Upgraded Mosin rifle. Rifles and carbines of the Mosin system

View of the receiver and bolt of a rifle of the 1891-30 model (pre-war production - the receiver in the front part has an octagonal section; rifles of the military years of production had round receivers).

Cartridges for the Mosin rifle, caliber 7.62×54mm R.
left - equipped clip
on the right, from top to bottom: a cartridge of the 1891 model with a blunt bullet and two cartridges of the 1908 model with a pointed bullet and lacquered steel and brass cases, respectively.

	infantry rifle mod 1891 and 1891/10	dragoon rifle mod 1891 and 1891/10	rifle mod 1891/30	carbine mod 1938	carbine mod 1944
Caliber	7.62×54mm R
Type	manual reloading, longitudinally sliding rotary bolt
Length	1306 mm 1738 mm with bayonet	1234 mm 1666 mm with bayonet	1234 mm 1666 mm with bayonet	1020 mm	1020 mm
barrel length	800 mm	730 mm	730 mm	510 mm	510 mm
Weight	4.22 kg 4.6 kg with bayonet	3.9 kg 4.28 kg with bayonet	3.8 kg 4.18 kg with bayonet	3.45 kg	~3.9 kg with integral folding bayonet
Shop	5 rounds in integral box magazine, ammo from clips

With the development of weapons and general technologies at the end of the 19th century, a new, qualitative leap was outlined in small arms in the development of long-barreled individual weapons - the appearance of smokeless powders ensured the transition to reduced calibers, and in combination with the development of technology - also the creation of acceptable magazine-fed systems to replace single shot systems. In the Russian Empire, relevant surveys were started as early as 1883, for which a special commission was created under the Main Artillery Directorate of the General Staff. As a result of lengthy tests, by 1890 two systems of magazine rifles reached the final - domestic, developed by Captain S.I. Mosin, and Belgian, developed by Leon Nagant. According to the results of tests in 1891, a rifle was adopted, which was more or less the basic design of Mosin with some (not too significant, but nonetheless available) borrowings from the Nagant system. In particular, according to some sources, the design of the magazine feeder and the plate clip were borrowed from the Nagant. The rifle was adopted under the designation "3-line rifle model 1891". 3 lines in the old Russian system of measures are equal to 0.3 inches, or 7.62mm. Together with the rifle, a new three-line (7.62mm) cartridge was also adopted, now known as 7.62x54mm R. The cartridge was developed by the Russian designer Veltishchev based on the French 8x56mm R cartridge from the Lebel rifle and had a bottle-shaped sleeve with a protruding rim, a smokeless powder charge and a blunt shell bullet. The design of the sleeve with a rim, which had already begun to become obsolete, was adopted for reasons of the low level of development of the Russian arms industry - the manufacture of chambers for such a sleeve, and the sleeves themselves, can be made to less stringent tolerances than are required when using sleeves without a protruding rim. This decision, at that time, had a certain economic and military base under it - the creation and implementation of a cartridge without a rim, like the German cartridge model 1888, would have cost more and would have taken more time. However, due to various historical circumstances, the subsequent change in the design of the cartridge to a more progressive one (which occurred in other developed countries at the latest by the end of the 1920s) did not happen, and until today, domestic designers are forced to rack their brains when creating automatic systems for hopelessly outdated cartridge.

