Looking for information on my Mosin Nagant!

[Jeff Trippin]

I've had this Mosin for a few years, brought it out to shot a few weeks ago. A friend was asking me questions about it and once I started digging around I found that there are an insane amount of variants (restamps, different countries etc...) I'm looking for any information you guys could provide! TIA!

From what I gather I have a:

1939 91/30 made in Tula
I believe I have matching numbers but not sure how to spot a restamp.

All my pictures can be found in this gallery.
http://imgur.com/a/vbyMA#gY6cf

[PA Rifleman]

...

From what I gather I have a:

1939 91/30 made in Tula
I believe I have matching numbers but not sure how to spot a restamp.

All my pictures can be found in this gallery.
http://imgur.com/a/vbyMA#gY6cf

.

Also known as forced match. It means a component with non-matching witness numbers (usually the last few digits of the serial number) was installed. The original numbers on the replacement part were crossed though and re-stamped to match the numbers on the new gun. Example:



By the looks of your pictures you have a garden variety Mosin 91/30. It also appears that you have the beginnings of surface corrosion on the bolt body, but camera flash amplifies every ferrous oxide molecule for miles.

[Jeff Trippin]

Also known as forced match. It means a component with non-matching witness numbers (usually the last few digits of the serial number) was installed. The original numbers on the replacement part were crossed though and re-stamped to match the numbers on the new gun. Example:

By the looks of your pictures you have a garden variety Mosin 91/30. It also appears that you have the beginnings of surface corrosion on the bolt body, but camera flash amplifies every ferrous oxide molecule for miles.

Thanks for the input Rifleman. What do you mean by garden variety?

The surface corrosion on the bolt body seems to have happened between my last shooting (3 weeks ago) and tonight when I pulled it out to take pictures. It struck me as odd cause I've never seen it before.

[afultz075]

Just hit that bolt with a soft rag and some Flitz or Mothers Mag and it will look brand new. Those Mosin bolts usually clean up really well if there's corrosion on them.

[PA Rifleman]

Thanks for the input Rifleman. What do you mean by garden variety?

• Ordinary.
• Common.
• Not unique.

The surface corrosion on the bolt body seems to have happened between my last shooting (3 weeks ago) and tonight when I pulled it out to take pictures. It struck me as odd cause I've never seen it before.

Flash makes *any* rust float right to the top, and amplifies it ten times†. Your gun might look fine in natural lighting. It's easy to clean off since the bolt body is unfinished steel.

Nice example of a pre-war Mosin, keep the bore clean and it'll need another owner in 50-75 years.

†Something I learned from photographing guns over the years

[ROCK-IT3]

Check out this website. Everything you will need to know about Mosins in any configuration.

http://7.62x54r.net/

[nfafan]

Thanks for the input Rifleman. What do you mean by garden variety?

<snip>

Not to interpret, but once Soviet war production picked up, even MORE Mosins appeared. Maybe like 29 or 30 per every man/woman/child/mule in Mutha Russia.

Which doesn't detract from the gun at all, but does go to explain why everyone has them for sale at about a hundred bux each/every blessed week.

You have a nice pre-war example, before the full-tilt Barbarossa madness set in on the factories. Supposedly it was all the machining/hand-work that went into an M91 that provided the impetus for the intro of cheap 7.62 PPSh41's; you could get 2 or 3 PPS barrels out of one Mosin barrel.

That plus they were far more effective in massed infantry charges and house/house combat.