The purpose of this article is to give a brief overview of the more commonly encountered Russian, Soviet, and Finnish models of Mosin-Nagant rifles. It is by no means exhaustive and much information has been left out for the sake of space. There are many excellent resources for more detailed information and it is hoped that the reader will pursue them further. This article should be useful as an introduction to the new collector and those wanting a quick reference to differences between variations.

The Mosin-Nagant rifle was adopted by Russia in 1891 after trials of several repeating bolt actions. It fires the 7.62x54r cartridge and is a combination of designs by Russian Sergei Mosin and Belgian Leon Nagant whose primary contribution was the feed system. The official designation is “3 line rifle, model 1891”. A “line” is a unit of measure equal to 1/10^th of an inch. Production of the Model 1891 took place at the Russian arsenals at Izhevsk, Sestroryetsk. Due to a slow start in domestic production a contract was issued to the French arms company Chatellerault who built around 500,000 M91s.

During WWI contracts were issued to the American firms of New England Westinghouse and Remington for 1.8 and 1.5 million M91s respectively. Remington also supplied ammunition, as did Winchester, at this time. These contracts were not fulfilled due to the Russian revolution and many of the rifles were sold on the US civilian market and to the US government for training purposes. M91s were widely used in WWI and can be found with markings from many different European countries that purchased or captured them. Several unusual variations are also known. These include 8mm conversions from Poland and different bayonet and sling mounting systems. Post war conversions to .30-‘06 of NEW and Remington rifles were done in the US, but are considered unsafe by today’s standards.

Early on two cavalry rifles were adapted from the M91. Known as the Dragoon and Cossack rifles, at 48 ¾” they are 2 ½” shorter than the M91's 51 ¼”. The primary difference in the two is the Dragoon was sighted with the bayonet attached and the Cossack was not issued with a bayonet. Cossack rifles are scarce today and easily recognized by the mark "Ka3" on the chamber. In 1907 a carbine was adopted (M1907), but it is extremely rare and seldom encountered in the US. M91 production ended in the mid-‘20s with all production going towards Dragoon rifles at this time.

In 1930 updates to the Dragoon were adopted and the “new” rifle was designated the M91/30. Changes included the front and rear sights, split barrel bands retained by springs, and a round receiver as opposed to the hexagonal receiver used earlier. These changes didn’t take place immediately, but were phased in as existing parts were used up and new machinery was put in place. Hexagonal receivers were used until 1935 and 1936 respectively at Izhevsk and Tula, the two arsenals which produced the 91/30. Many rifles dated prior to 1930 are found in M91/30 configuration. This is from programs to update older rifles by the Soviets and they are known in the US as “ex-dragoons”. Primary production ended in 1944 with few examples, mostly snipers, dated later. M91/30s were used as the basis for sniper rifles from the mid-‘30s with several types of mounts and scopes. The most commonly encountered today is the PU which was adopted in 1942 and uses a side rail mount.

In 1938 a 40” carbine was adopted as the M38, but did not go into production until 1939. It is essentially a shorter version of the M91/30 and was built at Tula in 1940 and 1944 and both arsenals built some M38s on recycled round and hexagonal receivers. Tula and hex receiver M38s are uncommon at the least and sought after by collectors as are 1939 and 1945 dated examples. The M38 was not designed to accept a bayonet since it's intended use was by rear area troops.

In 1941 some minor changes were made to the receivers to speed up production. The most noticeable is known as a "high wall" which is simply the absence of the dished out area to the left of the ejection port. The degree of finish was greatly reduced at this time too, most noticeably on Izhevsk rifles and carbines with 1943 production showing the greatest haste.

In 1943 some 50,000 trials carbines were built and tested in battle. They are essentially an M38 with an attached side-folding bayonet and were adopted in 1944 as the M44. Production continued until 1948. As with the M38, most production occurred at Tula and hex receiver examples being less common and more sought after. Minor changes occurred during M44 production with two (early and late) primary types of bayonet locking systems, an early and late type of front sight, and a reversion to "low wall" production in late ‘45/early ’46.

After WWII the Soviet Union shared much of its weapons technology with its satellite countries, including the Mosin rifles and carbines. M44s were produced in the 1950s by Romania, and China, which designated it the Type 53. Hungary and Romania also produced a limited number of M91/30s. During the Cold War many older rifles were cut down into carbine configuration. Czechoslovakia cut down M91s and these are referred to as M91/38s in the US. They are recognizable by the early dates and hexagonal receivers. M91/30s were also cut down, probably by the Soviet Union, and are known as M91/59s. They are usually on round receivers, but hexagonal ones are known. The easiest way to recognize an M91/59 is the rear sight which is the old M91/30 leaf with all graduations above 10 milled off. Neither of these cut down carbines has a folding bayonet or were issued with a separate bayonet.

