In 1891, a new weapon was adopted by the Russian army - the Russian three-line rifle, created by S. I. Mosin. This rifle was supposed to replace the Berdanks, which had been in operation since the early seventies. The new project used magazine ammunition, which provided a significant superiority over existing weapons. At the same time, the new rifle received a bayonet based on a similar unit of the existing sample.
According to some reports, during the development of a promising weapon to replace the Berdan rifle, it was proposed to abandon the traditional needle bayonet and use a cleaver. Nevertheless, supporters of proven solutions were able to defend the existing structure and "push through" its use in a new project. At the same time, it was proposed not only to borrow a ready-made blade, but to create a new version of it, modified taking into account the experience of operating the weapon and the requirements for a promising rifle. Thus, from the point of view of general ideas, the bayonet of the Mosin rifle was a further development of the "Berdanka" blade. It should be noted that in the future, some rifles still received bayonets with knife-like blades, but this was a necessary measure.
Red Army soldiers are learning bayonet fighting. Photo Wikimedia Commons
The general architecture of the first bayonet for the "Three-Line" corresponded to the structure of the bayonet for the Berdan rifle. At the same time, the design was modified in accordance with new calculations and experience in the use of existing weapons. As a result, the dimensions and weight of the bayonet, as well as some of its elements, have changed. To mount the bayonet on the rifle barrel, it was still proposed to use a tubular sleeve with a clamp. However, it was now proposed to attach the blade to the tube without any additional supports to ensure the extension from the barrel. To mount the bayonet no longer required a special stop on the barrel.
The tubular bushing had a thickened rear end and a shaped slot in the middle part. With the help of the latter, the sleeve was supposed to contact the front sight, and also ensure the correct interaction of the clamp with the barrel. The bayonet was fixed to the barrel using a metal clamp with a screw. For ease of use of the weapon, the relatively long ends of the clamp were brought out to the same side as the blade. The bayonet was mounted on the barrel as follows. It was necessary to put the sleeve on the muzzle of the barrel and turn the bayonet clockwise to the desired angle. At the same time, the angle of rotation, depending on the series and manufacturer, ranged from 30 to 90 degrees. The blade of the installed bayonet was to the right of the barrel.
The blade of the new bayonet had a four-sided needle-like shape. For greater rigidity, there were valleys on the side surfaces of the bayonet. Sharpening, as before, was proposed only for the point. At the same time, it had the shape of a screwdriver, which made it possible not only to attack the enemy, but also to use a bayonet as a screwdriver when servicing weapons. The absence of sharpening on the lateral edges was supposed to ensure the safe operation of weapons with an attached bayonet.
Bayonets sample 1891 Photo Zemlyanka-bayonets.ru
The total length of the bayonet for the "Three-Line" was 500 mm - it was noticeably shorter than the bayonet of the Berdan rifle. The length of the tubular sleeve was 70-72 mm with an inner diameter of 15 mm. The blade accounted for 430 mm of the total length of the product. Due to some technical and technological differences, the weight of the bayonets fluctuated within certain limits. Basically, this parameter ranged from 320-325 to 340-345 g.
It is known that the first batch of serial bayonets for the new rifle was ordered not by the Russian industry, but by a foreign enterprise. In 1891, an order for the production of rifles with bayonets was issued to the French factory Chatelleraut. From 1892 to 1895, this enterprise supplied 509,539 rifles to the Russian army, equipped with tetrahedral needle bayonets. French-made bayonets had some characteristic features, thanks to which, in particular, they were lighter than later products made in Russia.
The most notable feature of the French bayonets was the design of the blade valleys. These indentations began immediately after the blade was attached to the tube, while on Russian bayonets there was a significant gap between the mounts and valleys. Another difference was in the shape of the part connecting the blade and the bushing. Due to the wider slot in the tube, the bayonet had to be rotated 90 ° during installation. Finally, there were noticeable differences in the markings: the size of the letters, the location of the stamps, etc.
