SHOT was, as always, a time to see all the new products that are scheduled to hit the store shelves sometime later this year. One of the companies that caught my eye was Gletcher. They have several new products as part of the Airgun Depot arsenal, and the one that I thought would interest me the least has proven to be the most interesting out of all of their great products.
Mosin Nagant M1891 Air Rifle – 19th-Century Russian Sawed-Off Rifle Replica, Shoots BBsA rifle with a unique and old history
Ok.. so after a little research on the web I found out that the sawed off version of the Mosan Nagant, what we are going to be taking a look at here, was used during the Russian Revolution and subsequent civil war. Revolutionaries, irregular forces, and even common criminals would take a standard Nagant rifle and cut it down to basically pistol size. Most of the time these would not have sights. Fortunately our example of this historic airgun does have some open sights.
The Mosin Nagant rifle was a bolt action that competed with the Mauser, another historic firearm which defined the modern bolt action rifle. The Nagant action, when in good working order, operates as smooth as butter; cocking, loading and ejecting the rounds as fast as a proficient soldier can do so. It’s a heavy weapon that’s endured the test of time and can still be found on the shelves of many gun stores today.
Mosin Nagant M1891 Air Rifle ReplicaEnter in Gletcher’s reproduction
Now that we’ve got a little history about the real gun, let’s take a look at Gletcher’s reproduction. The first thing that you’ll notice is the weight. This is like no other replica that I’ve ever handled. It looks like the real deal, it feels like the real deal, and it handles like the real deal. Right off the bat I just connected with this airgun. It’s not shoulderable, it’s awkward to hold up and shoot… but I don’t care! It’s just cool and all you need to do is hold one to see exactly what I’m talking about.
What totally sold me on this little rifle was the alloy bolt assembly. It’s buttery smooth, just like the real firearm should be. The action takes me way back to my youth and learning how to shoot with an old bolt action hunting rifle. It’s a piece nostalgia that just resonates with me.
Mosin Nagant Alloy Bolt AssemblyBasic function
The rifle breaks down into a few simple components. The bolt is removable just as it would be on the actual firearm. Simply pull it back while holding in the trigger and it slides right out. The CO2 is stored in the magazine which is released easily with a catch on the bottom. In the magazine you’ll find the CO2 piercing key neatly stored and at the ready. The BBs are loaded via the opening at the front of the assembly. Simply lock down the tension spring and load the BBs one at a time. It holds 16 BBs at the ready and will let them fly as fast as you can work the action.
M1819 CO2 and BB StorageThat’s a wrap for now…
In part 2 of our review of the M1891 we’ll take a look at loading, firing, performance, and basic accuracy. We’ll also just have some good old fashioned fun, so keep your browser pointed right here!
