Nagant Pistol Serial Numbers
Surmounting the number 'II' standing for Nicolas II. Outside of Russia, the Nagant 1895 revolver was also found in Poland where it was produced from 1930 on.
Schematic of Model 1891 (top left) The 3-line rifle, Model 1891, its original official designation, was adopted by the Russian military in 1891. There have been several variations from the original rifle, the most common being the M1891/30 (commonly referred to as 'the 91/30' by shooters), which was a modernized design introduced in 1930. Some details were borrowed from Nagant's design. One such detail is the attachment of the magazine spring to the magazine base plate. In Mosin's original design the spring was not attached to the base plate and, according to the Commission, could be lost during cleaning. Another detail is the form of the that could hold five cartridges to be loaded simultaneously into the magazine. Another detail is the form of the 'interrupter', a specially designed part within the receiver, which helps prevent double feeding.
The initial rifle proposed by Mosin lacked an interrupter, leading to numerous failures to feed. This detail was introduced in the rifle borrowing from Nagant's rifle. Although the form of the interrupter was slightly changed, this alteration was subsequently borrowed back by the Commission for the Model 1891 Mosin–Nagant.
During the modernization of 1930, the form of the interrupter was further changed, from a single piece to a two-piece design, as the part had turned out to be one of the least reliable parts of the action. Only the clip loading cartridges and the attachment of the magazine spring to the magazine base plate in subsequent models were designed by Nagant.
Considering the rifle could be easily loaded without using a clip, one cartridge after another, the magazine spring attached to the magazine base plate is the only contribution of Nagant to all rifles after 1930. Nagant's legal dispute Despite the failure of Nagant's rifle, he filed a patent suit, claiming he was entitled to the sum the winner was to receive.
It appeared that Nagant was the first to apply for the international patent protection over the 'interrupter', although he borrowed it from Mosin's design initially. Mosin could not apply for a patent since he was an officer of the Russian army, and the design of the rifle was owned by the Government and had the status of a military secret. A scandal was about to burst out, with Nagant threatening he would not participate in trials held in Russia ever again and some officials proposing to expel Nagant from any further trials as he borrowed the design of the 'interrupter' after it was covered by the 'secrecy' status given in Russia of that time to military inventions and therefore violated Russian law. Taking into consideration that Nagant was one of the few producers not engaged by competitive governments and generally eager to cooperate and share experience and technologies, the Commission paid him a sum of 200,000 Russian rubles, equal to the premium that Mosin received as the winner. The rifle did not receive the name of Mosin, because of the personal decision taken by, which was made based on the opinion of the Defence Minister: there are parts in this newly created design, invented by Colonel Rogovtzev, by Lt.-General Chagin's Commission, Captain Mosin and small-arms manufacturer Nagant, therefore it is only fair to call it Russian 3-line rifle M1891. The Tzar himself dashed the word 'Russian' from this document with his own hand. This turned out to be a wise decision, as Leon Nagant remained the major contractor for the Russian Government, and in was adopted by the Russian army as the main sidearm.
However, for the same reason and because of Nagant's attempts to use the situation for publicity, the 'Mosin–Nagant' name appeared in the Western literature (the rifle was never called this in Russia). The name is a misnomer from the legal point of view (taking into consideration the legal provisions of Russian law at that time, i.e.
The law of the country to adopt the rifle) and from technical point of view, as none of the details borrowed from Nagant's design, even if removed, would prevent the rifle from firing. Moreover, from the technical point of view the rifle that came to be called 'Mosin–Nagant' (or 'Nagant–Mosin') is the design proposed by Mosin, as further amended by Mosin with some details being borrowed from Nagant's design. Production of the Model 1891 began in 1892 at the ordnance factories of, and at Sestroryetsk Arsenal. An order for 500,000 rifles was placed with the French arms factory,. Russo-Japanese War In 1889 Tsar Nicolas ordered the Russian army to meet or exceed European standards in rifle developments with 'rifles of reduced caliber and cartridges with smokeless powder.' The new weapons would entail high velocities, exceeding 600 meters per second (2,000 ft/s) and would result in land battles both commencing and being capable of being fought at longer ranges, nearly two kilometers.
The new Mosin rifles would replace the Berdan rifles then in use by the Russian army. The (1904–1905) was the Mosin–Nagant M-1891 rifle's first major 'blooding', and by the time the war broke out in 1904, approximately 3,800,000 Mosin–Nagant M1891 rifles had been built, with over a and a half in the hands of the Russian and all of his reserves when hostilities commenced. However, few M-1891s saw combat in the conflict.
Most Russian units in the Far East were still armed with Berdan rifles. Between the adoption of the final design in 1891 and the year 1910, several and modifications to the existing rifles were made.
