S&T Mosin-Nagant M1891/30 Spring Bolt-Action Rifle Replica

"The one with the Rifle shoots, the one without, follows him! When the one with the rifle gets killed, the one who is following picks up the rifle and shoots!"

Known in the west as the Mosin-Nagant, and in the east as "Mosin's Rifle", the Mosin-Nagant M1891/30 is the firearm which saw the Soviet Union through WW2. As seen in Enemy at the Gates, this rifle was known for its reliability and armour penetrative characteristics when using AP rounds and has since become a bit of a firearms culture icon in the US civilian firearms scene. The real M1891/30 fires the powerful 7.62x54R cartridge which is still used in more modern Dragunov SVD and PKM medium machine guns. The Mosin-Nagant is one of the most widely produced rifles in history, with production numbers being quoted as around 37 million rifles, and they have been seen in use in practically every conflict around the world since their conception. The Mosin is affectionately known as the "Garbage rod" in the states, due to its low cost and surprising effectiveness, and the disdain that more elitist shooters view it with!

The S&T M1891/30 comes with a beautiful antique finish applied to its metal parts, and a beautiful real wood stock, heatshield and forestock assembly. Make no mistake, this rifle would look as good mounted on the wall of a man cave as it would in the hands of a Red Army reenactor! All of the exterior parts which are metal on the real Mosin-Nagant rifle are metal on the S&T M1891/30, giving an authentic, robust feel and realistic weight.

Starting at the tip of the outer barrel we can find the front sight block, which mounts to the barrel via a pin and provides a fine front sight post, protected against damage with a protective hood which is machined into the sight block itself. The barrel of the Mosin-Nagant is not threaded, which is a nod to historical accuracy but also means you will not be able to add a suppressor or tracer to this rifle without extensive modification (reenactors will be thankful for this!).

Beneath the outer barrel we can find the steel dummy cleaning rod which matches perfectly with the form of the real rifle. This cleaning rod is fixed in place and secured to the rear barrel band, meaning there is no chance of it falling out during a skirmish and getting lost. As previously mentioned, the stock of the M1891/30 Mosin-Nagant is constructed from real wood, and looks absolutely stunning. The wood grain on this stock is deep and varied, and looks exactly like a real Mosin would fresh from the factory. Between the two barrel bands, on the forestock/heat shield, the Mosin-Nagant has a sling slot which goes through the entire forestock, allowing a sling to be mounted on either side of the rifle, depending on your personal preference. The stock also includes a finger groove just in front of the magazine, matching the real Mosin and providing a comfortable place for the shooter's support hand.

The rear sight of the Mosin-Nagant is a tangent type sight, typical of Soviet-era firearms, providing adjustment for range with authentic graduation markings from 100 to 2000 meters. Obviously, an Airsoft Mosin will not shoot that far, but regardless this still provides the ability to aim at longer ranges with some consistency, allowing relatively accurate volley fire to be carried out. The sight can be adjusted by squeezing the two textured buttons on either side together, after which the sight can be raised and lowered by moving the adjuster forward and backwards.

Following the rear sight, we come to the receiver and trunnion. Across the top of the trunnion, where you would expect to find markings on any rifle from this era, we can find authentic Russian Cyrillic markings which are laser engraved over the antique finish. After the trunnion, we come to the receiver, which is finished with the same fantastic antique finish as the other metal parts of the rifle. The bolt handle is authentically positioned horizontally when in battery and requires a 90-degree turn to open. The design of the bolt mimics the real Mosin with its single massive locking lug which braces against the receiver, providing a strong yet simple design to manufacture.

The safety of the Mosin is a bit hard to figure out from looking at it, but it is quite simple in function once you know how it works. To activate the safety, pull the cocking piece at the rear of the bolt back and rotate it counterclockwise slightly. This will both lock the bolt handle, preventing the rifle from being cycled, and lock the trigger. To take the safety back off, simply pull the cocking piece back, rotate it back into the central position, after which your trigger will come back to life. The safety can be engaged with the rifle cocked or uncocked. We recommend not attempting to cock the rifle whilst the safety is engaged, as this may damage the action.