The use of Mosin rifles by Finland is story unto itself with as rich a history and as wide a number of variations as Russia and the Soviet Union themselves. At the time of the Russian revolution Finland was under the rule of the Tsar. When Nicholas II was deposed Finland declared its independence and defeated the Russian forces in Finland, but retained stores of arms. With an urgent need to build an army to defend itself from the real threat of Russia and many Mosins already on hand it only made sense to adopt it as the primary rifle. Between WWI and WWII Finland actively traded other types of rifles in their inventory with countries across Europe and Asia for Mosins which they had captured. The condition ranged from serviceable to “parts guns”. With an abundance of spare parts it was only natural to use them to build “new” rifles that could be put to use. While some Finn rifles are more common than others, they are all well built and far less common than other military rifles. The combination of quality, scarcity and history make them very desirable for collectors. A large and varied number of markings from all over Europe also add to the interest in Finn rifles.

One of the earliest rebuilding programs was undertaken by the Finnish Civil Guard which is roughly equivalent to the US National Guard. The rifles were designated M24 and are essentially the same as the Russian M91. The funding for these rifles was raised by the Civil Guard Auxiliary known as the Lotta Svard and they are often known as “Lotta Rifles”. New barrels were purchased from the Swiss firm SIG and from three German firms. The SIG barrels are marked "Schweiz-Industrie Gesellschaft Neuhausen" on the right of the chamber above the woodline. The German barrels are marked "Bohler-Stahl" on the bottom of the barrel with no distinction between makers. All M24 barrels have the Civil Guard crest of an S topped with three fir sprigs in a shield on the chamber. All German barrels and the majority of Swiss barrels are heavier than the standard M91 barrel and have a "step" near the muzzle to accommodate a standard bayonet.

The Finnish army undertook a project to reline worn out barrels of M91s in 1925. These are known as the "P-Series" with markings of P-25 (reported but not documented), P-26, and P-27 on the barrel shank. Some of these barrels are also marked with an “S” which is believed to indicate “Salerno”, the town in Italy where the relining process was developed. It is thought that many of these relined barrels were not installed on receivers until the desperate times of the Winter (1939-40) and Continuation Wars (1941-44). Many are “in the white” which supports this theory.

At the same time as the P-series Finland also began production of barrels at Tikkakoski (\Tikka\). These were assembled into M91 configuration with dates of 1925, 1926, and 1927. Early barrels were unstepped and later barrels were stepped, just as in M24 production. The Tikka mark at this time was a T in a triangle and is found on top of the barrels.

In 1927 the Finnish Army adopted the M27 which was an entirely new design built on the Mosin action. It features a 27” heavy barrel and an overall length of 46 ¾”. Primary differences are an improved front sight with protective “ears” and a combined front barrel band and nose cap. M27s were built from 1927 to 1940 by Tikka with VKT (Valtion Kirvaaritehdas) examples being very rare. Tikka barrels are marked with a T in a triangle and VKT barrels are marked with VKT in a polygon.

The Civil Guard improved on the M27 with a stronger front barrel band and designated it the M28. These are marked on the barrel shank with SY, an abbreviation for Suojeluskuntain Yliesikunta (Civil Guard). Barrels were purchased from SIG and marked so under the woodline. They were also produced at Tikka and marked on top with a T in a triangle. Some early rifles are found with two sling slots, one over the other, in the butt and are known as “ski troopers”. M28s are dated on the bottom of the barrel with 27, 28, or 29 in a small box.

In 1930 the M28 was further improved with a screw adjustable front sight, improved rear sight, improved bedding of the barrel and a modified magazine box to prevent rim jams. The M28/30 rifles were built by SAKO and have the “S in Gear” logo and the Civil Guard abbreviation “SK.Y” on the barrel shank. Because of an evolutionary development and upgrades to M28s there are several configurations of M28/30s with different combinations of sights, stocks and barrels.

In 1939 the Finnish Army and Civil Guard adopted a standard rifle known as the M39. It is similar to previous models, but with improved barrel bands and a double sling swivel configuration (front and rear) making it suitable for all types of troops. It is easily recognized by its pistol grip stock although early stocks are "straight" like the M27, M28, and M28/30. M39s were produced by SAKO, VKT, and Tikka. Some Sako rifles have the Civil Guard Sk.Y logo and there are also "B" barrels from Belgium although the rifles were assembled in Finland. M39s are well known for their accuracy and were produced for match shooting and training in the late '60s and early '70s.

During the Winter and Continuation Wars Finland also built many M91s with barrels made by Tikka, VKT, and with B barrels from Belgium. Late in the Continuation War Tikka also produced M91/30 rifles. The most noticeable difference in these and Soviet M91/30s was the blade front sight as opposed to the post and globe used by the Soviets. Besides new production, captured rifles were widely used and repaired as necessary. This led to a wide variety of configurations among Finnish rifles that will keep a collector busy for years. The most common mark found on Finnish captured rifles is "[SA]" an abbreviation for "Suomen Armeija" (Finnish Army), but "PUOLUSTUSLAITOS" (Defense Department) is also found even though it was only used for 2 months in 1942. Most Finnish rifles are built on the earlier hexagonal receivers, but there are some found with later round receivers, primarily M91/30s and M91s.

Acknowledgements:

The Mosin-Nagant Rifle by Terence Lapin
Rifles of the White Death by Doug Bowser
Drei Linien, Die Gewehre Mosin-Nagant by Karl-Heinz Wrobel
Mosin-Nagant Dot Net
The members at Gunboards.com