"Le mieux est I / 'ennemi du bien": "The best is the enemy of the good"
(Commentary by M. Giovanni (1574) to Boccaccio's "Decameron")
So, we looked at the history of a rifle for the Russian imperial army, designed and put into service in 1891. Obviously, it was developed … by a whole work collective, in which S. I. Mosin, who designed a very good shutter. The Belgian Leon Nagant also had a hand in its creation, so it is not surprising why during the time of tsarist Russia it did not even receive the name "Russian", but in Soviet times it was called exclusively the Mosin rifle. They write about the same today on some of our websites that, they say, it is unfair to give Nagan 200,000 rubles "for one detail", and Mosin "30,000 rubles for everything!" But on the same sites they write something else, for example, that the rifle was loaded with cartridges into the store … from below, for which there was a cover! So far from everything, as we can see, from what is published on various sites deserves attention.
Three-rulers stuck with bayonets in the ground. Someone made them, and then somehow threw them away …
However, on the other hand, there are also quite objective comparisons of the "Mosin rifle" with rifles of other systems. So let's start with the good ones. This is, first of all, the good ballistics of the rifle (good barrel!) And the high power of the domestic cartridge (at the level of the American.30-06), and despite the fact that its American counterpart appeared in 1906.
High survivability of both the barrel and the bolt of the rifle.
Undemanding to "high technology" and the presence of large tolerances that were absent in the rifle of Leon Nagant.
Very high reliability and reliability in the operation of rifle mechanisms in all weather conditions and with a high level of contamination.
Thoughtful and reliable seven-piece bolt design; It could be disassembled and assembled quickly and without the use of any tools. By this alone, in this case, S. I. Mosin, as a designer, was significantly ahead of Leon Nagan, in the bolt of which there were two screws that had to be tightened and unscrewed every time the bolt was cleaned.
The magazine box had a convenient lid.
The stock and stock of the rifle were well thought out and had excellent ergonomics.
The plug is very easy to remove for cleaning and lubrication.
The rifle's rate of fire is quite high.
A separate larva is provided on the shutter, which is much cheaper to replace in the event of a breakdown than to change the entire shutter.
Soldiers of the Russian imperial army fire from three-line rifles in gas masks during the First World War.
disadvantages
The most important is a cartridge with a rim - the so-called welted cartridge, which made it difficult to feed cartridges of this design into the barrel and required the use of such a part as a cut-off reflector that was unnecessary with a cartridge-free cartridge. Moreover, in the shop designed by Edward Lee for rifles Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield, which had a two-row arrangement of cartridges, it was not needed at all, and this arrangement itself made it possible to increase the capacity of their store from 5 to 8-10 cartridges.
By the way, the statement that the Mosin rifle has a magazine that can hold five rounds is incorrect! Only four! The fifth remains inside the receiver and must either be fed into the barrel, or … in accordance with the charter of the guard service, removed from it and stored, well, say, in your pocket until better times!
Here it is, which has become the legendary "mosinka" of the 1924 issue in Russia, but it is clear that her stock with a buttstock is completely new.
The lugs on the bolt head are horizontally positioned when locking, and this increases the dispersion. That is why rifles with the best accuracy characteristics already in those years had lugs located vertically with the bolt locked. However, this was not done on the Mosinka, although it did not present any difficulty. In addition, she had a long and very heavy trigger travel, which is a hindrance to marksmanship. By the way, in the Russian army of that time, very much attention was paid to the weight of the weapon - so that a difference of only one pound could have the most sad effect on the fate of one or another system. So, in 1907, the Russian army adopted a carbine of the N. Yurlov system, proposed by him back in 1896, which was less technologically advanced and more expensive than the carbine of the Sestroretsk arms factory, but lighter just for this very pound, that is 400 grams!
A frame clip of a non-spring type, which to some extent made loading difficult. Meanwhile, spring plate clips already existed at that time, including the clip of Mosin himself, and they were more perfect. True, and a little more expensive than the Nagant clip adopted for the M1891 rifle.
Soldiers of the Red Army are practicing bayonet techniques.
Note that both the infantry and the dragoon rifle samples were necessarily shot with a bayonet put on the barrel, and when firing, he had to be close to the rifle, since otherwise the point of impact of the bullets was greatly shifted to the side. The bayonet adjoined the Mosin rifle on the right side of the barrel. If the bayonet is installed from below, as it is often shown in old Soviet films, then at the moment of a shot the powder gases will outrun the bullet, partially reflect from the bayonet and "take" it upwards, and so, under their influence, it went to the left. That is, the bayonet played the role of a derivation compensator. The fact is that the barrel of our rifle had a “right” rifling pitch, in contrast to the “left” “Lebel” one. And the "left" step of the rifling with a bayonet on the right would give an even greater bullet shift to the left. In Lebel's rifle, the derivation was compensated by shifting the front sight to the left by 0.2 points (“point” - 1 tenth of a line, line - 1 tenth of an inch), which would have required additional and high-precision operations during the assembly of the rifle, if it were not for a bayonet!
