Moisin Nagant 1891 magazine bolt-action rifle 7.62x54mmR
| 01. Original name | Finnish issued Jalkavaenkivaari M91 (3-line rifle M1891) | |
| 02. Other official names | Mosin Nagant 1891 | |
| 03. Popular names | The three-line rifle, Mosin’s rifle, Rifle of Mosin, M91/30 | |
| 04. Chamberings | 7.62×54mmR (7.62 Russian), 7.62×53mmR (Finnish), 7.92×57mm Mauser (Polish & German), 8×50mmR Mannlicher (Austrian) | |
| 05. Designed by | Captain Sergei Mosin and Émile Nagant | |
| 06. Design date | 1891 | |
| 07. In service date(s) | 1891 – 1960s | |
| 08. Adopted by | Russia (and later Soviet Union), Finland, Czechoslovakia, China, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and many others, these rifles can be found in most countries around the world. The Mosin Nagant is one of the most widely-produced rifles in modern history | |
| 09. Production quantities | 37,000,000 + (some estimates out the figure over 60 Million) | |
| 10. Mechanism | Bolt action, non-detachable magazine (5 rounds) | |
| 11. Weight | 4 kg (8.8lb) | |
| 12. Mountings | Rear sight is of flat leaf design, graduated in Arshins (Russian measurement) later changed to a tangent sight in meters. Early models had a fixed blade front sight, later changed to post and globe. Front and rear sling slots. Able to take a bayonet (blade, cruciform and spike variants) with some models fitted with a permanent folding type. Clearing rod | |
| 13. Practicality in action | Effective aimed fire was in the region of 500 meters with iron sights, although sights are marked out to 2000 meters. The rifle was renowned for being sturdy, reliable and easy to maintain. | |
| 14. Comments / Other information | The rifle is often called the “Mosin Nagant” which is a title used by westerners, not so within Russia; the official adopted title for the rifle was “Three-Line Rifle, Model 1891″ which references the year of design and the calibre. At the time the Russian standard measurement was the liniya (Line), with 1 line equalling 2.54mm (1⁄10 of an inch) so 3 lines equating to 7.62. The colloquial name in Russia is “Vintovka Mosina”, literally “Rifle of Mosin”. Perhaps most importantly for the Russians the rifle could be produced in significant numbers with over 17 million being produced by the end of WW2. The combination of a stable platform and powerful cartridge meant the rifle was often focused on for its use as a sniper platform. Made famous in the film ‘Enemy at the Gates’ the rifle was used by famous Russian sniper Vasily Zaytsev during the battle for Stalingrad. A war hero used extensively for propaganda, his fame however reflected Russian military doctrine with the use of sharpshooters and snipers, in fact mid-way through World War 2 the Russians were producing a staggering 53,000 sniper variants of the rifle annually |