Mossberg Model 44

[nhetzer]

I just picked up a US Model 44 .22 training rifle from CMP. I am brand new to these and to be be honest don't now anything about them. I was at CMP and just couldn't resist a $65.00 U.S. marked military rifle. They are all pretty rough and of the entire rack there wasn't a firing pin or a rear sight in any of them. Also, a word of advice, the one I bought was the only one that had any rifling in it too. (Yes, I checked EVERY single one that was there that day anyway). So I am looking for info on them. I've read that several types of rear sights were used on these, does anyone know what kind of sights were correct on these? Thanks for any help.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[MK111]

"no riflings" something wrong here. All the Mossberg 44US where made rifled.
The rear sight you can use either a S100 or S130 Mossberg sight. They will cost about 75.00.

[Kirk]

Havlins (Havlin Sales & Service - Mossberg Gun Parts) has many parts, including sights & magazines to complete your rifle. I have some parts that Havlins does not list; PM me if Havlins can not help you.

[nhetzer]

Thanks guys. As far as the rifling goes, the bores go, they looked like shotguns. I'm not saying they didn't have rifling at one point, I'm just saying that by what I saw down the barrel it would appear that these have had a lot of rounds put through them. One or two were pencil thin and a couple were just too dirty to see anything. I must have looked down the bore of literally 20 plus rifles and found two that had "ok" rifling. The best of the two came home with me. If anyone lives near enough to CMP I would suggest making the pilgrimage to hand pick it yourself if you really want one of these.

Also, I am shopping for parts, what is the difference between the M44US, M44US(a), M44US(ad), M44US(b), M44US(c), and the M44US(d)? That's how Numrich has the parts grouped but with mostly no photos. Are the parts somewhat interchangeable? Thanks again!

[Kirk]

The different suffixes indicate when the rifle was made; changes were made in design & materials used over time. See details at:
Mossberg 44US Commercial treatise on all 4 models

[emmagee1917]

A lyman 57 was used on the earliest US44s , being replaced by the M100 in later production.
Chris

[nhetzer]

Kirk,
I e-mailed Havlin regarding the parts I am looking for but no response as of yet. I know he has some of what I need (firing pin and red/green safety/fire pegs) but not sure about a couple of other things. I need the sight hood and the screw that goes through the magazine base plate (not sure what the actual term is for it). Basically I'm talking about the plate that the mag fits into. I need the small screw that goes through it and the trigger guard (so the rear one). Aside from that my rifle is pretty well intact. I have a magazine on the way and am still diligently looking for my S-100 sight. The base is still attached and is indeed labeled S-100, so I at least know what it correct for my gun. If you know where I can find the screw I need or an original sight hood I would appreciate any help in tracking them down. Thanks!

[FW!]

For information on the M44 go here
Mossberg Model 44 US Property Information

[nhetzer]

Thanks everyone for the help. My M44 is now complete. Just thought I would throw a few pieces of info out there in case anyone else just picked one up. Like everyone else says Havelin is the way to go for replacement parts. Super nice folks. Parts are quality and shipping is fast. Aside from that, e-bay is where I found everything else. When I went to CMP and looked them all over they were pretty rough. When I brought it home and pulled it apart I had pretty much resigned to the fact that it was going to be one of the ugliest guns in my collection. The stock was covered in dark spots from years of handling and of course it had a number of dings.
I started off by telling myself I was just going to do a precursory kind of once over. As with most projects I became obsessed and decided I would go ahead and give a good work over. I used a product I picked up at a gun show called "Super QCG" (quick gun cleaner). I had used this a little in the past but I was floored at how well it cleaned this old gun up. It made the stock look like a new replacement. So the point of that is regardless of what you use these things potentially clean up REALLY well. It's now one of the nicest looking guns in my cabinet. Granted there are plenty of nicer looking ones out there than mine but you should have seen it when I got it. And of course, I didn't take any before or after pics. Anyway folks, these things are a blast and if CMP still has any you can't beat it for $65.00. Thanks again to all who helped me out on this little project.

[nhetzer]

Hello all,
So I have pretty much finished up my Mossberg 44US project but I've hit a stumbling block. The rifle I have has one sling swivel on it. I have read that these rifles take detachable swivels but mine is not. And all of the rifles i looked at up at CMP all had the same non-detachable swivel that I do. Has anyone else had this issue and does anyone know where I can find one of these? The one I have is appropriately worn for the age of the gun so I am hoping to find one that matches in finish relatively closely. Thanks again all!