Initially rifle mod. 1891 was put into service in three basic versions, which differed little from each other. the infantry rifle had a long barrel and a bayonet. The dragoon (cavalry) rifle had a slightly shorter barrel and was also equipped with a bayonet, in addition, the way the gun belt was attached to the dragoon rifle was changed (through holes were made in the stock instead of swivels). The Cossack rifle differed from the dragoon rifle only in the absence of a bayonet. The bayonet for the rifle model 1891 was also adopted a somewhat outdated model - needle, fastened with a tubular coupling worn on the barrel. The bayonet had a square section with small valleys on the sides, the tip was sharpened to a plane, and could be used as a screwdriver when disassembling weapons. The main drawback of the system, corrected only in 1938, was that the bayonet always had to be worn attached to the rifle, in the firing position. This made the already rather long rifle even more inconvenient to carry and maneuver, especially in cramped circumstances (in trenches, in dense forest, etc.). All rifles (except for the Cossack) were sighted with an attached bayonet, and the removal of the bayonet led to a significant change in the combat of the rifle. In addition, the bayonet mounts tended to loosen over time, worsening the accuracy of shooting (the disadvantage was eliminated only in the 1930 modification). Early samples of rifles were distinguished by the absence of barrel linings and had a barrel open at the top along the entire length. Since 1894, wooden top plates were introduced to protect the shooter's hands from burns on the hot barrel. Since at the time of adoption, domestic production was not yet ready to start producing new rifles, the initial order was placed in France, at the arsenal in the city of Chatellerault. Serial production of rifles at the Sestroretsk Arms Plant near St. Petersburg under the leadership of Mosin himself began in 1893-94, in Tula and Izhevsk a little later. During the First World War, due to the inability of Russian industry to make up for losses at the front, rifles had to be ordered from the United States. Orders were placed with Remington and Westinghouse in 1916. After the October Revolution of 1917, a significant part of the rifles remained in the United States and were sold on the civilian arms market or used for the initial training of soldiers in the army. Outwardly, the rifles of the American order, in addition to the markings, differed from the domestic ones in the stock material - they had walnut stocks instead of birch ones.

The first modernization of the rifle of the 1891 model was postponed in 1908 - 1910, when, in connection with the adoption of a new version of the cartridge with a pointed bullet and improved ballistics, the rifles received new sights. In addition, other minor changes were made, such as the new design of the stock rings. The new rifles received the designation sample 1891-10 of the year and served in all three versions until 1923, when the command of the Red Army, for the purpose of unification, decided to leave only the dragoon rifle in service, which remained the main individual weapon of the infantry until 1930. In 1930, another modernization takes place, and again - only partial. The method of fastening the ramrod and the bayonet is changed, but the latter must still constantly be attached to the rifle. The rifle (by this time already officially known not as a nameless "sample", but as a Mosin rifle) receives new sights, graduated in meters, and not outdated arshins. The design of the false rings is changing again. Under the designation "Mosin rifle model 1891-30," this weapon becomes the main weapon for the Red Army for the pre-war period and most of the Great Patriotic War. In addition to the rifle model 1891-30, in 1938, a shortened carbine of the 1938 model was adopted, which differed (except for the shorter length of the stock and barrel) by the absence of a bayonet. In 1944, the last modernization of the already fairly outdated system took place - the 1944 carbine was adopted, which differed from the 1938 carbine by the presence of a side-folding integral bayonet, which was still progress compared to previous versions. The 1944 carbine replaces both the 1891-30 rifle and the 1938 carbine in production as weapons more suitable for modern mobile warfare. At the end of the Second World War, the production of Mosin rifles continues until the end of the 1940s, after which part of the machine park and equipment is transferred to Poland. In addition to Russia / USSR, the Mosin rifle was in service in a number of countries, including Poland, Yugoslavia, Hungary, China, North Korea and Finland. Moreover, the latter not only received a certain supply of rifles of the 1891-10 model during the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917, but also captured a fairly large number of rifles of the 1891-30 model during the "northern" war between the USSR and Finland in 1940. In addition, Finland itself produced Mosin rifles. Up to the present time, Mosin rifles enjoy a certain popularity among the civilian population of the ex-USSR (and other countries) for their low cost, good ballistic data and the availability of cartridges.

