My mistake about the position of the "r", due to bad memory. I suspect that the inclusion of an "r" in the date marking on soviet weapons has caused a fair amount of confusion of it's own, in the West. Interestingly, I have just had a look at a new arrival, a U.K. deactivated Mosin Nagant B.A. rifle that has, by the look of it, been Post War Sovieticon refurbished. There appears to be no "r" included in the date, just the numbers, but I also have another similar deac that hasn't been refurbished and that does have the "r" included in the date. Has anyone else noticed soviet weaponry of a certain age not having an "r" included in the date and is anyone able to explain the reason for this, please.