All bores/rifling is in good to excellent condition accross the board. All are dated 1952 or 53.
Grades:
Non-Matching: Range from NRA Good to NRA Excellent. Most still have matching receiver, buttplate, and magazine plate. But the majority of them are non matching bolts.
Matching (NRA Good): Can have little dings in the stocks or small repairs. Bolt, receiver, buttplate, and magazine plate are all matching!
Matching (NRA Very Good):90% plus blueing, no pitting, and in very good condition. Bolt, receiver, buttplate, and magazine plate are all matching!
Gunsmith Special (Missing or damaged parts): We have 3 rifles in this condition.
2 of the 3: Split stocks, missing screw, missing cleaning rod, missing magazine spring.
The last rifle has a bolt lockup issue, missing screw and cleaning rod (no split stock).
Rust or pitting is possible on these as well.
The Hungarian M44 in 7.62x54r was produced from 1949- to possibly as late as 1955. This was a copy of the famous Soviet M44 produced in Budapest by the FEG (Fémáru Fegyver és Gépgyár) plant. These are the rarest of the M44 rifles since only a small number were produced. These are also very desirable among collectors due to the high quality, the "02" stampings (code for Hungary), and the Hungarian Communist crest. These were very likely used in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, but this is not verifiable.
The bolt-action Mosin-Nagant M44 carbine 7.62 x 54R is a 20.5” length shorter-barreled version of the classic Russian Mosin-Nagant. It also features a fixed side-mount folding bayonet. Production started in 1943, and it entered Soviet Red Army service in 1944, hence the M44 moniker.
Mosin-Nagant was never the official name of the Russian designed and Russian-made gun. Its earliest ancestor was called 3-line Rifle, Model 1891. The Model 1891 was the M44’s direct longer-barreled ancestor and was named after the year it started production. Its main designer was Captain Sergei Ivanovich Mosin. Belgian designer Léon Nagant was tangentially involved, and thanks to legal imbroglios and good PR, his last name became part of the West’s name for the gun. In Russia, it’s still Mosin’s rifle.
The Model 1891 had a shorter barrel M38 carbine version that entered service in 1938. The M44 was an evolution of the earlier M38 carbine and was handy for those needing a backup environment or for use in confined environments. In other words, the M44 was ideal for Soviet artillery men, T-34 tankers, combat engineers, etc. But the M44 was actually used by many front-line troops and certainly benefited them as they swept through forests, cities, etc. On their way to Berlin, the Soviets fought the Germans in the worst weather conditions, so the gun is designed to not only be reliable and durable, but it was also designed with use in freezing cold snowy conditions, etc.
The M44 is accurate and durable. Its mass Russian production (and also additional production through East Bloc allies) makes the gun a compelling buy.
The gun has a front post sight circumscribed by a circular hood. In back is a tangent rear sight marked for up to 1,000 meters (about 3,300 feet). Squeeze the buttons flanking it to slide it back and forth. The permanently fixed bayonet has a crucifix cross-section that folds back to the right.
The slick Mosin-Nagant has a spherical bolt knob. It enjoys a wooden stock with a typical Russian shorter length of pull than is typical on Western guns. The wood shows the utilitarian military nature of the gun while metal surfaces are blued.
The gun’s capacity is 5 rounds and ammunition is manually top loaded singly or via a 5-round stripper clip ahead of the action into the fixed box magazine below.
The trigger guard has a tear drop shape that’s accentuated by a long front face that conceals the aforementioned fixed box magazine. There’s also an ammunition drop gate on this front face.
The safety is unusual. Pull and turn a large glove-friendly sized round knob at back to change the gun between safe and fire settings. Something else unusual is how the strap passes directly through the wood stock in both front and back instead of using sling swivels. This seems to make perfect sense given the epic shortages the Soviets faced during World War II and the urgent need for expedient production, but actually this clever design feature was on many of the first Model 1891 guns.
-
M44: HUNGARIAN FEG MOSIN-NAGANT
I had a problem with the non matching bolt sent with my M44. It didn't pass no go and was in poor condition. I contacted AOA and after working through it, I sent the old bolt back and they sent me another one. Glad they addressed my concerns even on an old mil surp rifle. They have positve customer service. Thanks, AOA.
-
Not original Hungarian
More than likely I received a Romanian arsenal refurbished rifle. Stock had no B 02 marking, and bolt has no original Hungarian markings, just the original Russian Izzy marking. With that being said it makes a good shooter, but at $599 for a non-original arsenal refurbished rifle, I would’ve just opted for the cheaper non-matching rifle in hindsight. Still pretty cool.
-
Nonmatching m44 mosin warning
My rifle came missing the extractor and the bayonet did not fit the rifle the stock was cracked but not bad enough to effect function the only part that matched the receiver was the buttplate as advertised just wish it didn't come missing parts
-
Nonmatching m44 mosin warning
My rifle came missing the extractor and the bayonet did not fit the rifle the stock was cracked but not bad enough to effect function the only part that matched the receiver was the buttplate as advertised just wish it didn't come missing parts
-
Parts missing on non matching grade
Giving this review 3 stars because I ordered the non matching grade rifle and it came missing the lower follower spring and screw. The parts are easy enough to replace but I expected the rifle to be complete at least. Everything else is gtg and the rifles in pretty decent shape, just wish they would’ve inspected this one a little closer before I paid for a rifle missing parts.
-
M44
Giving this review 3 stars because I ordered the non matching grade and it came missing the lower follower spring and screw. The parts are easy enough to replace but I was expecting the rifle to be complete at least. Everything else is gtg and the rifles in pretty decent shape, just wish they would’ve inspected this one a little closer before I paid for a rifle missing parts.
-
Nice 1952 M44
Ordered the non-matching serial option, as that was the only one available other than gunsmith special. Mine is all matching except the bolt, but all parts are "02" marked. Bore is very nice, and while it shows wear, it's in good condition. These Hungarian rifles aren't common, and as such a cool rifle to own.
