Sniper!

I’ve written on the blog before about the Russian surplus military rifle I bought last year.  It’s a Mosin-Nagant 91/30, a rifle that was first produced in 1891 and then updated in 1930.   The Russians have used them ever since 1891, and when the Soviet Union went bust, they started showing up on the surplus military rifle market.

My first Mosin, a 1940 Tula Arsenal gun that I refinished…lots of fun!

Now, don’t go getting your shorts in a knot about gun control and assault rifles…these are not gang-banger guns…they’re a classy bit of military history, they’re inexpensive (for now, anyway), they’re collectible, and they’re accurate.  Nobody’s going to be robbing gas stations or doing drive-by shootings with these things.   They’re too big to conceal, they’re too classy, and they’re slow firing rifles.   But they sure are fun!

And the history behind these old Russian rifles is fascinating.  I’ve been studying the history and talking the rifles up to all my friends, and several of my buddies bought Mosins as a result.   (Duane and Twin Peaks Steve, are you reading this?   You need to join in the fun here!)   As a matter of fact, we have an informal match about once a month, and the winner (not the loser) gets to buy lunch for everybody.   Usually, that’s me.   Yeah, I’m bragging.   I learned how to shoot in the US Army and I’m proud of that fact.  It’s fun.

So, anyway, back to the story.  After buying, refinishing, and shooting my first Mosin, I decided I needed another one, so I pulled the trigger and then I had two.   Next thing you know, I had that trip up to Big Bear for Motorcycle Classics magazine, and I saw yet a third Mosin that somehow I convinced myself I couldn’t live without.    Well, three is too many, so I told a friend’s son I’d sell the second one I bought to him.  Legally, of course.   Lord knows we have enough rules about owning guns in this country…particularly here in the People’s Republik of Kalifornia.   And yes, you can bet I follow every one of them.

On the road to Big Bear, where I bought one too many Mosins

As luck would have it, the first time we went to the rifle range with Mosin No. 2 (the one I’m selling to my friend’s son) a magazine spring went south.  Now folks, this particular rifle is 80 years old, and if you reach 80 without something going wrong, let me know.   These things happen.   So, I sent away to get a spring, it arrived, I installed it, and then I got the bug to take it out and zero it for my young buddy.   I did that this Tuesday when I was out shooting with the Geezers.   We have a group of Geezers that are on the range pretty regularly…but that’s another story for another time.

The Sniper Mosin, right side.

The Sniper Mosin, left side.

Anyway, I was blown away by this particular rifle’s accuracy.   It shot groups that you could nearly cover with a dime, and folks, that’s threading the needle for any rifle (especially an 80-year old Russian war surplus rifle without telescopic sights).    As I imagine they must have said back at the Tula Arsenal…wowee-ski!

Exceptional accuracy from any rifle, let alone one that’s 80 years old!

When I returned home and cleaned the rifle, I shot a few photos of the rifle and my targets (you know, bragging rights stuff, like the photo you see above), and then I posted one on an Internet Mosin forum.

Whoa…the comments started pouring in!  As it turns out, the experts on the Mosin board started posting comments literally within seconds.   They recognized that this rifle (Mosin No. 2…the one that’s going to my friend’s son) was a Soviet sniper weapon!    And that, my friends, means it most likely saw action in the Battle of Stalingrad (a battle in which snipers turned the tide of the siege, and ultimately, World War II).

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ll mention it again…watch Enemy at the Gates.   The real star of that movie is the Mosin-Nagant rifle.  It’s one of my all time favorite movies.

Markings that identify this 1935 Mosin as a World War II sniper rifle…the star means it came from the Tula Arsenal, the date indicates when the rifle was manufactured, and the Cyrillic C and N above the star mark this as a sniper rifle!

The Mosin forum guys explained to me where I should look for the plugged holes that previously held the sniper rifle’s telescopic sight, and whaddaya know, there they were!   They also explained that the Russians test fired all of their rifles and only selected the most accurate ones for sniper duty.    That sure explains why this rifle shot so well.   Looks like those old Russkies knew what they were doing!

Exciting stuff, folks!   And you know the best part?   I’m hoping my young buddy outshoots me this weekend and he’ll get to buy lunch!