Mosin Dating Question

[mdrim13]

If your rifle has a star shape stamped on the receiver it was manufactured in the Ischvek arsenal and if it has a triangle with an arrow inside of it, it was manufactured in the Tula arsenal.

Seems to me like you have this backward...I always thought the star was Tula and the triangle Ischvek

[fernleaf]

Seems to me like you have this backward...I always thought the star was Tula and the triangle Ischvek

Backwards indeed.....some of the other information in that post is also inaccurate....

The second dates on double dated M91/30s indicate the date of transfer from the Army to the Ministry of Defence, not a refurb date. Double dated rifles are nearly always marked 'MO' - the 'Ministerstvo Oborony'.

Serial numbers ran consecutively for one year of production - then started all over again. Russian/Soviet rifles had serial numbers for all the same reasons every other firearms producing countries in the world put serial numbers on weapons - to keep track of inventory after production.

Assembly numbers were used to keep track of major parts during production. These are found on the barrel and receiver.

The 'r' does mean year, or god in Cyrillic, but does not relate to Anno Domini or that man with the big Beard who lives in the clouds. Only Tula made barrels have the 'r'.

Most, if not ALL of the Soviet made M91/30s that are available to us today were refurbished in the 1970s, and are not marked so. We know this from looking at the paperwork that is found in the crates they come in. 1972 features highly apparently.

[mbost]

Well, thank you guys for correcting me. Ive been going only by the information ive been able to find. Pretty much all scattered about every where on the net and, mostly, in what books i can find on the Mosin. Im very sorry for any incorrect info. ill be sure to include these into the ever growing list of "crap that aint correct about the Mosin".

[Aragorn243]

What I find myself wondering is whether the Soviets really did have a method to their madness or not. Were they keeping records or just pumping them out there as fast as they could to get them in the hands of the troops. If they made records, what happened to them. Is it the old paranoia they have that keeps them from releasing them or were they lost. Why would they de-sniper sniper rifles. So many questions and the answers just don't seem to be out there.

[fernleaf]

Well, thank you guys for correcting me. Ive been going only by the information ive been able to find. Pretty much all scattered about every where on the net and, mostly, in what books i can find on the Mosin. Im very sorry for any incorrect info. ill be sure to include these into the ever growing list of "crap that aint correct about the Mosin".

Don't apologise - there is a lot of misleading, ambiguous, or just plain wrong information out there on these rifles - in books as well as on the internet - it can be hard trying to filter out the BS, and to get info from confirmed sources.

What I find myself wondering is whether the Soviets really did have a method to their madness or not. Were they keeping records or just pumping them out there as fast as they could to get them in the hands of the troops. If they made records, what happened to them. Is it the old paranoia they have that keeps them from releasing them or were they lost. Why would they de-sniper sniper rifles. So many questions and the answers just don't seem to be out there.

The records will be hidden in some archives somewhere - probably next to the Amber Room - and will no doubt never be available to us Western arms collectors. It surprises me that a Russian arms student hasn't got access (maybe even they aren't allowed?) to the records so some of the dodgy information out there can be cleared up. I think that all too often we look to Western books for accurate info, when perhaps we should be looking further afield.