We all know Mosin-Nagants are cheap and powerful. They’re also fairly ugly, not terribly comfortable, and only hold five rounds. ProMag’s new Archangel stock can remedy those issues and turn your battered old mil-surp boomstick into a fancy M44 scout rifle or 91/30 sniper ‘stick’ . . .

The Archangel stock fits the fireball-spitting M44 shown here, as well as the longer 91/30 below. Detachable magazines go a long way to solving the Mosin’s firepower problems, and extra 5- and 10-round mags are available. If your Mosin shoots best with a corked barrel, the Archangel stock even has a barrel tension screw to keep it happy.

I know there are better sniper rifles out there, but remember that Finland used modified Mosin-Nagants as their military sniper rifles into the 1980s. And if the old Nagant was good enough for Vasiliy Zaitsev, it should be good enough for most of us mere mortals.

There will be many who question the wisdom of putting a $200 stock on what was originally a $90 rifle, but if a stock like this works as advertised, it could breathe new utility into some lonely old rifles. Is a restocked $300 Mosin a better rifle than a box-stock $350 Ruger American Rifle? Probably not, but 7.62x54R ammo is incredibly cheap. You might have a lot more fun with that $300 Mosin after all, because you’ll never find 440 rounds of Ruger fodder for ninety bucks.

And you’ll never buy Rugers by the crate for $2500, and every time an old mil-surp rifle goes shooting, an angel gets its wings.

Click here for more info from ProMag.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

101 COMMENTS

  1. There’s a lot of things you can do with a box stock mosin if you’re so inclined. i corked the barrel and action on my favorite one, added a recoil pad and opened the rear sight a little with a file. It’s a decent shooter and fun to play with. But I’m not about to put 200 bucks into a stock for a rifle that I don’t intend to scope. And when I checked the 10 round mags were 25 bucks each. Again, too much for a range toy.

    • They did partner up with another company (forget who) that sells a bent bolt and scope mount kit to go with the Archangel stock. It would probably put total rifle cost up to about $400 (before a scope), but then again 7.62x54r is cheap and plentiful.

      • The cheap ammo combined with the low cost rifle is a huge selling point to the mosin. Right now it’s actually easier for me to replenish my stock of 54r than it is to replenish my .22 stocks.

        Who would’ve thought we’d ever see that day. I wish I had bought a Nagant revolver when they were 79 bucks each. All thru this ammo crisis 7.62x38r has been available. It’s not as cheap as 54r, but it’s there.

        • Yeah, I got a Nagant revolver about 2 years ago and got a .32 acp conversion cylinder as well. All I’ve been able to reliably (and at fairly normal prices) find ammo for is my Nagant, guns in 9×18 Makarov, and my rifles in 7.62x54r.

        • And before all this started people, myself included, were saying to buy guns of common caliber so ammo would be easy to find. The only common calibers that have been common in my area are 12 and 20 ga.

        • Herb, I don’t have a Nagant but all the checking I’ve done says this is a bad idea. While you can shoot .32acp, .32 S&W and .32 S&W long from your nagant the .32 mags, like the H&R and Federal operate at pressures that are too high for the nagant.

  2. Definitely worth considering, and Chris Dumm nailed it by comparing the overall cost of rifle + upgrades, not the base-model Mosin.

    Anyone know if there’s something like this for the Swiss 7.5×55 rifles? A magazine-fed K31 with a modern stock would be awesome, especially since many of the less-expensive examples currently available are marked “cracked stock”.

    (Chris, did you end up picking up some 5.45×39 from USAC?)

  3. Might be nice for American shooters who want a accurate, 10 shot and 54mmR chambered rifle but here in Europe in most countries you can get a Izmash Tigr(now if I could find a price quote on them)

    • Tigr is semi-auto. In US you could get a Saiga or Vepr in 7.62x54R for roughly the same thing. But Mosins are bolt-action, and real cheap…

  4. Be Very Careful !!! Pro Mag makes garbage handgun magazines IMHO I don’t think I would want one for my Chicom type53 (Mosin Nagant 44)

    • Don’t worry, Archangel works more or less independently from the rest of ProMag. I’ve got the Archangel Sparta stock for the Mini-14 and it’s well-made and sturdy – much better than the stocks by ATI or Tapco.

