Do you have a miniature gun collector under your roof? Check out the upcoming Mini-Mosin! (Photo: KSA)
Keystone Sporting Arms is kicking off a new series of mini replicas of World War I and II service rifles starting with a Mosin-Nagant 91/30 chambered for .22 Long Rifle. These rifles are scaled-down versions of their centerfire counterparts built for kids and kids at heart.
The “Mini-Mosin” is a single-shot rifle based on the proven Crickett action with a straight bolt handle. It has a youth-sized walnut stock and 20-inch barrel. “This ‘Mini-Mosin’ is the perfect size for your little ‘Comrade,'” says Keystone.
Keystone is launching with a 500-unit special edition run for pre-orderers. These guns will come with a custom matching serialized wooden crate, certificate of authenticity and a few to-be-determined added extras.
True to the original 91/30, these minis will even get scaled-down copies of Russian proof marks and manufacturing stamps. They even have scaled-down sights to work with .22 Long Rifle.
The first 500 come with a special-edition matching serialized crate and more. (Photo: KSA)
The Polish military developed their own hybrid Mosin-style single-shot rifles chambered for .22 Long Rifle but they were full-size guns made for training soldiers. The Mini-Mosin is kid-sized to get new shooters started on something a lot easier on the shoulder than the real deal.
These Polish rifles are pretty scarce in the U.S., too, which makes the Mini-Mosin that much more appealing. The first special edition rifles are available for pre-order now for $499.
Sure, that’s more than a lot of centerfire Mosin-Nagant rifles but these are new production guns so buyers don’t have to worry about decades of wear and tear and other concerns when it comes to buying military surplus rifles.
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Keystone backs their guns with a limited lifetime warranty for anyone who registers their rifles within 10 days of purchase and the process is easy to do online. Keystone will be shipping the first batch of pre-orders in a little over a month.
It will be interesting to see what’s next from Keystone Sporting Arms. There are many interesting World War I and II rifles that they can re-invent in .22 for plinking with, and no shortage of people who would love to have a mini rifle collection that really represents.
Frank S.—-regarding your comment about wanting a .22 lr Garand—-Kingston Arms made a >22 cal. M1 Garand. It sold for $7oo@. KA went bankrupt, although their >22 Garand was well made and very accurate. I was luckyto getr one.
Yep! All you haters are lame. It ain’t about a “weapon” or $500 bucks – it’s about a cool little rifle to play around and plink with. I will definitely be purchasing one of every style they make! Absolutely positively. – just like the 10/22 kit to convert it to an M1 carbine, fun little rifle to play around with. Great idea for keystone, my boys are 16 & 17 and the both want one and are looking forward to a Springfield’03 mini also. freaking love it and can’t wait to get my hands on one!
I’m not going to consider one at $499… don’t need a crate to store it in. When the regular run price comes down to $200-300, I might think about it. I’d really be interested in an ’03 Springfield replica, since the real thing is rather expensive, and a semi auto Garand replica. Making an existing action look and feel like a Garand will be almost impossible, will probably have to be special made, so it would likely be in the $500 range, $700 or so as a pre-order, and would likely sell reasonably well.
My guess is they started with the Mosin Nagant because the Cricket action has a similar look. The 500 unit pre-run is just to gauge market reaction and see if it’s worth making another run. I bet they can sell those for $300 and still make money, but will it be enough to make more? That’s the big question. If they have to mark the first 500 down more than $50-100 to sell there won’t be any more. Hope that doesn’t keep them from trying again with a more popular, expensive to own the real thing model though (again — like the 03 Springfield). I’d really go for a replica Krag as well… again, something that doesn’t lend itself to any existing action.
Make one full size and a ten round mag and I would be in. Don’t have kids, so too small for me.
Outrageous, horrible marketing for the almighty dollar. Won’t succeed . A marketing big flop.
So, yeah… I agree with other thoughts. Even at $299 it’s probably too expensive unless you REALLY like the MN91/30 or whatever other replicas they come out with later.
Unless you really want or need a single shot 22, I don’t even buy the actual cricket because I got a barely used Marlin60 for less, and it can be hand loaded one at a time if I want as well.
It’s an intersting idea, but I don’t have room for a special wooden crate, and find that at 11 or so my boys could shoot a regular mosin just fine in prone with a slip on recoil pad and a front barrel rest like for bench shooting. And by 13 they’re standing up shooting it off hand, at 50 yards pretty easily.
I guess I’m just not the market nitch either… I might be interested in a Springfield, or Enfield, and maybe the mosin version but not unless the price was about 250 or less and even then it would be a stretch for a single shot 22. I wonder if you could convert a mag fed CZ 22 mag to look like a Mosin 91/30… that I might be interested in.
