M38 or 91/59?

[sdh1911]

I have a nice short Mosin Nagant that has no-import markings on it and a very clear B stamped on the M-44 style stock. I just noticed there is a different grind on the rear of the receiver than my other M-38's have, in fact it is the only M/N style rifle I have with this flat grind on it (Hum, 1 in 30 odd's). It has the Izzy marking on the top were it should be with a very small #2 next to it, 1943 dated, Serial #BB 7905. With that being said, I've recently handled a 91/59 at a local gunshow. Being completely honest, I was hard pressed to see the difference between the 38 and the 59 other than a little extra nomenclature on the barrel base. Do any of you fine fellows know exactly what I should be looking for? Also why does my 38 have that strange flat grind on the receiver? Is it possibly a 59??? Many thanks for your time-SDH

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[Warren]

Normally, the 91/59 will be devoid of all markings and USUALLY you will find the serial number begins with the letter B as in BB, BC, . Apparently there was only 35,000 made, so as the MN goes, they are a scarce item. Most are a forced match, with the majority of numbers having been removed and stamped, not electo-penciled to match. Bulgaria was always an enigma when it came to arms, so the true story might never be know, but this is what is know of the 91/59.... Another clue on the 91/59 is the rear sight. It has the numbers milled out from 700 metres on.....

[sdh1911]

Is there any truth to the roomer that these guns may be the product of an importers desire to create a nitch rifle?-SDH

[Claven2]

No, no truth to that. The US Army has records of M91/59's being turned in by East German border guards that defected from the Berlin Wall. They were a real variant made from cut-down M91/30's in the post-war era.

[sdh1911]

Many Thanks, thats what I was looking for, the next step is to figure out which one I'll be adding to the locker MT-SDH