VOSTOK CM-2

[TMan]

Military Gun Supply (MGS) in Fort Worth has had several CM-2's on the wall (that is how they display them and let you hold, dry-fire, check the bores, etc.), with a price tag of $399. I've wanted one, but I figured $400 was a lot to spend on a gun that might not group with a crap. Some of them had stocks that had shown a lot of use.

So Friday, after stopping to pick up some stuff at the stone yard at the next exit ($80 a jar to kill string algae), I stopped at MGS and looked around.

They had a 22LR rifle for $229 and it had a sweet trigger. I can't remember who the manufacturer was, but I was seriously considering it because of the trigger. One of them looked really clean and I was almost ready to take it to the counter, but then I walked around some more.

As I walked by the CM-2's I decided to look at them again; I wasn't in a hurry and I knew I wouldn't buy one. Whoa, it had two price stickers: the original $399 and a $269 one. I looked at others and they clearly were now reduced to $269. That was only $40 more than the other 22 that I was going to buy. There was always the risk that the barrel would be crap, the gun might not group, but the risk was the same with either one. Also, this baby had beautiful sights.

I adjusted the trigger, now I have to clean it and prepare it for shooting next week. (The trigger is now breaking at 4oz with no perceptible travel). In the picture below, the screw to the right applies tension to the trigger spring (yes, you can reduce it too much and then the gun won't cock, but don't aske me how I know that), and just barely visible in front of the trigger is a screw that removes the take-up.

If this thing groups well, I will be happier than a pig in ...

[5ontarget]

Tman,

How does this compare with the H&R M12? (If I recall you have one of them too.)

It is a good thing I don't live close to MGS. I'd be so poor I couldn't pay attention. So many things I'd like to have from them.

[TMan]

5OT, the trigger on the CM-2 is better than on the H&R. I can't tell about the precision because I'm comparing iron sights to a high quality 20X scope. They both have heavy barrels, so heating up isn't much of an issue. However, I'd venture a guess that if I had the optics on the CM-2 that I have on the H&R that it would be just as good or better.

MGS doesn't have the selection that they had a year ago. Their web-site used to have 3 pages of C&R rifles, and now they have only one page. There has been a change in personnel too - the guy that cut me several deals is gone, and now I have to pay whatever is on the sticker.

Also, the quality of what they have in stock has gone down. Every rifle that goes out of there is hand-picked. After awhile, what does that leave. They still have several Swiss K-31's, but they don't look as good as the one that I bought.

I still kick myself for not buying the Persian Mauser that the guy that left told me I should get. They were all gone a week later.

Right now they don't have anything that I want, but no one else does either. I will probably get an Anshultz next year if I can ever decide on a particular model. Oh yeah, and there is the money factor too. I tapped the gun budget to buy more rocks, cement, mortar, plants, dirt, and mulch for the garden. You would have to see the moss rocks to appreciate them. Oh, and the rocks never have a trigger that you hate and have to replace. ;D