  5. “every time an old mil-surp rifle goes shooting, an angel gets its wings.”
    Definitely! I’d love to upgrade my mosin, saving my pennies now!!

  6. Id like it more without the detachable magazine. Thats the only thing on this that really bugs me. If it were a fixed mag and didnt extend beyond the mag well, I think it would look a lot better. Still, this is pretty cool. Id much sooner go with a less expensive ATI stock though.

    • Heh.

      The only thing I DO like about it is the ability to have more than 5 rounds.

      How hard is it to convert a Mosin to be able to use detatch able mags?

      • Apparently very hard to convert it to take removable magazines. Also, they can still load from the top, so Memphis could just use the 5-round mag that comes with the stock and always load from the top.

  7. I recently restocked a 91/30 with a laminated job from Boyd’s. It cost about a C-note and looks great. I had to do a bit of inletting with a Dremel, which took about two minutes.

    The barrel is floated, so it shoots pretty well (although some Mosin barrels don’t like being floated). I can use a cork shim if I want to, but there’s no reason. The cork does a good job of keeping the barrel straight when it heats up, but for damping barrel resonance the old Russian trick works better — tightly tie a couple of strips of leather to the barrel. It even looks cool.

    The Boyd’s stock is not as utilitarian as the Archangel, but it has a really effective butt pad, it’s wood and it’s half the price. Still, I’ll probably get an Archangel for my next M38 project. I wouldn’t put one on an M44 because of the obtrusive, non-removable bayonet mount, which you can see in the top still.

  8. “Detachable magazines go a long way to solving the Mosin’s firepower problems, and extra 5- and 10-round mags are available.”

    Firepower ain’t the Mosin’s problem. The clumsy bolt is.

    • My Mosin bolt runs real smooth, the trick is getting all the cosmoline out and polishing the bolt slightly.

  9. “And if the old Nagant was good enough for Vasiliy Zaitsev, it should be good enough for most of us mere mortals.”

    That’s like saying the jaw bone of an ass is the perfect every-man hand-to-hand weapon.

    • Yeah, not too quick on the uptake there, TTAG. Mine has been on order for 2 months as well. I was hoping this thread was about them finally shipping.

      Edit: maybe I’m not too quick, as it looks they ARE shipping. Woot!

    • I ordered mine from MidWay USA for $159.95, it was on back order but was shipped less than a month after ordering. 10 round mags are $16.95 and the 5 rounders are $13.95. I have both the ATI stock and the Archangel, I have to say I love the feel of the Archangel as it makes my Mosin feel more natural to shoot, faster target acquisition and the detachable mag makes for faster reloading.

  11. 7.62x54R is cheaper and more available than high velocity 22lr on Gunbot. I’ve got a T53 with a Boyd pepper stock I’m planning on putting together next time I’m home. Also have a 1923 Hex 91/30 with all matching numbers that I like shooting too. Plus 1k rounds of MN food lasts longer than 1k rounds of 22lr.

    • C, I don’t think this qualifies as bubba mods. Nothing gets permanently changed on the rifle and if you save the originol stock and bands you can return it to it’s issue condition fairly quickly.

      • Agreed, a stock change does not a bubba-mod make. Only when you break out the files and hack-saw do you violate any purity laws.

        • Man, in the late 90’s you could get an originol Russian issue sniper kit for your mosin. A ww2 era scope and mount and a bolt body with bent bolt. These were actual Russian surplus and not some after market gimmick. They were 20 bucks a set.

  14. So, for double what I paid for my 91/30 I can turn it into a mallninja abomination that’s still only really accurate out to about 200-250 yards, or I can save my money and find an SKS for about the same price instead.

    Choices…

      • Plenty of 7.62×39 ammo to be had online right now for about 30c/round, sold by 1000rd cases. Has been that way for over two weeks now, and I only see more places in stock every day, not less. It’s pretty much the only sanely priced rifle round apart from 7.62x54R.

