The Ugliest Mosin Ever

[dlbleak]

I picked this ugly thing up yesterday. You guys feel free to add as much input as you want. I think it's a hodge podge of guns.
Pre 1928 Tula hex receiver with the hammer on it? Just above that you can see the date. Looks like 1944 with the cursive 'No.' under it.
the third digit is barely legible so I can't tell for sure


Front sight appears to be M39?


Italian stock? It's military because the front barrel band retainer is still there. It does look like a section was removed and the two parts glued
back together about four inches from the tip of the forearm. The area on the top of the butt where the metal plate would have been wrapped over has been wood filled also. Shame because it has some nice striping on it


Compared to a Chinese Type 53. Barrel has been shortened to 16 1/2 inches. Imagine the fireball this thing will make!


What is it?

 

[coolhandluke]

What is it?

The original Frankenmosin.

The stock looks like it's been cut down from a French Berthier variant. I am going to venture a guess that the rifle was originally a 1944 Tula M44 with a recycled receiver that has had the barrel chopped and a Finn M28, M28/30, or M39 front sight installed.

Does she still fit in an M38/ M44 stock? If so, I think the chopped barrel and front sight is actually pretty slick. I definitely wouldn't mind having the rifle in my collection if it was sitting back in a Mosin carbine stock.

 

[dlbleak]

glad you jumped in luke. after i compared the two again, you may be right. instead of grinding the bayonet lug off, they just cut behind it?

 

[coolhandluke]

glad you jumped in luke. after i compared the two again, you may be right. instead of grinding the bayonet lug off, they just cut behind it?

That's what it looks like to me...you would have to measure each barrel to be sure.

 

[dlbleak]

i compared the two. the forearm top would work but the bottom stock comes to about the middle of the front sight, bummer

 

[coolhandluke]

i compared the two. the forearm top would work but the bottom stock comes to about the middle of the front sight, bummer

Depending on the positioning of the barrel band and spring, the stock forend may just need shortened, re-inletted, and drilled for the nose cap. That's similar to how the 91/59 stocks were shorted from rifle to carbine length.

 

[ronny]

Bubba lives and he does pretty good work. The stock is reminiscent of a Berthier, but unless they've wood-filled the crossbolt holes and shaved and filled the big gap that usually sits right behind the bolt handle (can't tell from the picture), it's not one. That hammer is Tula. What's on the tang?

I'd try to define and research the barrel shank markings. I'd bet it's 1924 rather than 1944.

 

[ronny]

I forgot. I've seen that front sight before. Could be a Lee-Enfield. Also, there was a Japanese rifle which had a similar-looking sight.

 

[coolhandluke]

I forgot. I've seen that front sight before. Could be a Lee-Enfield. Also, there was a Japanese rifle which had a similar-looking sight.

Ronny,

You just beat me to it. That's definitely not a Finn front sight (the sight ears are not the correct shape and there are no windage adjustment screws). I also think that it's off a Lee Enfield No 4 (sight ears are the stamped not milled version). I guess that makes it a Frankenmosinfield.

The stock is similar to a Berthier as to its shape in the magazine area. I also noticed that it didn't have the crossbolts and the inletting for the bolt, but I'm just not aware of any other rifles with a similarly shaped stock.

I still do believe that the barrel shank is dated 1944. If I remember correctly it was fairly common for the '44 dated Tula M44's to have re-used hex receivers. Unless bubba also changed the rear sight, the rifle was originally a carbine not a 91/30.

 

[ronny]

Could be. The barrel just seems to say "old" to me.