From a technical point of view, the Mosin rifle is a magazine weapon with manual reloading. The barrel is locked longitudinally - sliding. rotary bolt on two lugs for the receiver. The lugs are located in front of the bolt and in the locked state are located in a horizontal plane. The cocking of the drummer and setting it on a combat platoon are carried out when the jam is opened. The shutter is simple in design, the direct reloading handle is located in the middle of the shutter. There is no fuse as a separate part; instead, the head of the trigger (drummer) located openly behind the bolt is used to set the fuse. The bolt can be easily removed from the receiver without the help of a tool (just pull the bolt all the way back and then pull the trigger to pull it back). store box-shaped, integral, with a single-row arrangement of cartridges. The bottom cover of the store is hinged down and forward for quick unloading and cleaning of the store. Store equipment - from lamellar clips for 5 rounds or one round, through the upper window of the receiver with the shutter open. Due to the design features of the store (single-row arrangement of cartridges when loading from above), a special part had to be introduced into the design - a cut-off that blocked the second and lower cartridges in the store when the upper cartridge was fed into the barrel. When the bolt was fully closed, the cut-off was turned off, allowing the next cartridge to rise to the feed line into the barrel. on early samples, the cutoff also served as a reflector for a spent cartridge case, later (since 1930) a separate reflector was introduced. The stock of the rifle is wooden, usually made of birch, with a straight neck and a steel nape of the butt. The sights are open; since 1930, a ring fuse for the front sight has been introduced on a number of rifles.

In addition to those described above, there were also less common modifications, the most famous of which is the 1891-30 model sniper rifle. The rifle outwardly differed from the basic design with a bolt handle bent down and mounts for a PE or PU optical sight mounted on the left side of the receiver. Rifles for modernization into a sniper version were selected at the factories according to the accuracy of combat from serial ones. Another interesting modification is a rifle with a silencer system of the Mitin brothers ("BRAMIT device"), which was used by intelligence units during the Great Patriotic War.

In general, the Mosin rifle, sung by Soviet propaganda as a great weapon, was by no means the worst, but not at all an ideal model. The rifle undoubtedly met the requirements set for it - it was simple, cheap to manufacture and maintain, accessible even to poorly trained soldiers, generally durable and reliable, and had good ballistic qualities for its time. On the other hand, the requirements themselves were largely based on already outdated ideas about tactics and the role of small arms. For this reason, as well as for a number of other reasons, the Mosin rifle had a number of significant drawbacks, such as: an outdated bayonet design, constantly worn adjacent to the rifle, which made it less maneuverable and heavier; horizontal bolt handle, less convenient when carrying weapons and reloading than bent down, and located too far ahead of the neck of the butt (which slowed down reloading and contributed to knocking down the sight when firing). In addition, the horizontal handle, of necessity, had a short length, which required considerable effort to remove the cartridges stuck in the chamber (a common thing in trench life). The fuse required to turn the rifle on and off from the shoulder (whereas on foreign models, Mauser, Lee Enfield, Springfield M1903, it could be controlled with the thumb right hand without changing the grip and position of the weapon). In general, the Mosin rifle was, in my opinion, a fairly typical example of Russian and Soviet weapons ideas, when ease of handling weapons and ergonomics were sacrificed for reliability, ease of production and development, and cheapness. Therefore, the glory of Russian weapons, obtained in two world wars, and often attributed to the Mosin rifle itself, nevertheless, to a greater extent, belongs not to weapons, but to people, despite all the shortcomings of the weapon, who knew how to use its advantages, who fought and defeated the enemy, who often had the best from a technical point of view, weapons.

For half a century, the "three-ruler" became the main symbol of the Russian, and then the Soviet soldier. It is equally associated with the battles in the trenches of the First World War, with revolutionary patrols on the streets of Petrograd, with the "psychic attacks" of the White Guards and with the regiments leaving for the front in the formidable 1941.

Today, few people remember why the rifle is called the "three-ruler". It comes from the caliber of a rifle barrel, which is equal to three lines. A line is an obsolete measure of length, approximately 2.54 mm. To be more precise, the name "three-ruler" means the well-known and familiar 7.62 mm caliber.

