Mosin-Nagant M44 carbine.
Manufactured in 1944 as part of the Soviet war effort to stop the Axis threat. The trunk upon which this gun is sitting was used by my grandparents to carry their worldly possessions upon leaving Mussolini's Italy, so it's only fitting that a gun that may very well have aided in the liberation of their homeland find its way here... There will have to be a companion shot with my Mannlicher-Carcano 6.5mm carbine (Grandpa G.'s quote: "Italian battle rifle. Only dropped once.") and (someday) a 1903 Springfield and a K-98...
And that's one of the really cool things about firearms - the link with the past. It's entirely possible that this gun may have been used in a battle to thwart the Nazi war machine. A Russian conscript might have held this gun in shaky but certain hands, aimed at a foe with greater machinery but no greater resolve. This gun's integral bayonet might have some residual Nazi DNA in the grooves. Perhaps, most symbolically, it's possible that somewhere, one of Mussolini's brown shirts may have developed a 7.62mm hole through his sternum right as he attempted to murder one of my ancestors left behind...
Or it could have sat in a warehouse in Bulgaria for 60-odd years...
That is all.
18 comments:
This gun's integral bayonet might have some residual Nazi DNA in the grooves.
Bleach, Jay... it's the only way to be sure that the bayonet's not contaminated. Every last bit of Nazi DNA needs to be scrubbed out of the gene pool... with hot lead and smokeless powder if necessary.
Or nuclear fusion would work, too... But I'm not bitter or nothin'.
Nice! That was my very first rifle. If you haven't already, check the headspace and the chamber tolerances before shooting it. It seems when I fire mine with steel-cased ammo, the case splits.
I have a 91/30 coming via UPS that should arrive TODAY.
AIM Surplus had a 1903a3 in stock yesterday, BTW.
Nice gun Jay!
I Love M44s! Heck I used to have one JUST like that one!
That was my first rifle as well, although I hate the wood stock. I put a Monte Carlo on mine.
Now you just need an Arisaka and your shoot-off will be complete.
Ross,
You have good reason to be, my friend...
West,
I've been following your tribulations. I'd say it's time to get another M44 and put the sentimental one out to pasture.
And shoot the heck out of the 91/30!
Oh, and AIM won't ship to MA. Even a C&R...
[long string of expletives deleted for space considerations]
Weer'd,
Isn't it funny how things like this happen?
MadRocketScientist,
I've thought about getting another 91/30 and the synthetic Monte Carlo stock - how do you like that set-up? Seems like it would be a fun project gun that could be built and shot on the cheap...
brad,
For the proper shootoff, I need:
German Mauser K-98
US Springfield 1903
British Enfield SMLE or similar
French MAS 59/66 in 7.5X54mm French
Swiss K31 (just because)
:)
Nice M44. The bayonet just feeds your compulsion to slaughter children's toys.
BTW, I know someone who has a very nice set of head space gauges for the Mosin Nagant rifles. ;)
Nice addition! I love mine as well.
Don't forget the M44 was designed to be fired with the bayonet extended.
Congrats....
How much did you get yours for? I picked up mine for $89. (It's a planned upcoming post.) I just finally got to shoot it last week. Only shot from 25 yds. Wasn't expecting to hit much since I've only fired a rifle three times before this (excepting .22LR). But I got all 5 rounds within about a 5 inch circle. Enough to be kill zone at 25 yds.
You might find this site helpful, I think this is where I found the PDF manual that an importer created.
http://7.62x54r.net/
Enjoy!!!
Did the Russians ever fight in Italy?
I don't recall that they did.
(My M44 is a 50s model from Poland, so I doubt it was ever even fired, past proofing.
But I'm pretty sure my 1914 M91 with the Finnish Army property marks should have been fired at someone at some point, whether a White Russian, a Bolshevik, a Finn, or all three.
Great looking trunk, by the way!
Jay,
Nice Mosin! I've got a Polish M44 that fit the "warehouse" description, but not for quite as long.
Mine's prolly only seen the factory proof through it. Still got cosmoline on the bolt. I need to remedy that, soon.
tweaker
Shortly after getting 91/30 I stumbled upon a Chinese Type 53 (copy of a Model 44) at a gun show and bought it. The 91/30 and the 53 have made a dent in the 440 round tin box of Hungarian surplus I bought with the 91/30. The superbly extravagant muzzle blast, recoil, and general inaccuracy of the Type 53 with its rough barrel led me to buy a Model 44 for comparison. These things are like potato chips that cost under $100 each - why stop at just one?
I have gifted the 44 to my son for his entertainment. It also produces a 6 foot fireball, the thunder of a minor Siberian god, and recoil you notice right through the steel buttplate, just like the Chinese cousin. But it shoots to where it is pointed.
And in another few years, if our shoulders hold up, we will finish that can of Hungarian steel core ammo and have to buy more.
Maybe try RGuns? They are the ones that actually import the guns that AIM sells, and they are located in another communist state (Illinois)... I dunno what their policy is though.
I guess most places won't ship to MA.
Very nice.
Is there any junk in that trunk?
I'd put up my German and Yugoslavian Mausers for comparison. That sounds like a good enough excuse for a road trip. Out of curiosity, do you have to pull up on your bayonet ring to get it to lock in the extended position, or can you just unlock it and slap it into place? My 1945 M44 had an extra notch that let the bayonet lock into place without having to pull on the ring a second time. I've seen 1944 models that didn't have that notch.
Enjoy your new boomstick. I can tell you it's every bit as loud as a quarterstick on the 4th of July, and far cheaper per boom. And don't worry, after you've shot it, it's normal to look at the rifle and get a tingly feeling in your shoulder.
I just got one today and the bolt iskinda sticky but I can't wait to try it out
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