I wish I had a dollar for every time someone has answered the "R" question!

Oh, boy. $80 Mosins. Those were the days.

The R in fact does stand for Rimmed. As a Russian who had family actually use these in the defense of our tsar, Nicholas Romanov II. Plenty of westerners think the R means Russian but it doesnt, no harm in it though.

I paid to much for mine but I had to have it. $500 but it's a Finn built in 1896 rebarreled in 1943!! Beautiful stock ( Finn) the finish is good. Action smooth. Barrel bright and sharp !!!

ask the shop before you remove the bolt. Some shops will not allow you to remove it and freak out if you just do it all willy nilly. Also ask before you dry fire, that again can tick off some shops..

So i'm a classic gun buff, i have several of these in my collection. I came across yet another in a certain "big box" sporting goods store. First thing i did of course, was pull the bolt and check the bore. Everyone was SHOCKED!!! Literally laughing at me for pointing the muzzle at myself. Treating me like i didn't know what i was doing. When i explained the rules of buying vintage military firearms, they scoffed saying "do you think they'd really try to sell a damaged gun? You never point the gun at yourself!".... I have since stopped going there with those people.

The 'r' in 7.62x54R does stand for rimmed.

I have seen a buyer using a dark bore as a bargaining point. I asked him about it. He said, after a thorough cleaning and a few rounds he has still found most of the time the rifles tested from a rest are still surprisingly accurate. The dark bores are storage neglect.

Thanks for the heads up. I'm looking for my second Mosin...bought My first one blind. I did get a good one. My son now owns it... I really miss it.

The varnish is "shellack". You should also look for matching serial numbers, make sure it doesn't have a countersunk bore, and also really check the chamber and the entire bore for any pitting or frostyness. A good barrel will have shiny groovs and crisp lands.

great vid eHomey. Totally helped me with a couple questions I had as i am shopping for a mosin at the moment.

Yes. The "R" means rimmed. This designation is employed with many cartridges, not just the 7.62 X 54mm. For instance, the British had versions of the H & H magnum cartridges intended for use in double rifles which were rimmed: eg, .300 R, .375 R, etc.

R stands for rimmed.