I read that. It's just a rumor people spread, this Mosinitis. I had one for 13 years and didn't buy any more. Well I did pick up a few more last year but that was only 16 more. That Polish M44 I got from big5 13 years ago needed some friends but that's not Mosinitis. That's just being a good firarms owner. Lonely rifles need company. I'm not an addict, I can quit whenever I want. Don't laugh, I can!! Really I can!!

[Gsragtop]

Mosin Gnomes... That's the ticket.. Step one Collect Mosins... step two????

[Celt]

Get more?

Shoot mosins, talk about mosins, read about mosins, dream about....oh sorry!

[desertgunner]

ecvorst, I blush with you

My first 2 girls , Tula 42 Round and an Ishevsk 43 Round demanded to sleep under my bed, 10 and 6 years ago. After that they hatched and I kinda lost control . That Tula 42 is some independent lady, she even got to my son and made him go out there and find additional company. Today he called me from Kansas to tell me to tell her he finally found that M44 and a dark blond Finnish boy she was looking for (his Mosins are all boys!).
Then it came to me that 2 more would have to be sneaked in to be explained later to the controller of the house here....my headache, not his. The next clubber was the food situation....do I have enough for 3 months for 2 additional chambers?

I guess not, and SG and J&G will hear me knocking at their door again, with the family picture in my hands, looking for cheap food!

I don't know, sleeping in a room with perfumed bearfat smell coming from the girls room just lets me have restful nights.

I didn't say I was spell bound by the Mosinitis myth, but that Tula 42 has a way with me on the range. So, Brother, you will have to deal with them, they are like Gremlins, they hatch when you keep them clean with No 9, they just suck it up and ask for more.

[clayshooter2]

5? Wait for the 20 mark. You are obviously on the path...Have you checked out the Finnish mosins yet?

Des, you didn't warn him about those early M91's. You are leaving him open to the "heroin" of Mosinitis.
Don't go there....it is all down hill from there......besides, if you don't go there.....it leaves more for me!

[Groundpounder]

I think most of us could have stopped if it was just one long drop that you could see coming, but it isn't. You get the 91/30 and it's great as a shooter, but you wouldn't go out and buy 20 Rugers or 20 Weatherbys and they're great shooters too. But then a site like this or some pusher at the range tells you there are two arsenals and expains the whole hex vs. round thing, so now you're looking to "complete your collection" (HA!). Sucker, there's a carbine version too, but once you fall down that rabbit hole it's the M38 and the M44, M39. Now you can't keep your collection under the bed any more and you can finally see the entire slope, Finn's, Belgian B Barrels, Polish, the precursors like the dragoons, heck even US made contract rifles.

Too late to put the brakes on now...

[Three_Dogs]

It is no myth, it is a known fact. I have it and I want no help.

[WeldonHunter]

It is no myth, it is a known fact. I have it and I want no help.

The first step is recognizing you have it. The next is sending me all of those bad rifles.

[Three_Dogs]

It is no myth, it is a known fact. I have it and I want no help.

The first step is recognizing you have it. The next is sending me all of those bad rifles.

The 2nd step is asking for help. I don't want any help,ha ha, he he! That is unless you would like to help by sending me a few more so mine will not feel so lonely.

[Grizzybear]

Its true it does exist and if you resist its call you loose out on good rifles...ask me I know. I missed a great early Tla Hex that my buddy snatched..and bubbaized it..I cried a bit. Anyways I went and got the next Mosin Nagant I could find that was a Hex. I lucked out and found a 1931/2 marked Tula that is a DDR marked rifle. All numbers match and boy did they do a nice refurb on that rifle. Shoots and looks great.
That was soon followed by a 1931 Izhevsk Hex that is a exdragoon. This one needed some work and I am just about to take it for a spin again to see if I got the stickybolt taken care of.
Then a weekor two ago I found a Chinese Type 53 and went through 4 rifles to find one that peeked my interest and I could live with. Its a 1956 code 26 with good bluing and solid rifling. The stock has several sets of initials from various persons on it and has the white "film" on the buttstock. I leached the stock for a few days and it still needs a lot of work before all that cosmo and just dirt are gone.

[mogunner]

Y'all just keep on spreading that disease. It's great for business...

[Greasemonkey]

I can stop anytime I want.

Whatever , those famed words have been uttered multiple times by many here. At your current rate you could be on the famed Ramon noodle milsurp junkie diet in less than two and a half months

And since no one else did it, you gotten 5 Mosin's?? And you haven't gave us any photos