No sale, l owned three original mosin rifles and paid less then a $100 . For all three.
Look alike is fine but be real , it’s over priced by double. Good luck lots of suckers out there to fleece.
It ain’t surplus heaven anymore, an excellent numbers matching Mosin is going to be 3-400 depending on year, factory, hex receiver or round, etc.
i would love to see them make a springfield 1903 and a mini Mauser.
There is a mini Mauser. A far better rendition of a .22 milsurp is the Norinco JW25a, the same size and weight of a K98 mountain (Paratrooper) carbine, which fits an authentic K98 bayonet, and which is based on a CZ Brno no.2 action. CZ mags interchangeable. I had the buttstock inletted and fitted a WW2 German cupped buttplate to mine.
This Mosin seems like a bit of a gimmick tbh.
Does that price include the MISSING forearm endcap that is missing in the rifle / crate photo ?
WHY????? Would any one even think of this
Comments are funny.
This isn’t a cheap production 91/30 and it isn’t 2007 anymore, Your dollar is worth less now, move on.
The standard Keystone Cricket is about $150 right? So this is a walnut stocked cricket with a 20 inch barrel, with specialized markings and appearence, so the rifle alone is probably at a MSRP of $300 ish. And this is a “special” pre-run with box and accessories, so MSRP of $499, real price maybe $399-&449 is reasonable.
if they want them to be more authentic they should pack them in cosmoline.
That would be amazing. A new generation should be taught the joys of spending hours taking apart and cleaning their surplus gun of foul-smelling grease! Just got some surplus Tokarev magazines from Poland recently that were completely packed full, took almost an hour each to clean out, but it was worth it in the end and a nice throwback to the good old days
Hmmm… interesting idea. A wee bit on the expensive side, though with the effort they apparently are going through to make it look “authentic” it is not too surprising. Pity it is only a single shot. Oh well, I wish them the best.
Give it to me for a reasonable price, say $199? Then I would definitely consider it. Especially if they decided to produce some Enfield or Springfield variations as well. I really enjoy 22 anyway, I could see put in a couple of hundred dollars down for something like that. Anything more forget it.
199?
You guys are missing the boat. It’s a niche product, there’s no way something like this could be that cheap. Maybe 500 is too much, maybe that’s just the MSRP.
You guys are lame, loosen up.
good luck finding a market. About the only attraction of the real 91/30 other than ammo cost is its history. You can ‘feel’ its previous users as you hold and shoulder the rifle. I don’t think anyone will feel history in one of these toy replicas.
Is this a JOKE??? A mini Mosin “style” single shot .22 lr rimfire for a buck under $500.00??
And the only detailed REASON for even considering such an outright frivolous weapon is “The Mini-Mosin is kid-sized to get new shooters started on something a lot easier on the shoulder than the real deal.”
“Easier on the shoulder”????? IT’S A FUCKING .22 SINGLE SHOT, FOR CRYIN’ OUT LOUD!!!!! Regarding the “real deal”, they haven’t been manufactured for over a CENTURY and what Dad is going to buy his kid a “real deal” Mosin-Nagent for his first plinker?? For the life of me, I simply cannot follow the reasoning of such a marketing ploy …….
There is a myriad of other things which I could buy for $500.00 but a copy of a thoroughly outdated and antiquated firearm is NOT one of those items.
Sorry Charley, but no tuna on this end of the line …….
Did you see how many they plan to make? They know it’s a limited market, they aren’t aiming it at guys with their panties in a bunch.
Some people like different.
Some people find the Mosin to be cool.
Some people hate recoil.
Ummmm…The last Mosin-Nagant rifle was produced in 1965, fifty-four years ago. That’s far less than “over a CENTURY” ago.
A weapon is any item that is used to harm or kill someone in a criminal attack or to defend one’s self from same. This could be a knife, baseball bat, tire iron, brick, rock, rope, telephone cord, screwdriver, hammer, motor vehicle, and so on. Until such time that a rifle, shotgun, or handgun is used in an attack or in defense, it is simply a firearm!!!
So in the future, please do not automatically refer to firearms/guns as “weapons”.
As to the mini-Mosin itself, make a couple of minor changes and bring the MSRP down a little to $300-350 after the limited edition run is completed (it will sell out rather quick, I’m thinking) and you’d have a good seller. I know I’d buy one.
“Ugh, That’s gonna be a no from me Dawg…”
Sorry, but i’ll buy my kid multiple firearms for $500, not a .22 single shot “surplus look-a-like”