Cold War Mosin Nagant carbines

[Niner]

Miller Time had me looking at my Mosins. Don't know if I've mention these before....but probably have some years ago.

These bastard carbines were made back during the Cold War. Judging by the number designation of one of them, they were all made in the 50's. When Terence Lapin wrote his first book they were considered pretty mysterious as to numbers and purpose. Later lots of them came out of Eastern European stockpiles and were dumped on the American market by Century International.

These rifles were both cobbled together to the pattern of the original Model 38 carbine. No bayonet attached....and the old 91/30 bayonet won't fit it. These were probably meant for railroad guards and very last ditch weapons.....or for export to the least of the third world countries that Russia had some interest in. Probably even the third world countries would insist on AK's and ...since the Ruskies were mass producing lots of fine auto weapons.... these reconstructed Nagants ended up gathering dust for twenty-five years or more. Well, anyway all of this is my story and I'm sticking to it until somebody straightens it up a bit.

The 91/38 is called such because most, if not all of them, were made with reused hex receivers. Mine has a Imperial Tula receiver marked 1905. The original serial number is lined through and there is a new serial number stamped under it. The number is what seems a low 174. The bolt has been stamped, not electropenciled, with the 174 in the place where the previous number must have been ground off. All the serial numbers from butt plate to magazine have been stamped and the old numbers, if there were ever any on the odd parts, have been removed. Interestingly the magazine number seems to have had an extra number stamped into it and then partly struck out. It uses a short carbine rear sight like the M44.

The 91/59 is another model 38 look-a-like. The difference is that it has a round receiver. It has a Tula mark on the receiver and is dated from an original 1943 rifle. All the numbers are stamped and not electropenciled. The bolt is stamped BP1759 in the same place a previous number must have gone. It uses a re-purposed M91/30 sight which leaves the same distance markings as the M44.

[Miller Tyme]

Very nice Niner, I like those 91/59's and 91/38's, got one of each, the 91/59 was made out of a 44 Tula 91/30 and the 91/38 is mfg from a Austrian Captured M91.