The magazine of the S&T M1891/30 Mosin-Nagant differs from the real rifle in that it is a detachable magazine which is concealed inside a mock fixed magazine which serves as the magazine well. To remove the magazine, simply push forwards on the magazine catch which is built into the magazine itself. Inserting the magazine requires you to first index the front of the magazine into the mock magazine/magazine well and rotate the rear up to lock. The real Mosin uses a fixed magazine fed from stripper clips, which would be difficult to replicate in Airsoft form but thankfully S&T's thoughtful design keeps the authentic looks of the Mosin's fixed magazine design while making it far more functional as an Airsoft sniper rifle. The magazine holds 37 BBs and can be loaded either by hand or using a standard speed loader.

The rifle's stock is a traditional stock design, with no "semi-pistol grip", but provides a comfortable gripping surface with a cut-out in the trigger guard which is shaped to match a human hand. Fancy that, on a Russian firearm no less! The stock also includes a second sling slot, designed to interface with the sling slot on the forestock/heat shield and provide mounting apparatus for a replica Mosin-Nagant two-point sling. Each sling slot has a steel insert which is authentically coloured to match the brass inserts in the real Mosin. This ensures that any sling cannot cause damage or cracks to the stock. At the rear of the stock, we are treated to a steel butt plate, which is a period-correct design with a smooth finish without texturing. In Soviet Russia, you are lucky you get that!

From a performance standpoint, we were very impressed when we tested this rifle, particularly with its shot-to-shot consistency. This stems from it being a spring-powered bolt action rather than the previously released gas Mosins from other brands. Spring bolt action rifles make the best sniper rifles, and if you want to do some sniping with the Mosin-Nagant you are well equipped for the task, with a lengthy 650mm inner barrel and TDC grub key adjustable HOP-up unit. To make matters all the sweeter, the S&T M1891/30 Mosin-Nagant is compatible with VSR-10/GBB type tightbore inner barrels and HOP-up rubbers so if you want to maximise the performance of your Mosin and make the VSR-10 guys jealous the S&T is the one to choose!

So, if you are looking for a primary for your Red Army loadout, or for your *insert random rebel group name here* loadout, the S&T M1891/30 Mosin-Nagant will suit the look, due to the real rifles' prevalence on black markets around the world. If you are more of a performance-oriented skirmisher, you will be happy to learn that this rifle has full compatibility with VSR-10/GBB type inner barrels and HOP-up rubbers, meaning if you seek more range and accuracy this can be done without any issues sourcing the bits. This may be a golden opportunity for some creative modernisation (Google "bubba'd Mosin" for some inspiration!) which is bound to upset the purists!

Features

• Full metal construction
• An Airsoft "Garbage Rod"
• Real wood stock, heat shield and forestock
• Realistic Soviet era Mosin Nagant markings
• Antiqued finish on all the metal - Looks lovely
• Trigger lock safety - Turn the cocking piece to the left to lock
• Bolt action operation - Smooth and short bolt pull
• Spring powered bolt action - Very consistent & performs in all weather!
• Adjustable tangent open iron sights - Similar to AK rifles
• Extremely long inner barrel & sight base - Snipe with iron sights!
• Steel mock cleaning rod below the barrel - Completes the Mosin look
• Steel front and rear sling slots - Brass colouration, ideal for Mosin-Nagant replica slings
• Horizontal bolt with 90-degree turn to open - Authentic for the 1891/30 Mosin-Nagant
• Compatible with VSR-10/GBB type inner barrels and HOP-up rubbers/buckings
• Compatible with S&T Mosin-Nagant 1891/30 magazines (not compatible with BO Dynamics)

Package Includes

• S&T Mosin-Nagant M1891/30 Spring Bolt-Action Rifle Replica
• 37rnd Low-cap magazine
• User manual