Customer Reviews

Official Soviet Mosin-Nagant Rifle Manual: Operating Instructions for the Model 1891/30 Rifle and Model 1938 and Model 1944 Carbines Originally Issued by the Ministry of Defense of the U.S.S.R.

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Major James F. Gebhardt has done a great service for all of us who own samples of the Soviet Mosin-Nagant Infantry Rifle. He's translated a Soviet manual published in Russian in 1961.

This manual concentrates on the operation and maintence of the three most commonly encountered versions of the Mosin-Nagant rifle, the M 91-30, the M-38 and the M-44. These remained in reserve for the Red Army and Warsaw Pact armies until the fall of the Soviet Union.

The original Mosin Nagant was adopted by Imperial Russia in 1891. The Soviets improved the sights and shortened the barrel in 1930 (hence M 91-30) and this is the rifle so prominently featured in the movie ENEMY AT THE GATES (in a scoped sniper version, that is.) The 91-30 is a real piece of history and this manual is very helpful for any shooter or collector.

The M-38 is a short, carbine length version of the M 91-30. It is interesting that the M-38 was not equipped to mount a bayonet despite the Red Army's long association with bayonets. The M-38 was designed primarily for cavalry (horse cavalry) and Red Army cavalrymen all carried sabers eliminating the need for a bayonet.

The M 44 is an M-38 equipped with a folding bayonet permanently attached to barrel. This was developed to meet frontline demands for something that was handier (shorter) for soldiers who increasingly rode on tanks and trucks instead of horses. The longer 91-30s, which were usually carried with the antique looking angular bayonets fixed, were too long for soldiers who spent most of their time riding on tanks or Lend-Lease Studebaker 2.5 ton trucks. The M-44 had the reliability of the familiar M 91-30 and the 44's bayonet could be pivoted so that it rode out of the way next to the barrel.

The old 91-30 bayonets could be difficult to dismount and the Red Army never issued scabbards for them. To keep the soldiers from losing them, or throwing them away, a lot of officers insisted that they be mounted all the time which is not much of a problem if you're marching on foot through open country.

It can be a real headache if you're getting in and out of trucks, or off the rear decks of tanks, however. And, by 1944, most Red Army soldiers rode on some sort of motorized transport. This was a rude suprise to the Wehrmacht and a justification for the M-44 which served during the Red Army's advance into Germany during 1944-45.

This manual would be a great companion to Terence W. Lapin's excellent book, THE MOSIN-NAGANT RIFLE. I gave it five stars.

It is interesting that Lapin translated a 1955 edition of this same Soviet manual and published his version in 1999. The material is the same except that Lapin adds some useful comments of his own.

This book is essential for anyone who owns a M44 type, Mosin Nagant rifle.
It is easy to read and has some very detailed schematics. There is also some information that was supplied to Russian soldiers that show how to fight with the bayonet, etc. There is even a section showing how to shoot down enemy aircraft. Overall, it was well worth the money.

This is a must have book for every one that owns a Mosin Nagant rifle.
This is a fantastic manual that includes instructions for every aspect of the Mosin Nagant. Take down & assembly, maintenance, cleaning, inspection, troubleshooting and even shooting & sniper tactics.

This is the one to buy if you are looking for a handbook to help you care for & use your Mosin Nagant 91/30 properly, period!

Everything you ever wanted to know about your Mosin-Nagant rifle. This book is easy to read and understand. A must for the Mosin-Nagant owner.

My Mosin Nagant rifle was bought last month and is the first rifle other than a 22 that I have owned. I got this manual to become better acquainted with the rifle and it's care and I have not been disappointed. The manual, apparently translated from the original Russian, is excellent, with details about the rifle itself, taking it apart, cleaning it, replacing parts or maintaining it, which are very useful. I would guess that even an experienced rifle owner would benefit from the manual.

The manual also has some parts that I hope will never come in handy, such as how to decontaminate the weapon after a chemical attack! The original manual was intended for the combat troops who were issued these rifles, so there's a lot of field information that may not be relevant to the armchair generals like me. The takedown and maintenance instructions are exactly what I needed.

Every Mosin shooter should have this! Interesting from a historical perspective, great info on the proper care of the weapon, interesting tactical insights! For some of the more intricate procedures (bolt disassembly in particular) there are great videos on YouTube that are better, but this book WILL get you through everything else. Definitely worth the price thiugh!

This book is as awesome as his Makarov Book. Well written, easy to follow and very "User Friendly" recommend this author reading to anyone who is interest in Soviet weapons.

For those of you who have bought a Mosin and want to learn more about maintainence and troubleshooting.

I've read almost everything I could find online about the Mosin Nagant rifle, and nothing comes close to this book. The Ministry of Defense had produced a wonderful manual, which is both useful and easy to read. The translator has done great justice to the original Russian (According to my Russian teacher). That said, the only issue is a vagueness on putting the bolt BACK together, but this is no fault of the translator or publisher.

Even if you don't own a Mosin Nagant rifle, this manual is a great read. I hope to find more manuals for newer rifles, so that I may read up when I acquire said rifles.