Well?  

I hear that 7.62X51 ammo is mad cheap and the rifles are really durable.

If you're talking about M44 Nagants, you sure as shit don't want to be running 7.62x51 through them.

It's probably just a typo but seriously, try 7.62x54R instead.

To answer your question, I always liked AIM Surplus

sorry guys, I guess I am so used to typing X51.  I did mean 7.62X54.

Quoted: i buy mine from aim. for the mosin you want the heavy ball.

Why the heavy ball?  I shoot the light Polish and heavy Hungarian and she seems to like both.

Dou you have a C&R?  

Check local gun shows so you can inspect it first, otherwise AIM as stated above has a good rep.

ETA: Ammo is dirt cheap!

Quoted: i buy mine from aim. for the mosin you want the heavy ball.

Burnt up his 26,000 post talking about Mosin Ammo....doh!

Is it normal for the bolt to be a total pain in the ass to open after firing a round through a Nagant?

-Ben

Yes and no, the bolt cocks on opening and the straight bolt handle doesn't help.  If it is really stuck, some rifles get sticky with laquered ammo, some don't.

I got mine a few years ago from www.aztecguns.com, and was very happy with the condition.  They don't seem to have as many now as they used to, but the laminated one on their "specials" page might be interesting.

I have an M44 but it's not what I would call a "fun" gun to shoot.  Recoil sucks!!

I think it was a flame thrower in one of its past lives.

yes, you should always have the special "nagant tool" in your range bag... tngdirect.com/catalog/images/01031703.jpg

How true.  Bought a Mosin M44 yesterday at my local shop and had a bear of a time putting it back together after the ritual de-cosmolining.  Whenever I couldn't make something fit, I tried harder and harder until eventually I was whacking it with a framing hammer wrapped in duct tape.  It worked.

Today, I took it out to the range for the first time.  Holy hell!  I was using 148gr Hungarian FMJ and 182gr Polish FMJ and those suckers HURT!  By around the sixtieth round I was cowering in fear of the recoil of this 7.62 monster.  My groups at 100 yards looked like they had been thrown by hand.  I need to work on that.  The best was the muzzle flash and the dust being sucked off the range table.  Drew a crowd on several occasions.  

As for the bolt handle sticking, yeah, it's annoying, but besides making sure it's good and lubed, there's not much you can do about it.  

Not as easy to shoot as an SKS, not as accurate as a modern bolt action (Rem 700, Win 70) but at least half the price of admission and with ammo costing 20% to 80% less than the others, this rifle is great to have in the collection.  I'll probably use it to obliterate obsolete appliances and to let my non-gun owning friends shoot when they claim that there is no reason anyone should buy a gun that fires something as small as a .22

How does an SKS and X39 ammo compare cost wise to a M44 and X54 ammo?

An M44 is one of a very few useable firearms that you can get for less than the cost of an SKS.  7.62x39 is very hard to get right now, and 7.62x54r is substantially cheaper.  As imports catch up, 7.62x39 will come down in price a bit, but still won't be as cheap as 7.62x54r.

Quoted: Today, I took it out to the range for the first time.  Holy hell!  I was using 148gr Hungarian FMJ and 182gr Polish FMJ and those suckers HURT!  By around the sixtieth round I was cowering in fear of the recoil of this 7.62 monster. My groups at 100 yards looked like they had been thrown by hand.  I need to work on that.  The best was the muzzle flash and the dust being sucked off the range table.  Drew a crowd on several occasions.

I recently got into the M-44.  I shot it on the weekend and did so standing up.  While the recoil is nothing to laugh at, I felt nothing the next day.  I fired a couple of shots prone and I could see how you can't do that too many times.

Quoted: I have an M44 but it's not what I would call a "fun" gun to shoot.  Recoil sucks!! I think it was a flame thrower in one of its past lives.

Are you kidding? Thats what makes it fun!!  Light off a few hot milsurp rounds and I promise you'll have the indoor range to yourself!!