        Use GunBot, Luke!

    • Mine hits what I aim to hit out to 750 yards.

      A Mosin in good shape is a thing of rare and sumptuous perfection.

      ‘Course, your bore may vary.

      • Bore on my ’44 is decent. It might hit steel out that far. Honestly I haven’t tested it past 300 yards, I don’t really foresee making shots longer than that with a bone-stock Mosin.

        • Hmmm… I’ve not done anything special apart from floating the barrel and becoming very familiar with the beast.

          ‘Course, my 91/30 was made before the WWII speed-up, and that might make a difference.

          It keeps me in venison, anyway.

          Have fun out there, sir.

  15. i was going to say if a Mosin was good enough for Simo Häyhä then its good enough for me ………….

  17. Mosins are not ugly, or uncomfortable. If you don’t like how a rifle fits on you, why would you buy it? Mosins are the best looking rifles in the world.

    • I honestly have no idea what they’re talking about. Most of the old service rifles are works of art in my book. And, especially considering the cartridge, they’re a breeze to shoot with no recoil pad.

    • A Mosin in a Patriot’s hands is a battle implement of Liberty. I’m still looking for the right blade of grass to put in front of my Mosin Snayperskaya. Yamamoto, you magnificent b@stard!

        • I dunno, the Mosin defeated the tsars, defeated fascism and liberated the concentration camps. So it worked out pretty well for them, I think.

  19. I love my Finn 39s.
    On one hand Bubba’ing a true collectible Mosin is a crime (Bannerman’s), but on the other, ’42 & ’43 91-30’s are pretty much fair game – ugly, common, and begging for attention, and still decent shooters.
    I miss the $75 spam cans…

  20. Am I the only one that likes a vintage military rifle just the way it is? Putting this stock on a 75 year old rifle is like those kits to put a Porsche body on an old Super Beetle. Underneath, it is still an old VW.

    • +1

      The only mods I’d make to any WWII surplus rifle would be with period-correct parts or decent quality reproductions. Otherwise why bother? If you want a modern sporting rifle platform, buy one. Part of the joy of having an old Mosin (or Lee Enfield, Mauser, K31, etc etc) is owning a piece of history, even if you can snag a common 91/30 for peanuts it makes me cry to see one of these old workhorses Bubba’d beyond recognition.

      • Ditto. While I’m glad to see an aftermarket ’cause it keeps ’em shooting, mine will stay wood.

        I likes wood, I does, although I also likes the new lacquer on me Mosin.

        Also, the mag extender I made for mine snaps into the existing floor plate mounting points, and is completely reversible.

      • They named the practice after Bubbah for a very good reason. He’s white trash.
        Go buy a walmart 700 if you’re hard up for a gun. They have ghetto-ass mods for days. Everybody’ll be more happy with your choice.

        • I don’t think he said he’s hard up for a gun. I think he said that even if Mosins are inexpensive and plentiful, it’s a shame to cut ’em.

        • I wasn’t addressing him. I was speaking to the metaphorical bubbah. S_J, Dom, RB, and i are in complete agreement.

    • Totally agree. I think its age and quirks give it charm. I think a stock MN is a really good rifle too *shrug*

      I’d say it’s more like a ’77 charger. May not have modern amenities, but still great performance.

  21. The Mosin is not ugly. It’s not sleek and sexy, but neither is a ’97 Cheyenne 3500. Neither are ugly.

    Hmmm… all that effort making my own mag extender for my 91/30, and NOW someone starts selling ’em.

    Oh, well; had I waited, I’d likely still be waiting – per the Law o’ Murph.

    It’s nice to see that the aftermarket cares about an old warhorse.

    “…an Angel gets its wings.” Nice.

  22. I recently thought about refinishing the stock on my 91/30. It looks like hell, the stain is uneven and very thick in some areas. You can tell the varnish was hastily slathered on, probably by some fat Russian woman with beefy hands in the Izhevsk factory.

    I decided to leave it just the way it is; it adds character to the rifle IMO.

    • The only reason I stripped and re-lacquered mine is because someone (probably post-war) slathered another coat over the scratched and dented original finish.

