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The Rifle Mosin or it's western name,
the Mosin Nagant rifle owes it's beginnings to the circumstance of modern
warfare. The advent of the repeating rifle led the Russian Imperial
government to start a search for a replacement for their antiquated Berdans.
A commission was established to find a design that would compete with the
Mauser, Lebel, Lee-Metford, Mannlicher, Schmidt-Rubin and the Krag-Jorgensen.
They could have never imagined that the result of their efforts would see
service in battle for the next 80 years while the other rifles became museum
pieces. A Russian army Captain, Sergei Ivanovich Mosin would eventually
produce the winner of the competition for a new design.
Mosin's rifle wasn't an overnight success. He
began work on the design in 1883. His primary focus was on the development
of a magazine fed infantry rifle. He submitted several designs for internal
fed magazine rifles to the commission in 1884 and 1885. His initial designs
were in 10.6 mm. Between 1887 and 1889, working with the smaller caliber
then coming into general use among European armies, Mosin developed a
5-shot, straight-line magazine prototype in 7.62 mm; employing the
antediluvian Russian measurements of the era it was designated 3-line
caliber. The liniya, or line is equivalent to 0. 10 in or 2.54 mm;
therefore, 3 linii equals 7.62 mm or .30 in.(Lapin, "The Mosin Nagant
Rifle")
All of his efforts were rejected until
October 1889. The Belgian weapons designer Leon Nagant submitted his 3.5
line (8.89 mm) rifle and 500 rounds of ammunition for testing by the Russian
government. Both designers' weapons were tested from 1890 through 1891 by
units of the Russian Army. Initially, the home team headed by Mosin lost as
the army favored Nagant's design. However, Russia being Russia, the votes
were overturned in favor of Mosin. The reason behind this move was most
likely political. Typical of Russian ingenuity and political deftness, both
designs were incorporated into a rifle that featured the Mosin model with
the Nagant designed feed system. This rifle was designated the Pekhotniya vintovka obr. 1891g. or
Three-Line Rifle of the year 1891.
Pekhotniya
vintovka obr. 1891g.
(Model 1891 Three-Line Rifle)
Photo Courtesy of Empire Arms
A number of changes were made to the
M1891 in the years up to about 1910. Many of these changes were the result
of Russia's adoption of the M1908 spitzer bullet whose ballistics required
or made advisable certain changes to the entire weapon. Whether the changes
occurred in 1909 or 1910, or both, is still uncertain. The steel finger rest
behind the trigger guard was eliminated in 1894. New barrel bands were
introduced which fitted flush with the underside of the stock rather than
protruding below the stock as the earlier type did. A hand guard was added.
Sometime between 1908 and 1910 a convex rear sight leaf was designed by V. P
Konovalov, of the Sestroryetsk Arms Factory. Many sources link this change
with the introduction of the Spitzer bullet and it's greater accuracy. (John
Walter, Rifles of the World)
The original rear sight had graduations marked on the
left side of the sight base from 200 to 1000 arshini (1 arshin = 710 mm, or
about 28 in). In the 1920s, after the Soviets adopted the metric system, the
sights were re-marked in meters as well, in increments of 200. Also in 1909
or 1910 a metal bolt was added through the rear of the finger groove to
strengthen the stock against the effects of recoil. The sling swivels, that
attached under the forward barrel band and at the front end of the magazine,
were replaced around 1910 by slots cut through the stock between the barrel
bands and midway between the butt and the trigger-guard and lined with metal
washers. This conversion to sling-slots resulted in using a sling assembly
consisting of two leather straps resembling a dog collar through which the
sling it's self was fastened. In the years between 1892 and 1908 the Russian
Army took delivery of 313,375 M1891 Infantry rifles and an additional 54,235
training rifles. (Lapin, "The Mosin Nagant Rifle") Some of these training
rifles are rumored to be showing up on the surplus market today in a single
shot configuration.
Data & Facts
Produced from 1891 to 1928
Arsenals - Tula, Ishevsk,
Sestroretsk,Chatterault, Westinghouse, Remington
Initially produced without a
hand guard
Sling initially attached from a
hanger on front barrel band to a hanger attached to the front of the
magazine. On later models the sling attached through a slot cut in the fore
stock using leather collars and a slot in the butt stock. The M91 is often
found with the Imperial markings defaced. This was done after the Soviet
revolution.