Video provided by Kalashnikov-media

Get away from the "berdanki"

In the 1870s and 1880s, the Russian army was armed with Berdans. This word meant at once two different systems of single-shot rifles for a unitary central ignition cartridge with a metal sleeve and black powder.

Since the late 1870s, Russian military experts have been talking about the need to switch the army to magazine rifles, however, the available samples did not have sufficient reliability and efficiency.

In 1889 the great chemist Dmitry Mendeleev as a result of the experiments, he managed to obtain high quality smokeless powder. In the same year, a 7.62 mm cartridge filled with smokeless powder was developed in Russia.

Back in 1882, the Main Artillery Directorate set the task of developing a multi-shot, "repeating" rifle, but it was not until 1889 that conditions arose that made it possible to create a truly modern rifle that could be produced in Russia along with weapons and ammunition.

Mosin rifle 7.62 mm model 1891-1930. Reproduction of an illustration from the book “The Weapons of Victory” published by the Young Guard publishing house, 1975. Photo: RIA Novosti / Khomenko

Mosin and Nagant: who won?

In 1889, the Belgian presented their samples of rifles to the court of a special commission. Leon Nagant And head of the tool workshop of the Tula Arms Plant Captain Sergey Mosin.

Both rifles had a number of interesting solutions, but did not meet all the requirements. The designers were asked to continue work. In the autumn of 1890, the Nagant and Mosin rifles were presented for military trials. They showed that the Russian rifle, although inferior to the Belgian in finesse and design, has the advantage of ease of manufacture and reliability. Mosin rifles on tests gave three times fewer delays in feeding a cartridge than Nagant rifles.

But in the end, the development of Mosin was taken only as a basis. Improvements were made to it, both borrowed from the design of Nagant and proposed by specialists who were part of the commission for choosing the model.

Rifle with no name

War Minister Pyotr Vannovsky, presenting the final project of the rifle for approval to the emperor, wrote: “In the new model being manufactured, there are parts proposed Colonel Rogovtsev, commission Lieutenant General Chagin, captain Mosin and gunsmith Nagan, so it is advisable to give the developed model a name: Russian 3-lin. rifle model 1891.

Emperor Alexander III simplified the name even more, ordering the rifle to be put into service under the name "trilinear rifle of the 1891 model of the year."

Sergei Ivanovich Mosin was not bypassed by either ranks or awards, but his name was finally fixed in the name of the rifle only by the 1920s. The gunsmith did not live to see this: in the winter of 1902, he died of pneumonia at the age of 52.

Sergei Mosin. Left - captain, 1981, right - major general, 1901 Source: Public Domain

"Three Linear Family"

Reliability and ease of production and handling made the Mosin rifle the most popular domestic weapon in the first half of the 20th century.

By the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, approximately 3,800,000 rifles had been supplied to the army.

When it comes to the Mosin rifle, you need to keep in mind that a whole family of small arms was created on its basis.

Only since 1891, the rifle was produced in three versions: "infantry", "Cossack" and "dragoon". In 1907, a carbine created on the basis of a rifle joined the family.

In 1930, by upgrading the "dragoon" rifle, a new type of weapon was created, known as the Mosin rifle of the 1891/1930 model.

The start of production of optical sights in the USSR made it possible to create a sniper rifle based on the "three-ruler".

The Mosin sniper rifle, launched in 1931, was distinguished by improved barrel processing, a downward-curved bolt handle, and a mount for an optical sight. In total, over 100 thousand of these rifles were produced, which became the weapons of the legendary Soviet snipers, for example, Vasily Zaitsev.

Various modifications of rifles and carbines. Photo: Flickr.com / Antique Military Rifles

Only AK was produced more

The last modification of the Mosin rifle was the carbine of the 1944 model, which was distinguished by the presence of a non-removable needle bayonet and simplified manufacturing technology. The experience of the Great Patriotic War required the shortening of infantry weapons, and the new carbine made it possible to fight in various earthen fortifications, buildings, dense thickets, and so on.

