- Thread starter DUBJT
- Start date
Depends... Round or Hex receiver and does it come with the bayonet and cleaning kit?? Price online are anywhere from $99 to $275, condition is the key here...
This is a huge subject and probably no real definitive answer can be given without knowing what you're looking for, exactly. Shooter? Collector? Both? If it's just a shooter you're looking for, the golden rule usually is "buy the bore". Don't buy one if you can't look down the bore with a good light source and determine if it's up to your standards, or not. Many of them were shot with corrosive ammo and not properly cleaned, so they can be dark/pitted. Other issues would include worn out crowns from either being shot so much, or from cleaning from the muzzle with the issued steel cleaning rod. There are plenty of them out there with excellent to like new bores, so you can afford to be picky. Don't let a salesman tell you that "they're all a little dark", or anything like that. And, as I was recently reminded, don't buy one with a bore full of cosmoline, even if the crown looks good. The bore could still be toast.
Now, on the collecting side of things, it gets more complicated. Most of the rifles you'll find at Cabela's are going to be refurbished 91/30s. They're pretty much the cheapest/most common variant and, spare a few minor variations and oddities, not really worth as much to collectors. The guns built from '41-44 are going to be the most common (especially Izhevsk arsenal in those years). The guns dated in the 1930's or earlier are going to have more collector appeal, especially if they have a hex receiver (built until '35/'36 at Izhevsk and Tula, respectively). The guns with the 1920's dates are usually even more desirable. Then you have all the other factors of stock types, Ex-Dragoons, Ex-Snipers, MO marked/dated, Finn capture/recapture, etc. It gets to be a lot to digest and this is only for refurbed 91/30s. When you get into the other variants and the Finn made rifles, it gets even more complex.
If I were looking at getting a good shooter with a little more history than the "average" 91/30, I would be looking for a hex receiver rifle with an excellent bore. Arsenal doesn't matter to me in this particular area (for the most part), but usually the earlier the date, the better, in terms of collectible status.
Hope this helps,
John