Stats Length: 1288 mm w/out bayo Weight (unloaded): 4.06kg Barrel: 760mm, 4 groove,
right-hand twist Magazine: 5 round integral box Rate of Fire: Bolt-action, 10 -
12 rounds per minute Caliber: 7.62x54Rmm vintovochnyi
patron obr 1891g Muzzle Velocity: 615mps
Dragunskaya vintovka
(Model
1891Three-Line Cossack Rifle)
&
Kazachya I dragunskaya vintovka
(Model 1891Three-Line
Dragoon Rifle)
91 Kosak 1896 Ishevsk
photo from K-H Wrobel
91 Dragoon 1904 Ishevsk
photo from K-H Wrobel
91 Kosak 1918 Ishevsk
KA3 Marking
photo from K-H Wrobel
Data & Facts
Dragoon Rifle
(драгунская)
— Intended for use by Dragoons (mounted infantry). 64 mm (2.5 in) shorter
and 0.4 kg (0.9 lb) lighter than the M1891. The Dragoon rifle's dimensions
are identical to the later M1891/30 rifle, and most Dragoon rifles were
eventually reworked into M1891/30s. Most such rifles, known to collectors as
"ex-Dragoons", can be identified by their pre-1930 date stampings, but small
numbers of Dragoon rifles were produced from 1930 to 1932 and after
reworking became impossible to distinguish from purpose-built M1891/30s.
Cossack Rifle
(казачья)
— Introduced for Cossack horsemen, it is almost identical to the Dragoon rifle
but is sighted for use without a bayonet.
Lapin writes, "The "Cossack" (kazach 'ya) version was introduced for those horse
borne gentlemen in the later 1890s. It was almost identical to the dragoon model
but originally had a flat rear sight leaf similar to that of the M1891/30. This
sight was changed with the adoption of the M1908 spitzer bullet, and was
thereafter a saw tooth ramp-and-leaf sight almost identical to that of the
Dragoon. Unlike the Infantry and Dragoon models, the Cossack rifle was sighted
to be used without a bayonet as they were not issued with this weapon. The
Cossacks were traditionally armed with sabers. One report states that the
Cossack model was originally produced fully-stocked, as was the M1907 carbine,
but the author has been unable to find any evidence for this claim. The Cossack
rifle was initially made without the reinforcing bolts in the stock, but rifles
made in and after 1909 did have the reinforcing bolts. It is also possible that
older weapons were retrofitted with the bolt after adoption of the new
cartridge." Cossack rifles are recognized by the letters Kaz, just below the
serial number.
Stats
Length: 1218 mm w/out bayo
Weight (unloaded): 3690 kg.
Barrel: 730mm, 4 groove, right-hand twist
Magazine: 5 round integral box
Rate of Fire: Bolt-action, 10 - 12 rounds per minute
Caliber: 7.62x54Rmm vintovochnyi patron obr 1891g
Muzzle Velocity: 615mps Karabina
obr. 1907
(Model 1907 Carbine)
 Data & Facts
Produced from 1910 - 1917
Arsenals - Ishevsk
Often mistakenly called the
Carbine 1910 because of some minor improvements made that year. Rear sight
is very short and marked from 400 -2000 arshini. The Model 1907 Carbine is one of
the most controversial models sought after by collectors. The M1907 carbine
is often mistakenly referred to as the M1910 Carbine. There were a number of
changes were made to the carbine around 1910, but it was never designated
M1910 . The M1891 was too long and too heavy for engineers, artillerymen and
signalers to carry and the cavalry found the M1891 rifle awkward on
horseback. "As early as 1895 a carbine (karabin) prototype was developed,
reportedly by altering the dragoon rifle. Introduced in 1907 the carbine, at
40 in and 7.6 Ibs, was 11.37 in shorter and 2. 1 lbs. lighter than the
infantry rifle Pekhotniya vintovka. The carbine was stocked almost to the
front sight and thus did not take a bayonet. The M 1907 carbine has a rear
sight with graduations of 400 to 2,000 arshini (about 312 to 1,560 yards)."
(Lapin, "The Mosin Nagant Rifle")
Production of
new carbines was undertaken at the Izhevsk factory, and existing Dragoon and
Cossack rifles were altered to carbines at Sestroryetsk using a system
developed by N. I. Yurov.
