May 2006
For more pictures and information see the 1937 Tula M91/30 page.
Appraisers:  SlimTim, Ron W, Alsky, Marcus, Radom, DudleyDR/NotPC

I've been collecting rifles in the southeastern US for about 6 years now.  I'm more interested in Enfields and South American Mausers than I am the Mosin Nagant rifles, but strangely there are as many Finn Mosins in my collection as there are Enfields, or close to it.  Finn Mosins imported in the last 10-15 years show up regularly at gun shows and pawn shops in my area, and I have a hard time passing up the nicer or more difficult to find Finns.

I'm not really fond of any M91/30 that doesn't have an SA on it.  This month's gun doesn't have the SA, and is of Tula manufacture, so it's not one I'd keep in my collection.  I don't collect by arsenal or date, so I've no clue if a '37 Tula round receiver is scarce or not.  Accordingly, rarity isn't a factor in my consideration.  The former Soviet Union made millions of M91/30 rifles, I look at them generically and don't assign much value to them unless they have some obvious unique feature.

Weak points:  It's a Russian M91/30.  It's not Finn marked.

Strong points: Brass end caps on the handguard; I find this feature neat.  No import mark.  I'd consider this a good example for someone who simply wants a representative example of a pre-WWII Russian battle rifle.

I'd pay no more than $60 for this.  If selling, I'd ask $85 and be ready to entertain a counteroffer.

I have been collecting for about 7 years.  I collect Russian/Soviet guns, specializing in Mosin Nagants and M1895 Nagant revolvers.   I live near Dallas.

Positive thing about this gun is that it is all stamped matching.  Also all the factory stamps I can see are Tula.  That is uncommon as most guns I see have a few mixed in parts even on an all matching.  I did not see an import mark.  Also no rebuild marks.  This one seems to be all original parts.

Negatives are that there are no special marks.  The gun is a little beat, but it seems to be honest wear.

I would offer about $80 for this gun. If selling my asking price would be $125.

I have been shooting & collecting firearms for over "40" years in Central Pa and have concentrated exclusively on "Finnish Firearms " for the last 6 years.    Most all of my Finnish collection has come to me from contacts on the internet.

This rifle is very appealing because of its pureness.  Most everything on the rifle seems to look original, with matching numbers and dated stock cartouche.  The rifle has a nice bore and also the no import markings is also a big +.  There are very few non-import marked Mosins in this country and no additional ones will be coming in.

Russian rifles are not part of my collecting field but I would think the low value to be $175 & high value to be about $250 on this very fine rifle.

Background:  My name is Marcus von Weigert, and I go by "Marcus" on Tuco's Gunboards, Parallax Bill's forums, and Culver's Shooting Page.  I live in Southern California; formerly in Orange County but since 1999 in Southwest Riverside County.  Nice Mosins, especially early rifles and Finns, are pretty scarce here but do turn up once in a while.  I have been collecting firearms, edged weapons, and military memorabilia for close to 40 years.  My introduction to Mosin-Nagant rifles came with the war trophy Viet Nam War bring-back M44 and Type 53 carbines I purchased from  veterans of that war in the early to mid 1970s.  For the past 10 years Mosins have been one of my major interests, particularly the dragoon and early 91/30 models, and the various Mosin snipers which are currently the main focus of my collecting.

Nice rifle!  Before I even start examining it in detail, the first thing that flashed across my Mosin obsessed mind is "Spanish Civil War, or maybe Finn capture!"

No post-war Soviet refurb markings, no import mark, rear sight doesn't have the cross pins that were added to most early 91/30's after the war, and overall it's in pretty close to original, as manufactured condition and configuration.  I see only one thing on this rifle that stands out as not being correct and original. That is the bolt body, which is an earlier Izhevsk item, marked with the Izhevsk bow and arrow proof that was used up until the late 1920's, so this bolt would have come from an Izhevsk M91, dragoon, or Cossack rifle.  It also has the raised round boss or "collar" where the bolt handle meets the bolt body; I believe this feature was done away with around 1931-32.  Also, the bolt body has been renumbered to match the rest of the rifle with a slightly different style font...probably done by whichever nation ended up with this rifle.  Oh yeah, a WW1 New England Westinghouse M91 bolt connector and I can't tell from the photo what the  extractor is, but appears maybe to be a little circled Tula hammer proof.

