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Compare M44 Mosin to T53 Chinese 7.62x54
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How does the T53 Chinese clone of the Mosin M44 measure up in performance?
Is the Chinese model improved in any way being a later model?
Price performace equal?
Observations on comparisons of the two in general?
Thanks![?]
Is the Chinese model improved in any way being a later model?
Price performace equal?
Observations on comparisons of the two in general?
Thanks![?]
Comments
If you can get hold of a Chinese M 53, in Very Good, factory original, condition. Buy it, you will never lose any money on it. A collector would be happy, to take it off your hands.
Other than the markings, the Chinese also have chrome plated bores, I believe.
If you want a M-N for shooting? Forget the M 44 & M 53's. Get a long barrel Model 91-30. Much easier and more pleasant to shoot. IMHO.
I agree with Rufe on condition here. All the M53s I've seen have been externally fairly beat up. I think its because the Chinese guns making it to the US all saw actual military use (eg in the Balkans) prior to importation. There may be individual Vietnam era "bringbacks" that didn't, but I've never seen one.
If you just want a "shooter", don't care about appearance, and can find one with a good bore, then I think the Chinese guns are probably fine. A bunch of these have recently made it into the USA, and they're relatively inexpensive due to wear and lousy cosmetics so bang/buck could be good here.
The refurb "rearsenalled" M44s are typically cosmetically nice, but internals can vary quite a bit from like new to really badly worn/pitted with muzzle counterbore. Sometimes numbers don't match. Good ones ARE out there, but I think like with most of these, you may have to go through a few to find a really good one.
In contrast, there are actually are a bunch of effectively unissued European M44s out there. Most of these are post-War Polish and Romanian guns; but there are a small number of unissued Russian made ones that made it into the USA via other countries arsenals over the years. I don't think its possible to find these as surplus anymore, but there are plenty of them out there in private hands, and you can still find them on sale (EG on the auction site) for around $350, give or take. If you want the "best possible" m44, and don't necessarily want a pre-war or Russian model, that's probably the way to go. The post-war Polish ones are supposed to be amongst the best of these.
Edit: Incidentally, I'm pretty sure the Chinese Mosins DO NOT have chrome lined barrels. Chinese SKS rifles. . .yes. . .Mosins, no.
Can't go wrong for 100 bucks! You can always refish the stock. I have both an m44 and two m53's. Same rifle different country of origin. I beleive from whats Ive read,the Soviets may have given the designs and toolings to make the Chinese after they switched to the AK47.
I agree with the second bit. As mentioned above, all the Mosins (Chinese, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian) are built on Soviet-supplied tooling. The Russians didn't mind giving their 60+ year old bolt action technology to the Chinese in the early 1950s, because by then they had effectively switched over the Kalashnikov rifle. Apart from stock wood, and possible minor differences in bayonet and other accessories (eg cleaning rod, etc), the Chinese M53s are effectively the same gun as the Russian M44s.
On the first part. . .well, a lot of these guns saw actual wartime use with corrosive ammo, and the bores are now crap. Not sure how the bores on the M53s look, but there are plenty of "re-arsenalled" Russian Mosins out there that look beautiful on the outside, but have tubes that look like sewer pipes on the inside. If you don't mind a "blaster" that won't group worth anything, then I guess you can't go wrong with a $100 gun, but if you want any degree of accuracy, I think you do have to be a bit careful about what you're buying.
If you're thinking, you can just rebarrel one of these, that's probably not a good idea.
So far as I know, there is no supply of "new" (or "new old stock") Mosin barrels anywhere.
So while its technically possible to rebarrel a Mosin, you'd need to have a new custom barrel fabricated, and that's going to be a potentially expensive proposition, costing at least 2-3x the value of the gun itself. Also, from what I've heard, pulling an old barrel out of a Mosin can be exceptionally difficult. The barrels were basically cranked into place with no expectation of being removed, and decades later many are frozen in place from corrosion. I just don't think it makes sense to spend the time energy and money effectively building a custom rifle on an old Mosin platform. If the goal is just to have a nice shooting Mosin, you're better off just finding one.
EDIT:
quote:100 bucks, shoots cheaper surplus ammo. Who thinks they will get a tack driver at that price? I don't think anyone expects a "tack driver", but with a small amount of care in selection, you can get a much better gun, that's all.
If all you want is a cheap "blaster", why even bother with an M44 at all? The 91/30 guns are more readily available, cheaper, and more pleasant to shoot. Long sight radius also makes them easier to aim.
See here: http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?groupid=826&name=Russian+(MOLOT)+1891/30+B-GRADE+7.6254R+Mosins
Thanks for the feedback any ideas on pricings? Diferentials on price points between M44 and T53...
Find a M38 if you can, no bayonet.
Looked at both and passed.[:o)]
Thanks, duly noted...
Looked at both and passed.[:o)]