Mosin Nagant Identification Guide
1942 Tula
1944 Izhevsk
Barrel Markings
These markings read:
"Imperial Tula Weapons Factory 1910"
The 'Г' marking after the date is an abbreviation for 'Год', which is Russian for 'Year'
These markings read:
"Izhevsk Weapons Factory 1920"
These markings read:
"Sestroretsk Weapons Factory 1895"
One of the more collectible manufacturers, the Sestroretsk factory produced M91 rifles near St. Petersburg from 1893 - 1918
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Arrow markings stamped by the Sestroretsk factory
These markings read:
"Weapons Factory Chatellerault 1895"
The most collectible of all Mosin Manufacturers, the Chatellerault factory in France produced 503,539 M91 rifles under contract from 1892 - 1895
Some example markings of the Chatellerault factory
Mosins were also produced under contract in America by both New England Westinghouse and Remington from 1915 - 1918. Here are markings used by New England Westinghouse
Beginning in 1938, a prefix consisting of two Cyrillic letters was added to serial numbers
Factory Proof Markings
Rifles fired a black powder proof round in the factory to help check for imperfections in the metal. If the rifle passed the test, it was marked with a Cyrillic 'П' in a circle
Around 1940, the black powder proof test was replaced with a smokeless high pressure proof test. The Izhevsk factory would change to a "Y" in a circle, while the Tula factory would keep the Cyrillic 'П' in a circle
The rifles were also tested for their accuracy at the factory, and the minimum requirement was probably around 5 MOA. If the rifle passed the test, it was stamped with a 'K' in a circle
Sniper Rifle Markings
For most years, Mosin sniper rifles had a separate production line for their barrels. During WWII, the Tula factory would stamp a "C" and a "H" on the barrel to indicate a sniper grade barrel. From 1934 to 1940, the Tula factory would stamp a "C" and a "П" on the barrel
The Izhevsk factory began Sniper production in 1942. Around the middle of 1942, they would establish a dedicated sniper barrel production line, and would begin stamping sniper grade barrels with a "C" inside a circle
The Izhevsk factory would also stamp the serial number of the rifle's scope on the left side of the barrel shank. The Tula factory would never do this, but sometimes the serial number was stamped after the war, during refurbishment
Capture Markings
The most common capture marking is from Finland, who stamped a "SA" in a box on their rifles. This stands for "Suomen Armeija", indicating Finnish Army property. Finland began using this marking in 1941
On the very rare occasion, this marking can be found on Soviet refurbished 91/30s, indicating capture by Finland and then re-capture by the Soviets
Another capture marking you can find on Mosin rifles is from the Austro-Hungarian empire. They captured thousands of rifles during WWI, and the most common marking is an "AZF", which stands for Artillerie Zeugs Fabrik
Most of these rifles were later acquired by Finland, so you will typically see Finnish markings on these rifles as well. This M91 was re-barreled by Tikkakoski in 1940
Izhevsk Factory
(Post 1928)
Tula Factory
(Post 1928)
Izhevsk Factory
(Pre 1928)
