https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...cb50bd9b-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...fe20f215-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...3f1c503a-1.jpg
Printable View
Unit marking..? Could be the photo,but they look newer then the other stamps. Never saw these before there not factory marks that's for sure.
What's the story of these three?
Look here= Mosin Nagant Rifle Guide to Proofs and Markings
Pic #1..Russian eagle
I know the first one is a ex -Dragoon modernized to a 91/30 with a 42 barrel ,the second has a mystery #40 in a box to the left of the serial # .Last is a 27 .............all Tula's.Handpicked 10 from 80 rifles.Bores at VG or better am wondering about values? Also have 38,42 +43 Tula round receivers......diamonds are re-ferb stamps...........Harold
Refurb mark? By who, the Russian mark is a square with a line through it.
Who knows what the #40 is these rifles have all kinds of unknown markings. It's interesting you have the Soviet symbol and the imperial eagle on the same rifle.
These guns were refurbished and stored complete with Russian armory letter and date last inspected. The Diamond as well as the square with a line through it appears on the wood and sometimes the metal. The Imperial eagle has a replaced 42 barrel on it but is in VG+ condition inside and out.Likely a salvaged action went through the refurb process.Came with oiler,tool kit and mismatched cruciform bayonet.Russians love to throw accessories in the bluing tanks together with no thought about keeping parts matching or like the RC K98's toss the cleaning rods and capture screws!As for the #40 it appears to have been placed at the same time as the serial # as it is offset for it to fit in place.
Interesting rifles Harold, I have seen diamonds with numbers and letter/symbols on stocks, my M44 has one with an I or H depending how you look at it, none of my 3 other 91/30s have one anywhere, but never seen one stamped on the receiver like yours.
The odd thing is the only reference to diamond markings is that there Polish and unknown at that..:dunno:
Funny thing thing is I think your asking about the #40 and I'm baffled by the diamonds..:D
Thanks for sharing....
Yes,the diamonds are a little different than the box and line like they plastered all over the SKS's.At least there is no importer's name and address on the Canadian guns.......heading out to shoot a couple........Harold
The diamonds are probably Polish "Technical Control or Acceptance" markings which were used between 1948-1965. They used letters, numbers or symbols inside the diamond to provide some sort of information. As one of the shown examples is a simple dot, it would make sense that an empty diamond also has meaning.
If Poland was receiving these rifles from the Soviets after the war and refurbing them for use, I guess it makes sense. It just seems awful late in the life of one of these to get such a mark.
Only thing is I have the Russian armory letter with each gun stating they were last inspected Jan/13 so perhaps they were returned at some point after reburb by Poland? They must have missed grinding off the Imperial eagle on the ex-Dragoon.
About all we can do with a lot of these markings is speculate. Any records kept haven't been made easily available to the authors of the books we have at our disposal.
I looked at the online site Mosin Nagant Rifle Guide to Proofs and Markings and after looking there, I no longer think they are Polish markings. The shape is right but the size is way too big. I also looked at the Imperial eagle and that doesn't look right either. It is too narrow and too neat. I can't compare it to the one on my rifle as mine was struck. There were a lot of countries that used an eagle stamp but none look exactly like this one. The Russians eagles had two crylic letters directly under the feet which this one lacks. Have you taken them apart to confirm where the receivers were made. This could shed some light onto it. The manufacturer and the year made are stamped on the base of the tang.
These rifles traveled around quite a bit and most countries put some sort of mark on them. I have a Russian Imperial that found it's way to Austria and Bulgaria. Peened out and partially ground Imperial marks, strong Austrian capture marks on both the receiver and barrel and Bulgarian pine cones in three places on the stock.
I don't know how they would wind up back in Russian hands if they were in Poland unless the Soviets emptied the warehouses when they withdrew. Considering the mess they left behind I can't imagine them caring all that much about stocks of obsolete rifles. They left Nukes behind in the Ukraine.
Yes, the imperial eagle appears to have two " heads " also, good eye Aragorn.
I have a 42' 91/30 that has " made in the USA " stamped on the receiver....... Who'd a thunk it.....;)
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...c1518c83-1.jpg
Turns out the tang is marked 1916 r with a bow and arrow stamp.
That's Izhevsk, pre 1928, Russian arsenal.
I just noticed the barrels don't match the receivers. Getting more curious.