Soviet-era, arsenal-reworked carbines are on the
market which have tsarist-era dated hexagonal receivers, and are advertised
as M1907 or M1910 carbines. Genuine M1907s are rare finds at the local gun
show should be very carefully examined before buying. Make sure you check
out the rear sight, front sight, hand guard, and stock. Stats Length: 1015mm Weight (unloaded): 3276 kg. Barrel: 508mm, 4 groove,
right-hand twist Magazine: 5 round integral box Rate of Fire: Bolt-action, 10 -
12 rounds per minute Caliber: 7.62x54Rmm vintovochnyi
patron obr 1891g Muzzle Velocity: 560 mps Vintovka
1891/30
(Model 91/30 Rifle)
Type I &
Type II
photo contributed by Empire Arms
Data & Facts
- Type I
Produced from 1927 -1932 ( some
later dates have been seen)
Arsenals - Ishevsk, Tula
Uses Dragoon stock and has a
blade type front sight. Some retained the Dragoon rear sight marked in
Arshini.
Data & Facts
- Type II
Produced from 1933 - 1944
Arsenals - Ishevsk, Tula
Improved front and rear sights
and used a spring type barrel band retainer. Produced mainly with a round
receiver after 1938.
The Model 1891/30 Rifle (Vintovka
obr. 1891/30) was commissioned by the Revolutionary Military Council of the
Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. Early in 1924 a committee consisting of Ye.
K. Kabakov and I. A. Komaritskii, began work on modernizing the M1891, using
the dragoon model as a basis. The first trial rifles were made in 1927 and
by 1930 a new design had been agreed upon, which was standardized on 28
April as the "Rifle Model 1891/30" (vintovka obrazers 1891/30goda.)
Production of the M1891/30 began on 10 June 1930 at Tula and Izhevsk and
ceased at Tula in the spring or summer of 1942 . Izhevsk discontinued
production in 1944. Because supplies of M1891 parts (barrels, receivers,
stocks, etc.) were in great supply, some M1891/30s were still being made
with hexagonal receivers as late as mid-1936.
The story of the M91/30 can't be told without
mentioning the trials and tribulations of the arsenals that produced it
during the Great Patriotic War or W.W.II. The Soviet Union was able to
produced a sufficient amount of weapons on a wartime footing to equip it's
massive army while in some cases moving that production hundreds of miles
and maintaining their output in crude facilities that often times were
nothing more than a bombed out tractor factory. Izhevsk and Tula were
fortunate to remain behind soviet lines during the war. Although Tula was
threatened at one point. On the other hand was forced to cease production in
1941 due to the approach of Finnish troops. The entire operation was
relocated to Leningrad where it resumed production. There are conflicting
stories about this though. Karl-Heinz Wrobel indicates that Sestroryetsk
discontinued their weapons production long before the war. However, A number
of SVT40's appeared on the US market in the past few years with what was
believed to be Sestroryetsk arsenal marks. A story has emerged that this is
the Kirov mark. However, I can not find any documented evidence of Kirov
being an official state arsenal. There is some mention of an arsenal being
relocated there but Tula and Izhevsk never moved. I can only surmise that
the Soviets installed the equipment from Sestroryetsk there to produce SVT's
and the arms makers used the Sestroryetsk mark.
M91/30's were produced using both the older hex
receivers as well as the more modern round receivers. Those produced during
the height of the war had at least two distinguishing features: extremely
rough milling on the receiver and a high receiver wall on the left side of
the receiver. Both of these measures were intentional to cut down on the
milling process and to expedite the guns to the front line soldier.
Stats Length: 1218mm Weight
(unloaded): 3890 kg. Barrel: 730 mm,
4 groove, right-hand twist Magazine: 5
round integral box Rate of Fire:
Bolt-action, 10 - 12 rounds per minute Caliber:
7.62x54Rmm vintovochnyi patron obr 1891g Muzzle Velocity:
860 mps Snayper vintovka
obr. 1891/30g.
(Model
91/30 Sniper Rifle)
K-H Wrobel Collection
(See the Sniper Section) Data & Facts
Type PE Produced from 1931-
1936
PEM 1937- 1942
PU 1942 - 1958
Arsenals - Ishevsk, Tula
PE/PEM used a longer scope using
optics initially made by Zeiss. Type PU is more common.
A sniper variant of the M91/30 was also produced and
competed in the field with the Tokarov SVT40 for the main sniper rifle of
the Soviet forces. Even though the SVT was newer and a semiautomatic to
boot, the M91/30 sniper eventually won out as the preferred sniper rifle. Stats Length: 1218mm Weight
(unloaded): 3890 kg. Barrel: 730 mm,
4 groove, right-hand twist Magazine: 5
round integral box Rate of Fire:
Bolt-action, 10 - 12 rounds per minute Caliber:
7.62x54Rmm vintovochnyi patron obr 1891g Muzzle Velocity:
860 mps Karabina obr.
