Alright, next gun! I went to the Grand Rapids Gun & Knife Show with Meredith and a couple friends of ours a few weeks back and dropped some hard-earned cash on an impulse buy. It's not often that I buy things on impulse, but I always try to set aside a few bucks whenever I go to a gun show in case I see something I absolute must have.
Well, as luck would have it, I came across a gun that I couldn't possibly pass up. One of the vendors had a freshly-opened
crate of Russian M44 Mosin-Nagant Carbines. The Mosin-Nagant is a bolt-action rifle with a 5-round magazine that was used by the Russkies from the 1890's through the end of World War II. Officially, it stuck around as a sniper rifle until the mid-1960's, when it was finally replaced by the Dragunov sniper rifle.
The M44 is a "carbine" version of the Mosin-Nagant, meaning it is shorter than the standard rifle. The M44 was designed to be used by paratroopers, tank crews, and other soldiers that couldn't easily carry a full-sized rifle.
This is easily the cheapest firearm I've ever bought, and I think it might be end up being one of my best gun-related purchases. There were 40 rifles to choose from for $89.99 each. I was able to handpick the one I wanted and even managed to talk the dealer down to $80.00. It came with a sling, oil canister, and ammo pouch. Anyway, here it is.
Here's the M44 with the bayonet folded back. The M44 was intended to be shot with the bayonet extended, which tells you a lot about Russian military mindset during World War II.
Here's another picture with the bayonet extended. Come get some!
I took it to the range last weekend with Spanky, Meredith, and Mike and we had a blast (get it?)! Every shot erupted with a massive fireball. Here I am loading a few rounds into the magazine.
Alright, let's do this!
Spanky and Mike strike a pose with the M44!
Mike looking Stoic.
I'm going to get in trouble for this one.
Here's Mike taking a shot. I couldn't get a picture of the fireball that accompanied each shot, but I did take some video that shows the glorious flames. I'll post them when I get home tonight.
Mike brought out his Glock .45. You can see the Spankinator holding one of the mags in his hand, but I have no clue what the two of them were doing in this photo.
I elect Craig for the BEST EXPRESSION EVARRRRR award! I'm shooting the M44, Spanky has the Glock .45, and Mike is throwing a piece of wood at the target. Yeah...
Here's one last picture of the M44 with Craig grinning like a retard. W00t!
-b0b
(...will post videos later.)