But from time to time, of course, he blabbed, from which the accuracy of the rifle decreased. It is interesting that the Cossack rifle was fired without a bayonet, but it was too heavy and, in general, inconvenient to shoot from a horse and to be carried by a horseman. Well, the loosening of the bayonet on the rifle was eliminated only on arr. 1891/30. However, he still had to be on the barrel when firing; completely this problem was solved only on the carbine mod. 1944, when an integral folding bayonet was invented, which also remained on the weapon, but at least could be folded, which increased the convenience of working with it and with the carbine.
Open bolt rifle.
The short, not bent down bolt handle definitely made it difficult to open it, especially when the cartridge case was tight in the chamber; in addition, such an arrangement forced the shooter to tear the butt off the shoulder every time when reloading, and this reduced the rate of fire of the rifle; and, again, in those years there were already samples of rifles with bolt handles extended back and bent downward. In particular, the Lee-Metford rifle had such a handle, which entered service in 1888. That is, the author of the Russian rifle should have known about this, and specialists from the relevant commission should have carried out the timing of operations during shooting;
It is also worth noting that both on the Mosin experimental rifle of 1885 and on the Nagant rifle, the bolt handles were carried back and even were in a special cutout, which was also separated from the window for ejection of spent cartridges by a jumper, which strengthened the receiver. But during the tests of the rifle of 1885, it turned out that reloading delays often occur with such a handle, since the long sleeves of Russian soldier's greatcoats fall between the bolt stem and the receiver, and the cutout for the handle was abandoned and the receiver configuration was returned similar to the one that was at the Berdan rifle.
Brand.
A straight neck at the buttstock when firing is not as comfortable as a semi-pistol one. And she was already on the then newest models of foreign rifles. True, it is more convenient when you have to shoot offhand, and also in bayonet combat.
This is how the fuse on the Mosin rifle works. But this is certainly a worse solution than the Mauser flag fuse.
The Mosin fuse was originally arranged. It is practically invisible on the rifle, so not everyone knows exactly where it is, in contrast to the obvious fuse on the Mauser rifle. Yes, it is very simple, but inconvenient to use. It is believed that it also has insufficient survivability, which is why it was practically not used.
There was also a lag in the design of small parts of the rifle and accessories, for example, it had inconvenient stock rings, a sight sensitive to impacts, "infantry" swivels (which were replaced in 1910 with not the most convenient "slots" for the belt), low quality wood, especially on rifles of later editions.
Magazine cover with feeder and spring. Theoretically, you can turn the rifle over, put four rounds in the magazine and close. But why so when you can insert the clip from above?
Front sight and ramrod.
Well, now the data of the market, which, as you know, determines everything. And now, according to the largest US weapons online store Bud's Gun Shop, it was the Mosin rifle in 2012 that took first place among all other types of small arms allowed for sale to American citizens. That is, the Americans for some reason most often bought "freeline" among other rifles. In the list of 20 bestsellers, our 1891/30 rifle is named the third in a row among all the old weapons in service. Our rifles and carbines of the 1891/30 model cost about $ 100. Their deliveries abroad were carried out and are being carried out from the old mobilization reserves of the times of the USSR. The kit includes a bayonet, belt and cartridge belt, as well as accessories for maintenance.
This is a 1924 rifle.
Personal impressions.
Thanks to my collector friend, I once again got the opportunity to “hold on” to both a 1924 rifle and a 1938 carbine. Surprisingly, the impression is similar to the G88 Mauser, but the stock under the rifle (and carbine) barrel is more comfortable to hold. The fuse, for all its originality, seemed inconvenient to me. The shutter tolerances allow him not only to "knock", as mentioned in the movie "Four Tankmen and a Dog", but also … not to be afraid of dirt and sand, well, it is convenient for them to work - in the sense that he walks easily. But the handle in the middle of the bolt compared to the Mauser rifles is really a bad solution. That is, the German regiment fired more bullets per minute than our regiment, and what this is fraught with in war is understandable. With a bayonet attached it is generally "something", but without it - the length is quite tolerable. Well, the carbine is even more convenient. But again … After comparison with the Spanish Mauser # 2, the latter seemed more convenient. By the way, the protruding magazine does not interfere with carrying the rifle at all. You just need to place your hand slightly in front of him.
And this is a 1938 carbine.
Thus, the general conclusion, in my opinion, will be as follows. In those harsh working conditions that were set by the management of S. I. Mosin, he showed himself from the best side. And if he had the capabilities of Paul Mauser, we would have had a real masterpiece, although, perhaps, not immediately. Immediately - it was necessary to do as the Americans did - to pay 200,000 rubles to Mauser and copy everything that was possible from him, and also put Lee's shop on the rifle, leave the bolt and Mosin's handle (having made sure that the sleeves of his greatcoat did not stick to the bolt!) clip. But … being in the service and obeying the charter, Mosin himself was tied hand and foot, and did what he was ordered to do. As a result, the most ingenious feature of the Mosinka (and the data from the Bud's Gun Shop also confirm this, like that of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, is its high reliability), inherent in any Russian weapon in general. This is where we really turned out to be ahead of the "planet of all". But again, under all other conditions, I would prefer to defend my own life with the Spanish Mauser carbine # 2, the second would be "Karl Gustav", but the Mosin carbine would be in third place. But these are, of course, again questions related to the length of the arms, fingers, the general constitution of the shooter, and his personal and sometimes subtle preferences.
The Mosin shutter can be disassembled without a screwdriver! In fact, this is his main creation!