      I figured that since the arsenal re-finish was not historic, why not go all out? I did use red turpentine to duplicate the original color, anyway.

      I love the lines of the Mosin. They’re clean, efficient and not the least bit pretentious. It’s the first gun that ever called to me, told me stories and felt just plain right. I got the bug from a Mosin.

      Be proud of yours, sir.

  23. I don’t feel my M44 is bubbed. I do have a screw on butt pad, not slip on i hate how those loook, a brass stacker picatinny rail and 4×32 fixed ler scope. I’m 46 my eyes are not as good as they used to be and having the scope helps out at 100-200 yds. The scope mount uses the existing pins for the rear sight so it can’t move fore and aft and the rear sight is still useable, you can adjust the iron sites out to 300 meters. I have the iron sights adjusted for use with the bayonet out and the scope sighted in for the bayonet folded. I have put 100-150 rounds down range through it in a few hours at the range so having a butt pad helps tremendously. I have floated my barrel and made a trigger return spring and shimmed the sear to ease the trigger pull. I get as much enjoyment tinkering with it as I do shooting it. I can group 2 inches at 100 yds and 5-6 at 200. My numbers matching 1926 hex will remain as is as will my original numbers matching sniper but the m44 it is more my toy and it is now as I want it. If someone wants to go full retard on redoing their mosin more power to them. Some aspects of my mods had practical applications some not but there in lies what seems to happen in many hobbies. The desire to customize and make something more personal and not just have a cookie cutter model with or without practicality.

  24. Not having my Mosin in front of me, I’m wondering if this will fit my Remington made rifle?

  25. Mosins are not ugly. They’re simple, and clean, and functional. That stock is ugly. That stock is so ugly it makes a stock Mosin look like an Israeli model. It may be more functional, and hold more ammo, and be more… something, but it’s as ugly as homemade sin.

    • They’re actually not particularly simple, never clean, and only barely functional as they are; sure they were used by the Russians to kill massive amounts of [mostly unarmed] people, but the Red Army’s battlefield success was due mostly to waves of unarmed “infantry,” brutal Muscovite winters and an advanced tank hull design. The K98, on the other hand… now that rifle IS simple (to maintain), cleanly designed, and extremely functional, not to mention beautiful. That said, I have 2x M91-30’s; one that was used in WWII (and will never be altered), and one unissued- I plan on using this stock on the unissued one.

      The Archangel may not be the purdiest little thing in the pack, BUT it’s of a higher quality and much better designed that anything made by ATI. If you’ve ever handled any high end military sniper rifles (especially the customized ones), you’d notice how closely the Archangel replicates their ergonomics; pistol style grip that places the scope at eye level & provides a “fighting” grip; adjustable cheek piece that places the eye immediately into the correct relief position, etc; bedding channel that allows for glass, aluminum or a free-float option… I think it’s a worthwhile upgrade.

  26. Amarillo is awash in 7.62X54R Anywhere from $10 to $12 for a box of 20. Still too high but considering .308 is nonexistant I take what I can get!

  27. I’m not about defacing milsurp. I’ll probably grab one of these stocks and save the old furniture and have some fun at the range. Plus stepkid will love it and don’t we all need to get the next generation or two involved (not that he doesn’t really like the originals)? I have not been paid to be serious about shooting for 20 years and the 7.62 ammo is still reasonably cheap and the gun(s) probably outshoot me at this point anyhow. I like shooting the stock models and I think I’ll like shooting one or two with some updates. And I’ve got more than a dozen so I can pick and choose. Just to got a borescope and pick likely candidates. All ordered over the Internet and no counterbores. Got a Dragoon that looks thin but the rest are solid.
    Mosinitis is a real disease. When I realized I could pick up 10 for the price of a less than tricked out AR, I got hooked. Lot of history is these…

