Northbay Shooters

slip on
http://www.gunaccessories.com/PachmayrRecoilPads/SlipOn.asp
its the medium model I belive

I got this MN from one of the San Jose Big 5's a few years ago. If memory serves I think I paid $109 for it out the door. It's an excellent rifle, surprisingly accurate. Recoil is intense but manageable, less than my Enfield Jungle Carbine.

I'm a big fan of the MilSurp's and find it hard to resist them when they show up in the ads.

Oh yeah,they kick pretty hard.
I defenatly recomend a slip on pad.
My mosin is a 1942 M91/30.....the first time I tried that one out I was shocked at how hard it kicked,of course I messed up and got some 180 grain's for it,so that made it kick pretty well.

They are on sale right now @ Big5 for 99.00

I finally got to shoot mine today. Loved it !

I'm thinking this might be a decent rifle/round to use as a starter hunting rifle (pig/deer)? I've been thinking about maybe getting an m1a as a general purpose rifle, but it will take me a bit of time to save up for one of those =p. Also, I like the 91/30 for increased range, but I wonder if the m38 or m44 might be a little easier to maneuver with. What do you guys think? As for the m1a, do you guys feel that another rifle of same/similar caliber may be more cost effective/better as a hunt/plink/love rifle? As of now I think I prefer auto loaders to bolt action but my experience is very limited.

-Dawson

You could use an MN on deer or boar, the 7.62x54 round is very effective and deceptively powerful. However using typical MILSURP ammo on game will not have the best results. You might wind up chasing a wounded animal for a few miles, so hunting type bullets would be a must for that purpose.

Bolt guns on boar... not something I recommend unless you are very smooth with getting off a followup shot. Particularly with larger boar that sometimes need a lot of killing. Lever guns are much better, followed by semi-auto and slide actions. Semis and slide actions are somewhat caliber limited in that they generally don't come in calibers above about .35, with notable exceptions hitting the streets in AR type rifles such as .450 Bushmaster and .50 Beowulf. The Bushmaster looks like it would be an excellent large game cartridge, but a rifle for it will certainly be spendy. An M1A might not be a good choice for boar hunting as it is a rather big rifle to try and buck brush with... the same knock that troops in the jungles had with it.

Having said all that for a general centerfire plinker and starter rifle, it's hard to beat an MN for cost of rifle or ammo. It'll keep shooting even when your shoulder is so sore from it you don't want to anymore.

Thanks Big Dog, you made some good points =D. It seems like a butt pad is mandatory, hah. Ive never used a lever gun before, but thinking about it sounds like it keeps more of the accuracy of a bolt action but more of the speed from a semi? Thanks again for your response, given me some food for thought.

-Dawson

there's always the shorter "socom" springfield rifle (also 308). pretty sure they are CA legal.

On an MN a butt pad of some type is about as mandatory as having ammo. I'm not recoil shy, but those things recoil.... smartly.

Lever guns are the original "assault weapon". I enjoy them, a lot, and own several. A nice Marlin 336 in .35 Remington is a fairly low cost in a very capable caliber. If you can find one, a Savage 99 in .308 Winchester is the cat's meow.

Good luck and welcome!!!