World War I. Mosin–Nagant Model 1938 Carbine. Model 1938 Carbine: A carbine based on the M1891/30 design that was produced from 1939 to 1945 at the Izhevsk arsenal and in 1940 and 1944 at Tula. They were intended for use by second-echelon and noncombatant troops. Very few M38 carbines were made in 1945 and are highly sought after by collectors. Essentially a M1891/30 with a shortened barrel and shortened stock (the M38 is 1000 millimeters (40 in) in overall length versus 1230 millimeters (48 in) overall length for the Model 91/30), this carbine did not accept a bayonet and was in fact designed so that the standard Model 91/30 bayonet would not fit it.
However many M38 carbines were fitted into M44 stocks by the Soviets as a wartime expedient. M38s in the correct M38 stock command a premium over M38s in M44 pattern stocks.
The M38 was replaced by the M44 carbine in 1944. Mosin–Nagant M44 Carbine. Model 1944 Carbine: This carbine was introduced into service in late 1944 (with 50,000 service-test examples produced in 1943) and remained in production until 1948. They were produced from 1943 to 1948 at the Izhevsk arsenal and only 1944 at Tula. Its specifications are very similar to the M1938, with the unique addition of a permanently affixed, side-folding cruciform-spike. A groove for the folded bayonet is inlet into the right side of the stock. These were in use not only by the, but also its various.
Many of these were counterbored post-war. Mosin–Nagant M59 Carbine. Model 1891/59 Carbine: Commonly called '91/59s,' the M1891/59s were created by shortening M1891/30 rifles to carbine length, with rear sight numbers partially ground off to reflect reduced range. These rifles are almost clones of the M38 except for the ground off M91/30 rear sight. The '1891/59' marking on the receiver suggests the carbines were created in or after 1959.
It was initially thought that Bulgaria or another Soviet satellite country performed the conversions in preparation for a Western invasion that never came. Recent evidence suggests that the M91/59 was indeed produced in Bulgaria from Soviet-supplied wartime production M91/30s. Total production of the 91/59 is uncertain; figures as low as one million and as high as three million have appeared in firearm literature. Hungarian M/52 rifle with. Darkly blued steel and high quality machining. An '02' stamp on every component of the rifle, identifying it as manufactured in Hungary. M44 Pattern: Domestically produced version of post war pattern Soviet M44 Carbine marked '02'.
Romania. Triangular shaped markings, some with an arrow inside, on many components of the rifle.
Normally three 'R's surrounded by crossed stalks with leaves pointing outwards are on the top of the breech. Year stamps are quite visible. The trigger assembly is unique in the Romanian 91/30 and is adjustable. It is not interchangeable with other Mosins. M44 Pattern: Domestically produced version of post war pattern Soviet M44 Carbine during the years 1953 to 1955.
Variances to the Soviet pattern produced minor differences. Suppressed M44 Pattern: Domestically produced adaptation of the M44, with a long integral suppressor and an LPS 4×6° TIP2 telescopic sight, same as the one used on the rifle. Only a small number were modified, for use with the USLA - a very small counter-terrorism unit of the.
M91/30 Pattern: Domestically produced version Soviet pattern M91 during the year 1955. Some of the guns are 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 do not 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. The 'EXERCITIU' 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. Main article:. wz. 91/98/23: conversion to the 7.92mmx57 Mauser cartridge, with a magazine modified to feed rimless cartridges. Utilized original Russian spike bayonet.
Nagant Pistols For Sale
91/98/25: conversion to the 7.92mmx57 Mauser cartridge, with a magazine modified to feed rimless cartridges and a bayonet mounting bar to allow the use of Mauser 1898 bayonets. 91/98/26: conversion to the 7.92mmx57 Mauser cartridge, with a magazine modified to feed rimless cartridges and a bayonet mounting bar to allow the use of Mauser 1898 bayonets.
Modified two-piece ejector/interrupter similar to Mauser pattern rifles. 44: Domestically produced version of post war pattern Soviet M44 Carbine, Marked with the Polish 'circle 11.'
United States. U.S. Rifle, 7.62 mm, Model of 1916: Due to the desperate shortage of arms and the shortcomings of a still-developing domestic industry, the Russian government ordered 1.5 million M1891 infantry rifles from Remington Arms and another 1.8 million from New England Westinghouse in the United States. Some of these rifles were not delivered before the outbreak of the October Revolution and the subsequent signing of the which ended hostilities between the Central Powers and Russia. When the Bolsheviks took over the Russian government, they defaulted on the Imperial Russian contracts with the American arsenals, with the result that New England Westinghouse and Remington were stuck with hundreds of thousands of Mosin–Nagants. The US government bought up the remaining stocks, saving Remington and Westinghouse from bankruptcy.
The rifles in Great Britain armed sent to. The rifles still in the US ended up being primarily used as training firearms for the US Army. Some were used to equip, SATC and units.
Collectors have taken to calling these rifles, “U.S. Magazine Rifle, 7.62mm, Model of 1916”, though no official source for this designation has ever been cited. Ordnance documents refer to the rifles as 'Russian three-line rifle, caliber 7.62mm (.30 inches)'. In 1917, 50,000 of these rifles were sent via to equip the in Siberia to aid in their attempt to secure passage to France.