The carbine of the 1944 model was produced before the adoption of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, after which it was gradually withdrawn from service.

Up to the present day, on the basis of the Mosin rifle, numerous samples of civilian and sporting weapons have been created.

According to rough estimates, in total, about 37,000,000 copies of various modifications based on the "three-ruler" were produced. From domestic weapons only the Kalashnikov assault rifle turned out to be more massive.

First, why the "three-ruler"? In the Russian imperial army, the caliber was measured not in millimeters, but in lines. A line is one tenth of an inch, and three lines is 7.62 mm. In pre-revolutionary Russia, three models of "three-line" were adopted for service: infantry, dragoon and Cossack. They differed in length. In addition, the Cossack rifle did not have a bayonet.

As a rule, the "three-ruler" had a needle bayonet, although there were exceptions. For example, in besieged Leningrad one could meet "three-rulers" with a kind of bladed bayonet. Interestingly, contrary to popular belief, needle bayonets were never sharpened: to inflict a terrible laceration, this was not required. And the mention of bayonet sharpening in a poem by M. Yu. Lermontov, known since childhood, is nothing more than a beautiful literary device. The median store "three-ruler" was designed for 5 rounds.

The first combat use of the “three-ruler” was the Andijan battle during the Pamir campaigns, when the Russian infantry practically mowed out the attacking enemy cavalry from magazine rifles. Then, perhaps, the only complaint was noted about the thin bayonets of the rifle, which broke when trying to raise the enemy on the bayonet in hand-to-hand combat. After this battle, the rifle also had an upper lining that protected the shooter's hand from burns during intense shooting.

Portrait of S. I. Mosin

The scope of the weapon was originally designed for 2700 steps. Among the examples of firing at long distances (more than 2 km), one can single out an episode of the Russo-Japanese War, when an attempt by a Japanese landing party to inspect the 2nd-rank cruiser Novik, which was flooded to the upper deck near Korsakov on Sakhalin, was thwarted. Having set the sight at the maximum distance, the Russian militias fired several volleys, after which the Japanese, having lost several people killed and wounded, left the flooded cruiser and did not return to such enterprises during the war.

A similar practice of conducting volley fire at columns or group targets lasted until the First World War, when the columns were finally replaced by rifle chains, and machine guns began to dominate the battlefield.

In 1910, in connection with the transition to a pointed bullet, which had slightly different ballistic properties, the sighting device and the “three-line” were changed. Those who retained the original sight before the introduction of the Konovalov bar remain a rarity in museum collections.

The main production in Imperial Russia was concentrated at the Tula and Izhevsk arms factories. There are rifles and the French factory Chatellerault. The Sestroretsk Arms Plant also produced training rifles. With the outbreak of the First World War, in order to save money and unify production, it was mainly the dragoon version that was produced. The same trend continued in the USSR, where only dragoons were produced since 1923.

Pre-revolutionary variants of the "three-ruler"

During the First World War, an order was given to the American companies Westinghouse and Remington for the production of 2 million three-line cars. However, in the States, citing various reasons, this order was repeatedly postponed. How many rifles were nevertheless delivered to Russia during the First World War and the Civil War, and to whom they got, are very difficult questions. There were "three-rulers" and the American interventionists in Russia during the Civil War. This was due to two factors. Firstly, the presence in Russia of a mass of such weapons simplified the supply of American troops with ammunition. And secondly, the manufacturers of rifles made in the States needed someone to fuse. The “Russian rifle”, as it was called in the USA, released overseas, differed from the Tula and Izhevsk walnut stocks instead of birch ones.

All rifles of the 1891 model issued in the USA were infantry models. In addition to the three variants of rifles in pre-revolutionary Russia, a carbine of the 1907 model was produced in small quantities, which was in service with machine gun teams and artillerymen. This weapon did not receive wide distribution in the Russian army.