Sleeve for bayonet mounting. Photo Zemlyanka-bayonets.ru
From the point of view of the main design features, the bayonet of the Mosin rifle was a further development of the Berdanka blade. Such features of it affected the manuals for the use of weapons. New rifles, like the old ones, were prescribed to shoot with bayonets installed, which made it possible to reduce the effect of derivation during bullet flight. It was also necessary to store and carry weapons with a bayonet. It was required to remove it only when traveling by rail or road. In all other situations, including during the battle, the bayonet had to be located on the rifle barrel.
The first three-line rifles and bayonets for them were produced in France, but later the production of these weapons was transferred to Russian enterprises. The weapons were produced in Tula, Izhevsk and Sestroretsk. New domestic bayonets were produced in accordance with the project, but outwardly and in design they differed from weapons made by the French industry.
Combat ends of bayonets, made in the form of a screwdriver. Photo Zemlyanka-bayonets.ru
For several decades, bayonets for the Mosin rifle did not undergo any changes and, from a certain time, were produced only in Russia. Nevertheless, in the future, the list of manufacturing countries was replenished with one more item. The outbreak of the First World War led to the need to increase the production of weapons, but the Russian industry could no longer cope with new orders. Because of this, contracts with American companies appeared. The Remington and Westinghouse factories were supposed to produce about 2.5 million rifles and the same number of bayonets. American-made weapons were similar to French ones, and also had similar characteristics.
Before the revolutions of 1917, Russia managed to get no more than 750-800 thousand American-made "Three-Lines". Due to the change of power and the difficult economic situation, the Russian side could not pay for and take away new shipments of weapons, which caused problems with the status of these products. The problem was solved by the US government. Wanting to support factories experiencing economic difficulties, the state bought out the rifles produced, but not delivered to the customer, and handed them over to the National Guard. Some of these weapons also ended up in the army. Since the acceptance of "unclaimed" rifles and bayonets was carried out by the American military, these weapons received the appropriate brands.
Bayonet mounts designed by Kabakov-Komaritsky. Photo Bayonet.lv
The development of a bayonet to a three-line rifle was not carried out until a certain time. New modifications of this weapon, including serial ones, appeared only after the creation of the Soviet Union. Over the next few decades, a number of modifications of the base bayonet were created, which differed from each other and from the original design in some features and even purpose. Some of the modifications of the bayonet successfully passed all the necessary tests, and then entered the series.
The first new modification of the bayonet was the training one. In the twenties, a new bayonet design was proposed, which allowed fighters, using appropriate protective equipment, to practice bayonet techniques in joint exercises. The training bayonet differed from the combat one in the design of the "blade" and its attachments. The latter were made in the form of two metal plates with holes for two screws or rivets. A flexible plate bayonet simulator was placed between the plates, fixed in place with screws / rivets. In terms of its dimensions, the flexible blade simulator corresponded to a combat product. For safe use, the combat end of the simulator was bent and formed a loop.
Bayonet mod. 1891/30 Photo Wikimedia Commons
According to some reports, flexible training bayonets were produced not only by weapons factories, but also by factories of sports equipment. In addition, there is information about the continuation of the production of similar products until the sixties. Training bayonets could be used with both combat and Mosin training rifles. During the Great Patriotic War, training bayonets were converted into combat ones: for this, a handicraft plate blade was installed in the mountings.
At the end of the twenties, work began on the modernization of the "Three-Line", which led to the emergence of the so-called. Mosin rifle arr. 1891/30 One of the directions of modernization was the creation of a new bayonet, which differed from the base one by more advanced mountings. Engineers Komaritsky and Kabakov created a new version of the system for mounting a bayonet on a rifle, which included a spring latch and a nosepiece designed by the gunsmith Panshin.
