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As a Soviet satellite during the Cold War, Romania adopted the Mosin Nagant design and produced M91/30s and M44s.  They also received many rifles and carbines from the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries.  Some of these firearms, both Romanian and foreign, were marked "INSTRUCTIE" and held in reserve for a secondary line of defense in case of invasion.  The Instructie mark is typically, but not always, accompanied by a broad red band on the buttstock.  Some collectors don't consider these safe to fire, but most appear to be in good working order although well worn and somewhat neglected.  The "EXERCITIU" mark is found on rifles that seem to have been used specifically for training purposes only.  These rifles are easily recognized by the black paint on the entire butt of the stock.  They are not intended to be fired since the firing pin is clipped and many times parts critical to their proper function are missing.  This page illustrates several variations of these interesting rifles and carbines to aid the collector in identification.  For further information on their history refer to INSTRUCTIE Mosins, the Last Stop by Kevin Carney at Mosin-Nagant.net.

1914 Izhevsk M91  M91s seem to be the more commonly found model among the Instructie rifles and carbines.  This one not only has the mark on the wood, but on the receiver as well.  This is unusual and not known among the other models.

1915 New England Westinghouse M91  Another rifle with the receiver marking as above.  While there is no reason not to expect a NEW M91 to become a Romanian Instructie, few have been reported among collectors.

1939 Izhevsk M91/30  While less common than the M91s, M91/30s are also found with the Instructie mark.  Because it is not marked on the metal it is important that the buttplate is numbered to the barrel.  This ties the Instructie mark to the rifle itself.

1939 Tula M91/30  Another example of an Instructie M91/30.   The markings are obviously done by hand and there is some variation in their size and placement among examples.

1943 Izhevsk M38  Probably the least common variation of Instructie is the M38.

1945 Izhevsk M44  Instructie M44s seem to be more prevalent than M38s, but are still less common than M91/30s and M91s.

1952 Polish M44  This one shows that Romania not only received Soviet rifles, but ones produced in other Eastern Bloc countries as well.  While this one has the "typical" block letter stamping, it does not have the painted red band found on most Instructies.

1953 Hungarian M44  This stock is Hungarian marked and while the buttplate is not an exact match, it is only one digit off.  The odds that this are a coincidence rather than a mistake are rather long.

1954 Romanian M44  While not Instructie marked, this M44 has the red band and probably served the same purpose.   The stock is Romanian as can be seen by the faint remnant of the Romanian "number in a circle" mark just in front of the buttplate.  The meaning of the stenciled number "494" is not certain, but it is probably a rack or inventory number of some type.

1954 Romanian M44  A variation on the typical Instructie mark is an abbreviation stenciled in white paint without the red band.  In this case it is on the right side of the butt rather than the left where Instructie marks are normally found.   The "8" is most likely a rack number.  The Romanian stocks are noticeably heavier and thicker than the typical Soviet stock.

1945 Izhevsk M44  The Exercitiu mark is found on M91s and M44s and is rare in either case.  Besides the black buttstock and stenciled lettering, there is a small "Ex" stamped on the receiver of this M44.  The rear sight leaf is "in the white" similar to the Yugoslavian refurbished M44s.  This does not seem to be typical of the Instructie M44s.  Another difference is the firing pin is clipped rendering the rifle inoperable.   Other parts such as magazine internals may also be missing on Exercitiu rifles.

1945 Izhevsk M44  This second Exercitiu M44 is very similar to the previous one.  The two were found together in a shop that had purchased them in the same lot from the importer.  The stenciling on the butt is worn to the point that it is almost illegible.  The "Ex" stamp is found on the barrel shank just above the date rather than on the receiver.  The rear sight leaf is "in the white" and the firing pin is also clipped.