In the Red Army, only the dragoon model was left in service, and the rifle itself underwent minor modernization in 1930. Due to the appearance of the namushnik, the bayonet mount was changed, and the sight became not in steps, but in meters. If the tsarist "three-ruler" was shot with a bayonet, that is, given the ballistics of the bullet, shooting was carried out at long distances with an attached bayonet, then the Soviet rifle was shot without a bayonet. The receiver instead of faceted from 1935 finally acquired a rounded shape.

The weak point of the rifle and all carbines created on its basis was the fuse, which requires significant physical strength even for an adult. Since 1938, the production of the Mosin rifle has been concentrated in Izhevsk, since the Tula Arms Plant switched to the production of the Tokarev self-loading rifle.

American troops in Arkhangelsk with "three-rulers", 1918

"Three-ruler" became the most massive Soviet small arms of the Great Patriotic War. In total, from May 1941 to the end of 1944, more than 11 (according to other sources, up to 13) million rifles and carbines based on the Mosin rifle were produced. Discrepancies in estimates of the number of firearms produced are not uncommon, and this is due to a number of factors. In mass production, there is always a certain percentage of rejects, in which case a similar sample is returned by acceptance to the factory for troubleshooting. At the same time, in the documentation of the enterprise, it will pass as a newly released unit, although this is the same rifle.

The release of the Mosin rifle (with the exception of the sniper model) continued until the end of 1943. Moreover, since 1942 there was a serious increase in the production of weapons that cost 166 rubles in production, while the expensive SVT-40, which cost about 2000 rubles in production, obviously did not take root in the mass army. For example, in February 1942 in Mednogorsk (where the production of self-loading rifles was evacuated from Tula) 50 thousand SVT were produced, while the Izhevsk plant produced 12 thousand three-rulers daily. Therefore, the Red Army started the war, having about a million SVT-40s, and ended it with a "three-ruler", however, with a huge number of submachine guns.

In the USSR, two carbines were created on the basis of the "three-ruler". The first in 1938. In fact, it was the same "three-ruler", but 20 cm shorter and without a bayonet. There is an opinion that the carbine is a cavalry weapon. But in the Red Army, carbines of the 1938 model were armed with artillerymen, sappers, and in the cavalry he appeared only during the Great Patriotic War. Before that, the Soviet cavalry was with the same "three-rulers".

Sniper V. I. Zaitsev with a Mosin sniper rifle

During the Great Patriotic War, it turned out that there was no need for an ordinary shooter to fire at a distance of 2 km - this role was successfully performed by heavy machine guns. For street fighting and fighting in trenches, the "three-ruler" was long and uncomfortable. It was necessary to create a more compact sample without resorting to a fundamental change in design. And such a model was created - it became a carbine of the 1944 model. The only difference was the presence of a folding needle bayonet of the Semin system, which was shorter than that of the “three-ruler”. bayonet fight became a rarity, and there was no longer any need to repel enemy cavalry attacks. The carbine of the 1944 model was produced until 1949 only at the Izhevsk plant, until it was replaced by the self-loading carbine of the Simonov system of the 1945 model.

Since 1931, a sniper rifle based on the Mosin rifle has been in service with the Red Army. It differed from the standard best quality barrel, curved bolt handle and the presence of an optical sight. Therefore, the rifle was equipped not with a clip, but with one cartridge. Sniper variant The "three-ruler" has proven itself well in battles, starting from the Khasan events of 1938 and up to the Great Patriotic War. Although there have been cases of the combat use of the Mosin rifle in conflicts of the second half of the 20th century. The release of weapons continued until 1945. In the post-war period, due to the lack of a good sniper model (the SVT-40 was considered unsatisfactory as a sniper weapon), the “three-ruler” was left as a temporary measure until the creation of a new one. sniper rifle. But the temporary “three-ruler” remained for another 18 long years, until the Dragunov sniper rifle was adopted in 1963.