Other than that, everything appears to be correct period and has the little Tula stars.  The stock has a nice 1937 dated Tula cartouche, and has the correct screwed in sling slot escutcheons and handguard with the brass endcaps.  Overall condition of wood, metal, and bore indicate a rifle that was carried and used in combat, but taken care of and not neglected or abused.  1937 is a very common year for both Spanish Civil War and Finn captured Mosins.  This has neither the Finn [SA] or D markings nor the Spanish military flaming bomb proof or the "MADE IN USSR" marking that was applied to many of these before they were imported by Interarms back in the late 1950's to early 1960's period.  However, examples of both SCW and Finn capture are commonly encountered that lack any of these markings, so this is not unusual.  I initially leaned toward considering this a SCW rifle, but I don't recall seeing any of these with the bolt renumbered to match (although I've seen a lot of all matching and totally mismatched ones), so right now I'm thinking maybe more like Finn captured.   The Finns did lightly sand and apply a dark, blotchy stain to the stocks of many otherwise completely original and matching captured Mosins, but not always.

O.K., what do I like best about this rifle? As mentioned above, condition and originality.  Dislikes?  Hey, what's not to like about this fine rifle.  An original stamped matching bolt would have really been cool, but even the renumbered bolt is a plus.  Nice rifles like this are getting harder and harder to find - those that didn't fall prey many years ago to a toothless, inbred albino with a fondness for hacksaws and sandpaper (while the Dueling Banjo's theme from "Deliverance" plays soft and low in the background) are disappearing into the collections of canny and foresighted collectors.

I've seen similar rifles bargain priced in the $75 to $100 range by persons who know nothing about Mosins or consider them to be "cheap Communist junk", would consider $125 to $150 to be the average fair market value, with around $175 being the high end.  Personally, I'd buy or sell it for around $125.

I'm Steven "Radom" Henderson.  I've been collecting military firearms in general since the mid 1980s and  everything Mosin Nagant for about nine years based in central Oklahoma.  Longtime  proud member of Gunboards Collectors Forum.

An interesting 91/30.  It appears to be all Russian.  Mostly Tula marked parts.  No sign of Finnish use.  The date suggests possibly being in the Spanish Civil War, but no sure sign of that to be seen.  Matching numbers is good!   Unfortunately, the bolt has some earlier non Tula parts and the bolt body seems to have been ground and renumbered matching in a different font.  The stock appears to possibly be original finish, hard to say for sure from pictures.  But, not sanded hard & refinished as witnessed by the great condition Tula star & date cartouche on the right side of the buttstock.  This rifle might still qualify as a really good find, if I could only be sure who renumbered the bolt.  I see no way to tell, so I can't discount the possibility that it was done here.  On one hand it's in mostly original condition, on the other hand, bubba may have renumbered a mismatched bolt.   I would almost rather it had a mismatched bolt!  Still, the mostly original matching condition is a refreshing sight compared to all the postwar rearsenalled 91/30s we continue to be nearly floating in these days.  A bit confounding: is it straight Russian, Spanish Civil War, an unmarked Finn used gun????  No way to tell.  I place it in the "so close and yet so far away" category.  I have a ton of 91/30s.  Based on that, I wouldn't give more than $120 for this one.  But, I'd not sell it for less than $175.

I have been shooting and (later) collecting firearms of all types since 1956.  My collecting interests have evolved to the Mosin Nagant rifle with a special focus on the Finnish variations.  I currently live in the shade of the Rocky Mountains where very few Mosins migrated to or settled in.  I have found only two Finnish rifles locally in the twenty years that I have lived here.  As my options are limited, I turn to the trader boards and the auction sites for acquisitions - places not known for "garage" or "fire sale" prices.

Positive features of this rifle:

First, it is from an era that I like.  The early M91/30's with their "hex" receivers and on through the late '30's rifles exhibited a quality of manufacturing - fit and finish - that was sacrificed in the war years.  It has been surprising to me to find so many of these examples with very good to excellent condition bores, belying their vintage.

Second, it is a TULA.  I have a fondness for them.

Third, (after the first two points grabbed my attention) it is what I believe to be in original configuration - from the metal and wood finish, to the brass handguard end caps, to the 1937 dated Tula stock - a very tough find (at least for me) "in the wild".  Of the 307,548 1937 Tula M91/30's made, very few must have survived in original condition.  This is an excellent representative example.

Negative features of this rifle:

None noted.

If necessary, I would pay as much as $200. to acquire this rifle.

I would not anticipate selling it, but I might price it high ($300.) so that it would not "move".