During the interwar period, the rifles which had been taken over by the US military were sold to private citizens in the United States by the Director of Civilian Marksmanship, the predecessor agency to the current Civilian Marksmanship Program. They were sold for the sum of $3.00 each. If unaltered to chamber the US standard rimless cartridge, these rifles are prized by collectors because they do not have the import marks required by law to be stamped or engraved on military surplus firearms brought into the United States from other countries. Civilian use Mosin–Nagants have been exported from Finland since the 1960s as its military modernized and decommissioned the rifles. Most of these have ended up as inexpensive surplus for Western nations. In Russia the Mosin–Nagant action has been used to produce a limited number of commercial rifles, the most famous are the Vostok brand target rifles exported in Europe in the 1960s and 1970s chambered in the standard 7.62×54mmR round and in 6.5×54mmR, a necked-down version of the original cartridge designed for long range target shooting. Rifles in 6.5×54mmR use a necked-down 7.62×54mmR cartridge and were the standard rifle of the USSR's Olympic biathlon team until the International Olympic Committee revised the rules of the event to reduce the range to 50 meters and required all competitors to use rifles chambered in.22LR.
A number of the Model 1891s produced by New England Westinghouse and Remington were sold to private citizens in the United States by the U.S. Government through the Director of between the two World Wars. Rifles from this program are valuable collectibles. Many of these American-made Mosin–Nagants were rechambered by wholesalers to the ubiquitous American cartridge; some were done crudely, and others were professionally converted. Regardless of the conversion, a qualified gunsmith should examine the rifle before firing, and owners should use caution before firing commercial ammunition.
With the, a large quantity of Mosin–Nagants have found their way onto markets outside of Russia as collectibles and hunting rifles. Due to the large surplus created by the Soviet small arms industry during World War II and the tendency of the former Soviet Union to retain and store large quantities of old but well-preserved surplus (long after other nations' militaries divested themselves of similar vintage materials), these rifles (mostly M1891/30 rifles and M1944 carbines) are inexpensive compared to other surplus arms of the same era. There is serious collector interest in the Mosin–Nagant family of rifles, and they are popular with hobby shooters and hunters. The notched rear tangent iron sight is adjustable for elevation, and is calibrated in hundreds of meters ( on earlier models).
The front sight is a post that is not adjustable for elevation. Sight adjustment for windage was made by the armory before issue by drifting the sight left or right in its dovetail. The limited sight adjustment leaves some hunters with the desire to add a scope, leading two companies to make adjustable sights for the Russian version of this rifle, Mojo and Smith-Sights. Several companies also make scope mounts for pistol scopes that can be mounted to the rear sight of the Model 91/30 without drilling or tapping. Not generally viewed as highly accurate, these rifles typically show a capability of 4-8 inch (10-20 cm) 10-shot groups or worse at 100 yards (90 m) when used with good ammunition. They are capable of taking any game on the North American continent when correct ammunition is used, assuming the user can close to a range where the rifle's limited accuracy still allows for an ethical shot.
Sniper models, or 'former sniper' models without scope but with obviously covered scope mounting holes, can be obtained that display accuracy ranging from 2-4 inch (5-10 cm) 10-shot groups at 100 yards (90 m). The typical Finnish M39 model, which the Finns fitted with their own superior barrels, typically display accuracy averaging 2-3 inch (5-7.5 cm) 10-shot groups at 100 yards (90 m). In addition, at least three American companies manufacture aftermarket rifle stocks that come inletted so a Mosin can be dropped directly into the stock without additional modification, for shooters who would prefer their ex-military rifles look more like civilian-made hunting rifles. Along with aftermarket stocks, there have also been a growing number of aftermarket parts, and add-ons designed for the multiple variants of the Mosin Nagant battle rifle. Non-permanent optic mounts, such as the JMECK bracket or the Mankave rear sight adaptor have made it possible to mount a traditional optic to the rifle without the need to drill, or tap receiver/barrel of the weapon.
Other, more contentious modifications are version specific muzzle brakes, which are designed to prevent the barrel from rising (and consequently ruining the sight picture of the shooter), as well as lessening the recoil felt while shooting. Other companies are experimenting with detachable, and semi-permanent magazine extensions which would increase the magazine capability from five rounds to ten rounds.:.: Still in use by the.: Supplied by the USSR during, most to either the NRA or to warlord armies.: Used by during and the in the. (Received from, and forces). (U.S. Made). For ceremonial uses only.
Colt Pistol Serial Numbers
(Limited and captured from, Laotian forces and received by used by snipers and forces in ). (selected security detachments of the ).
Former users.: Received about 30,000-60,000 rifles from before the.: Received some from Austria-Hungary as war reparations from World War I before they were sold to Finland.: Formerly had stockpiles of Mosin–Nagant rifles captured from Imperial Russian forces. (large stockpiles of Soviet weapons were captured and designated as the Gewehr 252–256 series following ). Captured from Soviet forces.: Used between 1914-1940s. Saw action in the. Rifle, 3 line rifle, Model of 1916).: Formerly used by the North Vietnamese Army. See also. Footnotes.