The new bayonet differed from the basic version in the design of the tubular sleeve. On its lateral surface, a large slot was provided, connected to a small slot in the upper surface. Above the latter, there was a large frame structure muffler. The latch mechanisms were located in the blade mount. To install such a bayonet on a rifle, it was necessary to put the tube on the barrel, holding the front sight along the side slot, and then turn the bayonet 90 ° and put it on the latch. In this case, the blade turned out to be to the right of the barrel, and the open front sight was under the front sight.
Bayonet mounts arr. 1891/30. Photo Bayonet.lv
In the near future, on the basis of the Komaritsky-Kabakov design, a new bayonet was developed, which was later used with a rifle mod. 1891/30 The design of the bayonet actually remained the same, but he lost the muzzle. During the modernization, the rifle received its own front sight protection, which made it possible to abandon the corresponding part on the bayonet. In this configuration, the bayonet was mass-produced and supplied to the troops along with an upgraded rifle. It is noteworthy that the bayonets of the first series were equipped with a leather sheath, but later they were abandoned due to the absence of the need for such products.
In 1943, a new version of the bayonet with original mountings was developed. As part of the competition for the development of a promising bayonet, a design was proposed that allows both dismantling the blade and folding it into a transport position. For this, several new parts were installed on the tubular bushing. In the back, a bracket appeared with holes for a screw or stud. A blade with an elongated rear part was to be hinged on it. At the muzzle level, a movable latch piece with a ring was provided for installation on the barrel. Thus, the new bayonet should have been mounted on the rifle without the possibility of quick removal, but it became possible to fold the blade. To transfer to the stowed position, the latch was retracted forward and released the blade, allowing it to be rotated on the axis. The blade was laid along the bed. The return to the firing position was carried out by turning forward with the subsequent installation of the latch.
According to some reports, such bayonets were produced in a relatively small series and were used only in tests. They did not go into the series, however, they became the basis for a new bayonet, which, in turn, was produced in large batches and used by the troops.
The bayonet fastening mechanism for the carbine mod. 1944 Photo Wikimedia Commons
For certain reasons, the new folding bayonet began to be produced in 1943, but in the documents it is listed as a bayonet mod. 1944 This version of the blade was intended for Mosin carbines and, above all, differed in size. At the same time, there were also differences in design. So, instead of a tube with a figured slot, a metal clamp with a hinge for the blade was used, rigidly mounted on the barrel. The muzzle lock remains the same. The total length of such a folding bayonet was 380 mm with a blade length of 310 mm.
A folding bayonet with rigid non-removable mounts was used only on Mosin carbines mod. 1944 of the year. This weapon was mass-produced and supplied to the Red Army. In addition, some of the stocks of carbines were subsequently transferred to friendly states. Also, within the framework of international cooperation, the USSR transferred production documentation to third countries. Licensed carbines were produced in Hungary, China and other countries.
During the war, improvised modifications of bayonets for the Mosin rifle were also created, built on the basis of existing parts. So, in Leningrad during the blockade (according to other sources, in field workshops) bayonets with knife-like blades were made. In this case, a triangular mount was installed on the tubular sleeve, to which the blade was welded. As the latter, blanks for bayonets of the SVT-40 rifle or other similar products could be used. Such blades had one-sided sharpening and valleys on both side surfaces. For obvious reasons, the dimensions and weight of such products differed markedly and depended on the "raw material".
An improvised artisanal bayonet made using a custom blade. Photo Bayonet.lv
Rifles S. I. Mosin in various versions were produced until the mid-sixties of the last century and for several decades were one of the main types of small arms of the Russian, and then the Red Army. During this time, several modifications of the weapon itself, as well as bayonets for it, were created. Depending on the requirements of the troops, removable or folding bayonets of various designs were developed, and, if necessary, even an impromptu modification was created that could be produced in conditions of a shortage of resources. As an integral part of the rifle complex, bayonets of Mosin rifles were actively used by soldiers during several wars. Thus, the bayonets of this weapon are worthy of consideration and study no less than the rifles themselves.
