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The first time I took my M44 to the range (Hotwells) I was all nervous because even though I had checked the headspacing and gone over the gun to make sure it was safe, you never know. Well, I propped it up on the sand bags, settled in and held my head as far back from the action as I could (in case it blew up) . I gently pulled the trigger and KABOOM! Huge fireball, a great big kick in the shoulder, and the rest of the range went completely silent . Here's the part where I sit up and grin like an idiot. A number of people had to come over to see just what it was that I was shooting. No blow up, just a heck of a ride! My wife said that she could see the blastwave lay down the grass in front of the bench. It's like that every time. It does tends to frighten the kids out shooting for the first time with their .22s so I try to be courteous and take a break when they get started, but it's so darn fun to shoot!!

You got that right. Cheap thrills - I've got a half dozen of the M44s and 91/30s. They are a handful to shoot and can be quite accurate. Eventually you will run into difficulty opening the bolt due to the lacquer buildup (with lacquer coated steel cased ammo), but it's an easy fix. Check out 7.62x54r.net for a wealth of info on these. With good surplus ammo, you get a nice fireball when you shoot it and usually you're making the biggest boom at the range. Get yourself a BATFE Curio & Relic license ($30 for 3 years - easy application and background check), and you can have the UPS man bring them right to your front door for less than a C note, delivered (no FFL transfer needed). Or pick them up at the gunshows with no NICS check. Fun all around.