  28. What an amusing thread! Let’s circle the wagons folks.
    With all of the anti-gun BS that been getting in everyone’s eyes and ears (and thier votes -for that matter) … shouldn’t we all be encouraging new shooters and seasoned shooter alike? I say loud and proud “shoot whatever gun pleases you and the friends you shoot with”! I don’t care if you have an old, scratched up, hand painted pea shooter or a fully tricked out modern sporting rifle. Get out and shoot! Introduce a newbie to the sport… Do something besides bark at each other in an oline forum. (I do see the irony…).
    BUT!
    Some of you need to pull your heads out of your hind quarter and see that if we don’t all support each other especially with so many great examples of gun passion that we share (above posts included), we won’t be allowed to keep arms in this once great, but now sliding down hill nation of ours.
    I’m just saying… If you have guns, and you shoot guns, and enjoy guns… Then you are my kind of people.
    And to keep it current with the Mosin Nagant Archangel stock conversation: I have several Mosin Nagants as well as guns made by many many arms companies… I just received my Archangel stock for the MN and have spare MN guts ready to be a project for me – (I also own several Archangel stocks for other brand guns).
    Do you know which one I will end up liking to shoot best?
    All of them!

    Carry on.

    • +100

      Run what ‘ya brung rings pretty true for me and if tinkering is what you like to do when you can’t be out shooting then have at it. I may snicker at some of the mall ninjas and bubbas out there but I’d never tell them what to do with THEIR money or time unless it causes a major safety concern.

  29. I received my AA stock yesterday- LOVE IT!! It took about 10 mins to swap them out- it was almost dark when I got home, so I only ran 2 mags through it- ftf first throws of the bolt- threw the mag on the ground- pick it up slammed it in and it ran the next 10 without issue. I’m thinking I didnt seat the mag properly the first time. I’m gonna shoot some more today when I get home. Pro mag hit my acct for five 10 rounders today so I should recieve them soon. If someone could recommend a decent scope and mount for it- I would appreciate it. I would like to spend around $200 -$250 if possible. I only have a 100yrd range at home and it was too dark to see that far- so 25 yards is what I shot at, I’m an average shot – so there wasn’t just one ragged hole but I could tell I was hitting a lot better with the new stock, it’s WAY more comfortable to shoot ergonomically and recoil wise. I installed my m44 in the stock and it feels fairly light and handy. I spent $200 for the gun—$350 for stock,5 ten round mags and shipping— I intend on spending $200-250 on ler scope and I figure if I’m that deep into it – I’ll go ahead and drop $100 into a timney trigger. So total is gonna be $900 to $1000 invested. Well I shouldn’t call it an investment, because I’ll never get that money out of it. I do think it will shoot better than a ruger scout rifle, which costs about that, and 880 rds of ap ammo for a couple hundred bucks means I can shoot ALOT = big fun. Right now 300 win mag and 30/06 is
    about to break the bank. To me an accurate rifle that uses 10 rnd box mags and is very comfortable and cheap to shoot is worth a grand.

    • Rocksolid has a mount that will allow u to put a scope over your bolt. U will however need a bent bolt handle for it to work.

      • About a month ago I went ahead and got an ati mount amd bent bolt handle for it. Some of you are about to cry….(warning….graphic content….viewer discussion is advised) Drilled and tapped my reciever. I followed the instruction and it went on straight and a primitive arrow. if it’s a thenth of a degree off I woild be surprised. Anywho, got the bolt handle cut off, d&t’d the sucker and got the new handle on. Like others had said I did need to put another hole in it so it would have 2 screws. The one supplied continued to work loose even with locktite. Slapped that baby together, put my 6×24 mildot on it and took it to the range. I was using crap 180gr monarch fmj from academy. Grouped tight at 35yds so we went to 100. I set up some coke cans as targets (dimensions, 4 3/4 tall x 2 1/2 wide). Put the hairs dead center and hit every one I fired at. I am now waiting on a timney trigger to see what this gun will really do. I may have to get some dies and reload if the accuracy keeps getting better.

  30. I have a 1942 model 91/30. Paid $125 for it. Put a monte carlo stock from ATI on it, added a bi-pod, and for optics, I mounted a pair of 3/8 inch dove tail groved scope ounts where the rear sight is. You remove it, and the rings mount right to it. Since is forward of a normal scope, I have a long eye relief scope on it. Because of the lack of wood, I use a sharpshooer x-ring mounted about 2 inches on the barrel. I am no expert, but 330 yards(300 m) I can put a 5 inch group down all day, everyday on paper. Total cost for that was another $175. That is with Winchester ammo. That 440 round tin flies all over the place.

