One of the more interesting firearms in the world, to me, is a Russian product. Although our M1 Garand rifle was a superior firearm, the Model 1891/30 rifle did as much or more to win WWII in the European theater. I thought this summary might be of interest to you!
The Mosin-Nagant rifle served the Russians as their main infantry rifle throughout both World Wars I and II. It was rugged, reliable, powerful and accurate. In fact it was so accurate that the simple addition of a scope sight turned it into one of the premier sniper rifles of WWII. In its 1891/30 variation, it contributed significantly to the defeat of the German Wehrmacht on the Eastern front of “The Great Patriotic War,” as the Russians refer to WWII. The power of its cartridge, the 7.62x54mmR, was approximately equal to our own .30/06, enabling an extended effective range on the battlefields. Give the Soviet Union its due. If it had not bled the Germans so deeply and significantly on their side of the European theater of operations, our ability to prosecute the war through France would have been severely hampered. It was this rifle in the hands of great masses of Russian peasants that rolled the vaunted German war machine back from the snows of Stalingrad and pushed it all the way to eventual defeat in Berlin. It was used extensively in both Korea and Vietnam. At one time it was manufactured in the U.S. and actually issued to our troops. The United States was among over 20 nations to have issued it. We see this rifle in use even today in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many millions have been produced and used. That’s quite a record for a 19th Century design, and it’s a definite classic!
The Mosin-Nagant (known by the Russians as the Vintovka Mosina) was officially adopted for Russian service in 1891 by the Tsar. During the selection trials, two designs were judged as having good qualities. The first was by Tula arsenal armorer and designer Colonel Sergei Ivanovich Mosin. The second was submitted by Emil and Leon Nagant of Belgium. They had founded the Fabrique d’Armes et Leon Nagant in 1859 and were later to design the Nagant “gas seal” 1895 revolver. The selection commission suggested that the good features of both rifles be combined into one, and this was done. Production started in 1892 at the arsenals in Tula, Izhevsk, and Sestroryetsk. An order for 50,000 rifles was also placed with the Manufacture Nationale d’Armes de Chatellerault in France. It was often called the “3 line” rifle by the Russians, using an old measuring term for the bore where a “line” equals 1/10 of an inch.
The Model 1891 rifle was reliable and simple to operate. It was also easy to manufacture with the technology of the day. It had excellent inherent accuracy. The rear sight was graduated in Arshins, a measurement standardized by Peter the Great early in the 18th Century as 28 inches, approximately the stride of an average infantryman at the time. Thus, an Arshin equals approximately .7777778 of a yard. It was a manually operated bolt action, fed from a fixed single-stack 5-round magazine. It could be loaded with 5-round clip chargers, or with single rounds. It fired a rimmed 7.62 mm cartridge that gave it an effective aimed range of 400-500 meters. The bottlenecked design featured a jacketed, blunt nose bullet. The rifle cocked the striker upon the opening of the bolt, which had a stubby horizontal bolt handle. The 51” long rifle was awkward to manage in battle, and the short bolt handle didn’t give much leverage in the event of a stuck cartridge case. The safety was difficult to operate, and involved pulling the striker knob fully to the rear and twisting it counterclockwise against heavy spring tension. In 1908, a spitzer bullet was adopted, the rear sight modified, and a handguard was added. Sling swivels were replaced by sling slots fore and aft. These rifles had hexagonal receivers. 1891 “Dragoon” rifles were designed for the mounted service. They had somewhat shorter barrels. A true carbine with an overall length of 40” was developed in 1907. It did not take a bayonet. This variation is quite rare today.