BraMit for Mosin rifle

Since 1938, attempts have been made to equip the rifle with a silencer. In this case, the shooting was carried out at small (no more than 100 meters) distances. For firing, a special US cartridge was used with a lower power charge of gunpowder. The initial velocity of the bullet was only 260 m / s and was subsonic. The disadvantage of such a weapon was a very limited range of use: at a distance of more than 100 meters, even with an optical sight, the accuracy of the fire was already unacceptably low. The army was not interested in such a novelty, but during the Great Patriotic War it found application in partisan and reconnaissance and sabotage detachments.

In the second half of the 20th century, the Soviet Union transferred part of the "three-rulers" to a number of third world countries, where they are less and less, but they fall into the lenses of film and television cameras. IN Russian Federation formally, the Mosin rifle remains in service, since there has not yet been an official order to remove this sample.

3956 10/08/2019 7 min.

A rifle with a caliber of 7.62 mm was adopted by decree of the emperor in 1891. With some improvements and in different versions, it was the main weapon of Russian soldiers in all Japanese, First and Second World, Civil and Finnish wars. The question of why a rifle is called a three-line is not limited to the answer that a line is an old Russian measure of length (2.54 millimeters), that is, its caliber is exactly three lines. The history of the creation of this weapon, giving it a name is an exciting intrigue.

Three-ruler rifle - characteristics

weight - 4.2 kg;
length 1300 mm, with bayonet 1660 mm:
in the store - five rounds;
rate of fire - up to thirty rounds per minute;
aimed shooting, range - 1920 m;
bullet speed at the exit of the barrel - 865 m / s.

The rate of fire is much higher than the average, for example, they are much inferior in speed - only 125 m / s.

The history of the creation of weapons

In 1882, the task was set in the Russian Empire creation of a repeating army rifle. The commission that was supposed to select the best option of the proposed ones, headed by General N. Chagin.

At the beginning of the work, the commission considered more than one hundred and fifty options for screw guns using black powder, chambered for Berdan caliber 4.2 lines. Among the inventors who proposed their systems was Tula gunsmith Captain Sergei Mosin.

His first job showed good results, but was rejected by the commission: in combat conditions, the applied magazine provided in it, feeding cartridges from the rail, was not easy to reload.

The creation of smokeless powder finally ended everything initial options: Russia could not keep up with technological progress. At the same time, attempts were made to create cartridges of a smaller caliber.

The commission worked meticulously and carefully. The leadership of the military department did not want to repeat the mistakes the times of Alexander II, when in ten years five rifles of different calibers were hastily put into service, outdated even before their mass production began.

In 1989 Dmitri Mendeleev developed Russian smokeless powder, and Colonel N. Rogovtsev - a cartridge with a caliber of the 3rd line. The cartridge was made according to the model of the Austrian 8-mm, but filled with Mendeleev's black powder instead. See photo.

Its shell was made of cupronickel, which is stronger than copper and does not rust like steel. The protruding rim on the sleeve made it possible to allow large tolerances in its manufacture, which was important because the production base of the Russian military industry lagged significantly behind the German one, where it was not a problem to mass-produce an accurate annular groove on the sleeves.

The presence of the rim made it possible for the fighter to load the rifle with one cartridge at a time if the magazine failed. Shooting from a Mosin rifle, see the following video:

The Belgian Leon Nagant offered his own design of a rifle with a clip-loading magazine as an alternative to him.

Both systems were recognized by the commission as worthy of attention, but requiring improvement. Based on the analysis of their tests, the commission decided on the final requirements for the main Russian small arms.

The caliber, design of the barrel and cartridge, ballistic characteristics in this specification were determined. Inventors had to offer their own successful design store and shutter.

Mosin and Nagan again reached the final of the competition. In 1890, large-scale testing of both options began.

Samples of the Nagant system

Prototypes of the Nagant system were professionally manufactured with high quality design and precision workmanship. The variant was almost ready for serial production.

Mosin managed to prepare only nondescript prototypes of handicraft work for the beginning of the tests. Although the first results of the firing were almost equal, the majority of the members in the first votes of the commission leaned towards the Belgian version.

