Want to Get Into a MilSurp...Need Help Deciding.

[ruffinails]

get an sks. cheap ammo, it dont beat you up, and it is mid road price wise. a mn 91/30 is a good choice and is good for 300 yrd's. a mauser is of coarse a good start,get a 24/47 or m48 yugo...you cant go wrong!

[Rumpelhardt]

As someone who has just started in military surplus collecting I personally settled on the No4 Enfield as a starting point. I was taught to shoot by my grandfather who from my recollection never owned anything but a single No.4 Enfield, a few sporterized Mauser's and 03 Springfield's so I put a more than a few rounds down range in those. I have more than a passing interest in WW2 equipment from all sides so This set the era. I tried a couple different Mosin Nagant's owned by friends thinking that I would start there because of the price but I didn't really like how they handled. I also tried a Garand. Tho all of these were easy to shoot I found the Garand and Enfield the easiest to shoot well so it was between these two. The Enfield was the less expensive of these so it got the nod. This is just my personal experience. I will most likely own examples of most of these before I'm through but the Enfield will most likely stay the focus of my collecting for these and a few more reasons.

[Harlan (Deceased)]

Great choice Rumpelhardt.

Besides being outstanding weapons, they're one of the most well known and historically significant milsurps around.

It's been my experience that it's better to be patient and save a little longer to get something I really have a passion for rather than to buy something inexpensive that I'm not completely thrilled with.
It's a matter of personal preference though.

[MacGonnigal]

I just bought my first military surplus rifle. After a lot of reading and talking to folks about them, I decided on the Swiss K31. I just got it recently and it seems like a very well made unit. There seems to be quite a few around, and they aren't that expensive. Not sure about the recoil yet.

[woodstock]

My first milsurp was a M1 Garand from CMP about 10 years ago. I have shot it at Camp Perry in the national Matches ever since. My dream gun was the M1A but they are so darn expensive and I never thought I would own one. I got lucky and came across one for a steal and have shot in the Springfield match the last two years. My third milsurp was a 03A3 which I plan on shooting in a match sometime. About two years ago I picked up a m1917 then last year added a M1 Carbine and another Garand. About 6 months ago I found a Sistema Colt that is absolutely beautiful and shoots well to boot! Just recently I got a S&W Victory model and last week finally a Mosin Nagant 91/30 at my local gun store for $75. I just couldn't say no anymore to the MN.

I tend to be interested in shooting WWII rifles but once something catches my interest I usually research the heck out of it and save up until I find the right one. Searching is half the fun for me. Plus I tend to shoot what I buy so that is important to me. I say figure out what the most important issue is to you and then act accordingly.

If money is the deciding factor, then research several firearms that are within your budget and go with that. I keep watching what's available at gun shows and what the CMP makes available. The Garands have gone up since I got my first one for $450 but they still occasionally have good deals. My best deal from them was a mossberg US M44 target rifle for well under $100 dollars. I should have bought a dozen but money was tight.

Good luck and have fun!