[marlin-owner]

okay i want a mosin that i feel comfortable shooting. let me explain the two i already have, they have seen combat, my 1955 m44 was used in bolivia during there little conflict or revolution or whatever. and my 91/30 1938 was used in the second great war. i want to pick up one that is in cosmoline when i buy it and has never seen action of any type. therefor me being comfortable firing it.

[JonM]

mosins that have seen combat are safe to fire so long as the bore is in good condition and the bolt headspaces properly.

[marlin-owner]

i know that it would be safe. its just the honorment of a fallen soldiers rifle. no matter where its from. or what side they are on. i have too much respect to fire a mans rifle who died for there country and what they believed in. thats why i wanted to pick up one in cosmoline so i feel comfortable shooting it. its not the safety factor its the honorment.

[trip286]

As far as I know, there is no possible way of telling if they were used in combat. Even the latest made ones, and I don't know when they stopped being made, were used in Vietnam. I've seen them still in use in Afghanistan.

Give up on one that's never seen action and may have been carried by a man (or woman, in Russia's case) that may have died for their country in the end.

What better honor than to keep a hero's weapon in working condition and using it? I'd love for my son to grow up with my issued SAW, but because of all the panty twisters in the government, he'll be lucky to one day own my little pocketknife.

A good honor for a hero's weapon after it's retired is to use it to put some food on your table.