Thread: Is the Mosin Nagant 91/30 Gun City is selling a good choice for an investment gun?

I want to buy a gun I can sit on for a few decades that will go up in value, the Mosin seems like a good idea for this but I am not entirely sure. I feel like the best option would be a K98 but they are running 3-4k these days, they're already peaking in value. And obviously the SKS and M1, SLR and other super obvious choices are out at this point.

GC only have round receiver Nagants left but those date from 1930-1945, what are the odds I'd get a WW2 era one by luck? Would a round receiver Nagant only end up worth anything if it had seen WW2? Are the GC boys likely to have just picked out all the best ones for themselves and their friends already?

Any advice friendos?

My advice is if you are looking to buy something to make money in the long term, dont buy guns.....If you want something to make loud Bags with that you can sell long term then maybe a gun s for you. The fact you are asking this question means that you know as much as me about them and is probably not something you should buy unless it is spending money to buy what you want.

Mosins are fun. Tough and reliable. But as you alluded to , anyone form GC that knows anything about any firearm will have already snapped up the bargains and they will know what they have left and how much it is worth. The sort of thing that is your best bet is one you are offered by someone who is getting rid of theirs that they have had for decades and does not use....old 303s in good original "unbubba'd" condition etc.Or better still, something that wont be targeted by thieves....to sell it first you must still own it....

Um, don't buy from Gun City ?

Their prices are crazy and some of the stuff they sell is pretty shit, more so if they've added any of their special features.

Special features for a mosin? I expect you mean a battern to hit the bolt with to get it closed on a tight case.
Joking aside I bought one from wellington sporting arms in petone back in the late 80s, picked the oddest looking one in the bunch. Turned out to be a Finnish m24 lottakiviri and later sold it for 10 times the original price so you can strike it lucky.

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

Special features for a mosin? I expect you mean a battern to hit the bolt with to get it closed on a tight case.
Joking aside I bought one from wellington sporting arms in petone back in the late 80s, picked the oddest looking one in the bunch. Turned out to be a Finnish m24 lottakiviri and later sold it for 10 times the original price so you can strike it lucky.

But there is the point, a lot of luck is involved in these situations.

Marty, so you have not seen the improved "tactical" Mosins GC have been peddling

Seriously, Tipple is well known for buying bulk lots of ex military crap from dubious sources, and then trying to flog them off as polished turds...

Thankfully no, my delicate sensibilities have been shielded from whatever artistic flourishes he has been adding. I think his business model must be styled on some of the ads in old american rifleman magazines.
Actually back in the 60s you could buy 1884 trapdoors in vg condition for $12, less if you brought a crate of 10, now that would have been an investment.

They have gone up since GC last big import a few years ago, over %100. Sellers on TM are asking for more $$$ than GC is currently selling even if they have been bubba, miss-matched numbers. Also recently at militaria auction the prices have gone up. Why? don't know, maybe back in fashion. Anyway they aren't making any more, bit like the old 303 when many where stuffed by turning them into sporters or not cleaning after shooting corrosive ammo. Original matching good nick ones fetch a good price as they become harder to find.

Originally Posted by ebf

Um, don't buy from Gun City ?

Their prices are crazy and some of the stuff they sell is pretty shit, more so if they've added any of their special features.

Mmm, up until GC got in their crates of Mosins they were almost impossible to find for sale in NZ, and if you were lucky enough for one to pop up on Trademe they were going for $1200-$1500 just due to rarity. I just had a quick look on Gunbroker and 91/30s are going for $300-$500 USD in the US which means Gun Citys price of $700 NZD is about on par with American prices.

Actually, if you're prepared to sit on a Mosin for a long time, to me, it's probably not a bad idea.

BUT

Don't get one from Gun City, for all the reasons listed above. Wait, and watch for an opportunity. Trademe, word of mouth, the specials rack in a small gunshop, that sort of thing.

We'll need some kind of clarity from the new laws (allegedly) coming in at the end of this month as to whether certain calibers are gonna be banned as well.

So 7.62x54R might be on the hit list. (Speculation on my part)

GC has been well pick through, they did have some really good ones that hadn't been refurb (if you know what markings and numbers to look for) with the hex receiver, they where part of the experimental/testing pre production batch during the changeover period from dragoon to M91/30 when none where produced. The barrel's internals looked unfired and the matching bolts and receiver showed no sign of polished rubbing or action drag wear. The stock shellac coating where all flaky as expected for it's age (so they looked bad at first glance). None of the hex ones I saw had been bubba.

Originally Posted by ebf

Marty, so you have not seen the improved "tactical" Mosins GC have been peddling

Seriously, Tipple is well known for buying bulk lots of ex military crap from dubious sources, and then trying to flog them off as polished turds...

Which would be fine if he sold them for a reasonable price. My mate bought a few mosin when they were around 200 bucks.

You can make your own luck by doing your homework before you purchase. I've got a bunch of "collector" firearms, but of them all only one can be counted as an investment in the true sense of the word. Sorta like the difference between speculating (very high risk often with factors outside your control) and investment where the rate of return is pretty well known and correlates directly with risk . . . .

There's a few cheap 303 rifles on trademe.

All under 300 bucks.

If you are after an old rifle then get one of those and just shoot it.

I don't think Mosins in general are all that collectible as the Russians made tens of millions of them. Average prices for them in the USA run right now around $200-$300 US$, with some of the vendors that have fresh imports from the Ukraine being slightly higher. The more valuable Mosins are the Finn rifles and USA made rifles.