Mosin Nagant

I was lucky enough, a couple years ago, to find an M91 untouched in a pawn shop for 120 dollars. I know what you're thinking, So what they are all over pawn shops EVERYWHERE, Duh!
Well my friends it was a rare find indeed: It was a 1916 M91. First and foremost most M91 were converted in the 1930s to the M91/30 which shortened the barrel, added a hood over the front sight, and changed the rear sight. Eventually the hex receiver changed to a round receiver.

So why was this so unique? It sounds like one slipped through. Well I will educate you my friend.
The Bolshevik Revolution occurred in 1917 with its grand promises of the united worker against the "evil" tyranny of the Czar. Meanwhile, there was an enormous contingent of Russian soldiers on the front lines with World War I nearing its final bloody years. This made it easy (relative) for the Bolsheviks to take advantage of a home front security with so many of the motherland's troops on the front. But they needed weapons and so did the government forces with so many assets going toward the troops.

Armed with this knowledge, I examined the rifle very close. Looking for proof marks, stamps and dates.
-It had no communist marks--This was unusual most Mosins that were turned in after the communist took over were re-stamped. Even captured rifles were re-stamped with the gaining countries proof marks or re-barreled for there primary cartridge. One of the most sought after Mosins is the Finnish Rifle re-stamped with an SA. Even the Germans re-stamped captured rifles. Once again, this had nothing but the original stamps.
-One unusual defacing of the rifle was the imperial stamp of the Czar. It had been "stabbed out" with a knife or bayonet. If this had been a recent marring it would have been sharp on the raised edges, but these were worn down by time, which points to the fact that this was done decades ago. I can only surmise that this rifle had belonged to an angry communist who wanted to deface the imperial stamp to show his disdain for the ruling aristocrat. Of course this is only a speculation but it seems to fit human nature when opposed to an ideology or political idea.
-It has no visible import stamps. There are rifles that were brought over without import stamps but usually they are 1940s from WW II. Obviously there have been WW II rifles from the first war brought over, but not many in an un-changed condition, such as this particular Mosin. The Austro-Hungarian M-93 was brought back into service, but most that have made it to the US have the proper import stamps. This leads me to believe one of three things:
--This was a grabbed by a US soldier in WW I on a battlefield or traded after hostilities.
--It was acquired during a small US force along with a combined allied force attempted to help anti-communist Russians defeat the communists immediately after WWI.
--The rifle was somehow left in its original state by an average European and through a series of events, eventually fell in to the hands of a US soldier.
The end result is the same--it found its way to pawn shop in EL Paso and into my hands.

We blow off Mosins because the Russians made so many that we do not think they will ever run out. However, the supply is getting just a little tougher to fill lately and the rifle has made a 100-200 hundred dollar increase in value in the last year. We take for granted the WWII mosins are for the most part the same and I encourage everyone to own one , because they are a ton of fun to shoot. But if you are a collector you will be looking for those pre-1941 Mosins, specifically the ones for WWI. These are the gems for a collector. The really rare finds are the Mosins made in the US for the imperial Army from Remington and Winchester. You find one of those and you have yourself a keeper.

Take the time to get your mosin out of the closet blow of the dust and really look and the stamps. You never know when you may find a diamond in the rough. A great site to meet all your mosin needs is:
http://7.62x54r.net/

Remember to be safe, have fun and know your rifles history.