91/30 or T53?
I have a choice between these two rifles
Is one better quality than the other or they about the same?
Never owned one so any info is appreciated
Is one better quality than the other or they about the same?
Never owned one so any info is appreciated
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T 53 is a 20" barrel, Chinese made, integral bayonet carbine. Muzzle blast and flash, is uber ugly because of the short barrel. Great for stashing behind the seat of your pickup, as a truck gun. Not much good, if you figure on doing a lot of shooting. Go with the 91/30, if your going to do any amount of shooting. 0 -
Rufe has it.
M53 is Chinese made version of the Russian M44 carbine with a short barrel, and a folding bayonet (which you can remove if you don't want it on there). The current crop of M53s are all used military surplus and vary in external condition.
91/30 is Russian made, and has a longer barrel, with no integral bayonet. The 91/30s used to come with nice accessory packs, don't think many do any more.
Most of the 91/30s have been "re-arsenalled", which means refinished to an externally nice condition. Problem is that many/most of the 91/30s saw wartime use with corrosive ammo, and the bores range from OK, to sewer-pipe corroded.
Which is better? That depends what you want this for.
M44/M53 is handier, being easier to store, easier to move around brush or close quarters, and faster to point. Not sure to what extent any of these really have collectors value but M53s are rarer and *might* have more room to appreciate in value over time.
M91/30 looks nicer. Its also easier to aim and more pleasant to shoot because of longer barrel . Though its probably fairer to say its "less unpleasant" to shoot, since IMO no stock Mosin is all that nice to shoot due to 19th century Russian peasant ergonomics intrinsic to its design. Recoil pad helps both to reduce recoil and increase length of pull.
Individual gun also matters. A *good* individual example of either one is undoubtedly better as a "shooter" than a bad example of the other.0 -
quote:Originally posted by 0oAKo47o0
I have a choice between these two rifles
Is one better quality than the other or they about the same?
Never owned one so any info is appreciated
Further explanation about the varieties need to be made.
The T53 will be to one standard, and generally doesn't have very high finishing standards. Certainly no higher than an M44.
The Mosin-Nagant 91/30 varies depending upon when it was manufactured. Those built before 1940 have a higher manufacturing finish on parts than do war-time 91/30s. After all. They were trying to equip a massive army quickly to repel the Nazi invasion.
If you are looking for a shooting rifle, and don't care about the military history aspect, look for one that has been converted for civilian use. Leave the others untouched for military arms collectors.0 -
The 91/30 was refurbished at one time before it got here, T53's never got the treatment, and I haven't seen one yet that didn't have a fencepost for a stock, even when all the pieces were there.
That said, most of them have good triggers and fair to good bores, it's just the rest of the gun that's been beat to hell.0
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