  31. Bought my mosin for about $100 on sale at big 5. It had the worst trigger ever, I had to tug like hell to get it to fire. Then the cheap steel rounds locked up the bolt when the cosmoline I missed heated up. I hit the gun with carb cleaner and spent the price of the rifle on a trigger. The stock was still short for a decent LOP so I got an ATI. It shoots much better than stock and with a bazillion out there I don’t feel like I’m destroying history. I like my Weatherby vanguard way better and total cost was about the same. Still though I might start this as a new project just for the fun of it.

  32. fwiw i bought a 440rd can at a show for 75 bucks today in central pa (was asking 100). they’re still out there for a good price, you just gotta look.

  33. I pre-purchased the stock and finally got it in, the fit is good, The mag was tight and needs to be heated. But the rear bolt insert nut was an issue, it was loose and just spins. I contacted Tyler with their tech support and he advised the stock has to be replaced (known weak issue). SOOOO I sent it in for the RA and emailed them the tracking. A week after they received it I called and got the receptionist. She said the stock had not been checked in as of yet but she would let Tyler know that I called on the RA. I asked for them to contact me to let me know when it is coming back to me. 4 days later still no contact. This is not giving me a warm fuzzy about this company.

  34. Hello. I realy like this stock 🙂 Nice:-)

    I wonder if this will fit to my old mauser M98 Large ring? Easy? just bolt on? plug and play?
    What price for that, and can you send to norway?

  36. I think this is a great idea for a cheap,reliable military surplus long gun. For the price of the ammo i dont think $400 is a bad deal for a unique long range sniper style outdoor range gun or possible a cheap hunting rifle.

  37. Experience with the AA9130 kit:

    Drop in installation worked easily enough. The 10 round magazine included turned out to be garbage; however Promag honored the warranty and shopped me a functional one (only after I returned the defective mag at my own expense).

    The stock itself proves to be light, ergonomic, and easy to modify with (separately sold) QD sling mounts, a lower picatinny rail, bipod, etc. The detachable magazine can be seen as either a feature or a flaw depending on one’s experience with it. It’s welled with a Timney trigger in mind, so no modding needed for that component.

    My rifle’s a Russian 91/30 with a globe sight post and straight bolt handle. I found removing the foregrip bands completely from the barrel to be the only time consuming part about disassembling the original Mosin.

    I had to modify the Mosin bolt to carry farther back due to an almost comical jamming issue on the AA9130 build where the bolt didn’t clear the rounds, causing them to catch and go up about 45 degrees from mag well each time I cycled the bolt.

    Apparently, the AA9130 kit seats the magazine farther back than the original Mosin magazine just enough to make the bolt catch the rim on the rounds . With some reservations, after watching a youtube video providing this solution, I used a Dremel to carve out the bolt guide an additional 1/4 inch, and that turned out to be the right move: I went from 9 out of ten rounds jamming per bolt cycle (no exaggeration, it was that bad) before to maybe one in 40 jamming now.

    I broke down and got a Timney trigger which, aside from adding a safety catch, adjustable pull tension, etc, fixes an issue where the trigger guard didn’t provide enough clearance to completely depress the standard Mosin trigger. With the standard trigger, for example, I had to use brute force to remove the bolt if I needed to. With the Timney trigger fully depressed, the bolt slides right out.

    I’d recommend this with the Timney trigger (not without) and for a hobbyist who’s either comfortable taking a Dremel to the bolt guide or happens to have a bolt with a guide that allows it to be pulled farther back to cycle. Otherwise, the jamming issue wouldn’t make this a good investment.

    I saved my original Mosin parts and furniture, which I can reassemble due to not needing to mod the rifle the bolt guide, in case I ever want to try reenacting or display it as a history item. Otherwise, the AA9130 config is what I’m using at the range.

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