Because of the desperate need for weapons as the Russians engaged in WWI, the Tsar contracted with Remington Arms and New England Westinghouse in the U.S. for additional production. 1.5 million were to be manufactured by Remington, and 1.8 million by Westinghouse. Some of these rifles were not delivered before the October Revolution of 1917 and the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk which ended the war with the Central Powers. The rifles which were stranded in Great Britain armed U.S. and British expeditionary troops that were detailed to North Russia in 1918 and 1919. The rifles still in the U.S. went to National Guard and ROTC units. These were designated as the “U.S. Rifle, 7.62mm, Model of 1916” and are rare and desirable collectibles today. In 1917, 50,000 U.S. Mosin-Nagants were sent to Siberia via Vladivostok to equip the Czechoslovak Legions there. Many of these U.S.-made rifles were sold by the Director of Civilian Marksmanship between the two world wars. Beware of those re-chambered to .30/06 by clueless arms dealers; they are extremely dangerous to fire.
In 1930, the 1891/30 rifle was adopted as the new standard. It closely resembled the Dragoon rifle, and had a rear sight graduated in meters. The receiver became round instead of hexagonal late in the 1930s. Overall length is 48.5”, and the barrel measures 28.75”. Groove diameter of the barrel is .311”. The cleaning rod length is approximately 26.25”. There is no windage adjustment, but the front sight is dovetailed and can be moved left or right somewhat. Over 17.4 million of this variation were made by the end of WWII. The fluted spike-type bayonet is similar to that used on the Model 1891, and is fastened by a spring-loaded catch. This was the rifle that was the Russian standard during WWII, and it was produced until the early 1950s. Most “Dragoon” rifles were later converted to this pattern. In 1938 and 1944, two carbine versions were manufactured. They had shortened barrels and stocks.
Sniper versions of the Model 1891/30 were produced, beginning in 1931. These had mounts for scopes on the left side of the receiver, and special longer bent-down bolt handles were utilized. As many as 3 different mounts and 3 scopes were used. The initial scope was the 4x model PE, followed by the 4x PEM and then the 3.5x PU in late 1942. The 1891/30 PU was assembled and used by the Soviets through the early 1970s. One of these, made at the Izhevsk arsenal in 1943, is illustrated. Scopes were mounted high enough that the regular sights could also be used if necessary. Russian snipers operated in pairs, one with a scoped rifle and one as a spotter with a standard rifle. Sniper teams were utilized with great effectiveness on the Eastern Front and the Battle of Stalingrad. Successful male and female snipers were idolized, and the names of Vasily Grigoryevich Zaitsev and Lyudmila Pavlichenko were well known by all Russians during and after World War II. The movie “Enemy at the Gates” documented the sniper’s life in Russia during the war. The duel portrayed between then Senior Sergeant Zaitsev with his 1891/30 PU and German Major König is believed to be fiction in spite of tales to the contrary. Finland also used Mosin Nagant sniper rifles, and one of their snipers, Simo Hayha, is credited with killing over 500 Soviet soldiers.
Mosin-Nagants have been produced not only in Russia, the U.S., France, and Finland, but also in Czechoslovakia, China, Hungary and Poland. There are many variations too numerous to mention here.
Removing the bolt from a Mosin-Nagant is pure simplicity. Open the bolt, pull the trigger, and withdraw the bolt to the rear. This allows the bore to be cleaned from the rear. A sling, bayonet and scabbard, cleaning kit, magazine pouches and a firing pin protrusion gauge were provided with each rifle. All rifles had a cleaning rod secured underneath the barrel. The bolt itself is a bit complex, but the disassembly procedure is easily learned. As corrosive ammo was issued during WWII, regular cleaning was mandated to prevent bore damage.
Russia has sent large numbers of Mosin-Nagants and accessories to the U.S. as war surplus. The basic rifles themselves can usually be obtained for around $100, making them great bargain collectibles. Original and correct sniper rifles go for far more. 7.62x54mmR ammo is widely available and still in production. Boxer-primed ammo can be easily reloaded.
For its decisive role in World War II, its amazing longevity and world-wide distribution, the 1891/30 Mosin-Nagant rifle is a classic and a “must have” for those interested in the weapons of World War II.
(c) 2012 JLM
John
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