1938g.
(Model
1938 Carbine)
 Data & Facts
Produced from
1938 - 1944
Arsenals -
Ishevsk,Tula
Rear sights
marked from 100 to 1000 meters. Some models are found using M44 Carbine
stocks. Even though the M91/30 was shorter than the M1891,
cavalry, artillery, signalers, and other support units still required
lighter, less bulky weapons. Drawing from the role of the M1907 carbine, the
Soviets adopted a new carbine, the M38 which was officially entered into the
inventory in 1939. This model differed from the M1907 in that it was not
fully-stocked and used the new hooded-post front sight as found on the
M1891/30 rifle. The M1938, like its predecessor, did not accept a bayonet
and had an improved rear sight graduated in 100s of meters, indicated by the
numerals 1 through 10, stamped on the rear sight leaf. The M1938 was
produced from 1939 to 1945, it was replaced by the M1944. Stats Length: 1020mm Weight (unloaded): 3276 kg. Barrel: 517mm, 4 groove,
right-hand twist Magazine: 5 round integral box Rate of Fire: Bolt-action, 10 -
12 rounds per minute Caliber: 7.62x54Rmm vintovochnyi
patron obr 1891g Muzzle Velocity: 820 mps
Karabina obr. 1944g
(Model 1944 Carbine)
K-H Worbel Collection
Data & Facts
Produced from
1943 - 1948
Arsenals -
Ishevsk,Tula (Tula M44's considered rare)
War year models
feature a bayonet mount with one "ear" - post war has two. Many war year production
M44's had laminated stocks.
The M/44 was the natural extension of the M38 carbine.
Soviet battle experiences showed that the M91/30 was still too long of a
rifle to be practical in urban and confined war fighting environments.
Bolotin, in his book, Soviet Small Arms and Ammunition -reported that a
number of requests had been made for an improved infantry weapon. Several
sources indicate that although a carbine was desired, the troops wanted to
also have the benefit of being able to utilize a bayonet. Unlike the M91/30,
the Soviets came up with a unique solution, a side mounted, permanently
affixed folding bayonet. The bayonet was a cruciform spiked affair with a
point shaped like a screw driver. It was extended by pulling down on the
guard and rotating it up and letting it seat on the muzzle. To collapse it,
one simply pulled it up and rotated it back into it's stored position on the
right side of the weapon.
The M/44 stock was mostly a shortened version of the
M91/30 and later was produced in a laminated version. Production of the
carbine was started in 1943 for prototypes and trials, and continued under
license in the satellite Soviet states and China well into the 50's. By
1944, the development of the 7.62x39mm M43 round was underway and new
auto-loading rifles were making their appearance. The Model 1944 features a
folding bayonet that replaced the detachable type on older models. As late
as the Viet Nam War, the Type 53 (Chinese) was standard issue to the Viet
Cong. Polish examples of this rifle were captured in Granada during the
invasion by U.S. Troops. More recently, M44's have seen service in the
Balkans and Chechnya as well as during the Soviet occupation of
Afghanistan. Stats Length: 1020mm Weight
(unloaded): 3850 kg. Barrel: 517mm, 4
groove, right-hand twist Magazine: 5
round integral box Rate of Fire:
Bolt-action, 10 - 12 rounds per minute Caliber:
7.62x54Rmm vintovochnyi patron obr 1891g Muzzle Velocity:
820 mps
Karabina obr. 9159g
(Model 91/59 Carbine)
Photo from JYD Collection
Data & Facts
Produced in 1959
Arsenals -
Ishevsk ( I have heard of one Tula example )
Made from
91/30's. Produced for the Reserve Police.
The 91/59 Carbine was at first believed
to be produced in the former Warsaw Pact but evidence has surfaced that
points to the former Soviet Union as these rifles were used by internal
security and border patrol units. Essentially, the 91/59 is a carbine length
rifle made from M91/30 barreled receivers and mated with an M44 stock. One
distinctive feature is the rear sight which is a standard 91/30 sight with
the sight increments milled off. Stats Length: 1010 mm Weight
(unloaded): 3850 kg. Barrel: 517mm, 4
groove, right-hand twist Magazine: 5
round integral box Rate of Fire:
Bolt-action, 10 - 12 rounds per minute Caliber:
7.62x54Rmm vintovochnyi patron obr 1891g Muzzle Velocity:
820 mps |
