Posted 10 years ago
Chrisnp
(310 items)
The 1890s saw new rifle designs for use with the new smokeless gunpowder being adopted by all the major powers. Russia’s entry would become known as the 1891 Mosin-Nagant. It would serve the Tsar through WWI and go on to arm both sides during the 1917 revolution, as well as Finland as it gained its independence from Russia. The Model 1891 would see action with both countries through the 20s, 30s and 40s.
The Mosin-Nagant was another rifle developed by commission. Many rifle designs were submitted to the Russian commission, and a design by a Belgian named Leon Nagant was chosen. Some highly placed and powerful people favored a design by Sergei Mosin. It may have been as simple as favoring a Russian designer over a foreigner. A compromise was reached and Mosin’s design was adopted, but modified with Nagant’s feed system.
My Mosin-Nagant is a proud son of Finland, albeit with Russian heritage. When Finland won its independence in 1917, it inherited the arsenal at Helsinki, stocked with Mosin-Nagants. After WWI they bought up large numbers of Russian rifles that had been captured by Germany and Austria as well as from elsewhere. Many of these rifles were in unserviceable condition, so Finland cannibalized parts from these to build their own versions of the Mosin-Nagant.
The receiver of my rifle is Tsarist Russian. It has the period hexagonal shape, Imperial Russian proof mark, and has the manufacture year of 1917 on the underside of the tang. A new barrel was manufactured for it in 1941 by VKT (Valtion Kivääritehdas, a Finnish state rifle factory), in time for the “Continuation War” of 1941-1944.
The rear sight is the Russian Model 1908 modification. Previously the sights were flat, and then in ’08 they developed this curved sight to accommodate the greater range of the new spitzer round. The left side is graduated in Russian arshini (1 archin = 28”/71.12 cm). This has been lined out by the Finns, and the metric equivalents added on the opposite side of the sight.
The stock is uniquely Finnish. It’s made of stained artic birch in two pieces and finger mortised together so it won’t warp in cold climates. Russians put slots in the stock of their Model 1891s to lace their slings through. The Finns used sling swivels that wrap around to where the slots would have been. The sling on my rifle is one of several types of Finnish military issue. I got this rifle when the Finns finally released them from civil defense storage in 1986.
Ammo: As with other rifles of this era, the original ammo for this weapon was round nosed, and with the invention of the spire point (spitzer), everyone adapted their rifles for the improved ammo. The new Russian 7.62x54R was actually a .311" dia. 154 grain spitzer. The Finns used a 174 grain spitzer with a velocity of 2297 fps. The Finns made barrels in different bore diameters, and mine is .3095”. I can shoot Russian Military Surplus ammo through it, but with increased recoil and cratered primers, and groups varying from 4” to 7” at 100 yards. My best results are reloads with Swiss surplus bullets intended for the Schmidt Rubin Rifle - .309” diameter, 139 gr FMJ spitzers. (good luck finding more of those!). I use 45 grains of IMR 4895 with those bullets. With these I’ve gotten 4” groups at 100 yards from a rest.
WARNING: Load data is provided for information only. Many vintage firearms are unsafe to shoot and I do not advise use of this load data for other firearms since I do not know the specific firearm that may be involved or its condition.