Three hundred copies of each weapon were already involved in military trials. Test firing showed that the Mosin system when feeding cartridges by the magazine gives three times less delays compared to the alternative. It was much cheaper than the Belgian in production, the industry was ready for its release.

Some of Nagant's technical solutions were recognized by the commission as worthy of attention: the idea of placing the feeder on the magazine door, opening it down; fill the magazine by lowering the cartridges from the clip with your finger.

Proposals were made by the members of the commission themselves. Taking into account these comments, Mosin was asked to finalize his work, which he did with success.

The commission decided that the final version was the fruit of the collective work of Mosin, Rogovtsev, Nagan, members of the Chagin commission. Captain Mosin for his contribution to the creation of the main small arms of the imperial army was awarded the prize. But his name was not included in the original name of the rifle: the tsar approved the sample under the name "3-line rifle of 1891".

In 1892, mass production of new small arms began at the factories of Sestroretsk, Izhevsk, Tula, and the French city of Chatellerault. It was first tested in a combat situation in a battle with the Afghans in the Pamirs. Has proven itself well. In civilian conditions, they have proven themselves well.

By the beginning of the Japanese war in 1904, 3.8 million three-rulers had already been produced, by the beginning of World War I - 4.5 million; 3.3 million pieces were made during the war by the industry of the empire. Another one and a half million were ordered from the United States, but due to the outbreak of the revolution, most of them never made it to Russia. Today, American-made tri-lineers provide the most value for collectors. Domestic-made weapons are valued all over the world, read about the longest-range sniper rifle in Russia. Watch the video:

Modernized line

In the design of the Mosin rifle during production minor improvements were made that did not affect the principles of its structure. It was produced in 4 versions: dragoon, Cossack, infantry, carbine.

During the war, its shortcomings were also revealed in comparison with the latest German and Austrian weapons: lower rate of fire due to an unsuccessful clip device, poor bayonet attachment, ramrod stop device. Mass production was often carried out in violation of the regulations, the fighters had to carry out the final fitting of parts already in the trenches.

Even those who are far from the world of weapons know about this legendary rifle. Mosinka has a rich history. It appeared back in 1891 and was used by the army, first of the Russian Empire, and then of the Soviet Union for more than 50 years. This weapon remains relevant today. For military purposes, sniper rifles based on the Mosin trilinear are used. Also "Mosinka" can be used for hunting. This is a very reliable inexpensive rifle that is suitable for fishing medium and large animals.

History of the Mosin rifle

The three-line rifle of the 1891 model, which is often referred to simply as the Mosin rifle, "Mosinka" or three-line rifle, was adopted in 1891. Massively it was used from 1892 until the end of the 50s of the XX century. During this time, the rifle was repeatedly upgraded. It is called trilinear because of the caliber, which is equal to three lines. This is a traditional measure of length, equal to 2.54 mm.

Russian designer Sergei Ivanovich Mosin presented the first version of his famous three-ruler in 1889. It was developed on the basis of his earlier single-shot rifle, from which it borrowed the receiver and bolt group unchanged. But in order to adopt it into service with the Russian army, it was necessary to change the design of the bolt group and store, which was done. In 1892, the production of this version of the rifle began at the Izhevsk, Tula and Sestroretsk arms factories. Since their capacities were not enough, "Mosinki" at that time were also produced at a factory in the French city of Chatellerault;
in combat conditions, the three-ruler was first used in 1893 during the battle with the Afghans in the Pamirs. The first stage of the rearmament of the Russian army with the Mosinka was completed in 1897. Subsequently, the rifles adopted by the armies of other countries were quickly modernized, while the three-ruler lagged behind them in this regard. As a result, by the First World War, the Mosinka was noticeably inferior to them in terms of performance;
in the early years of Soviet power, there was a question of replacing the Mosin rifle with a more advanced one or its modernization. The second option was chosen, because after making changes to the design, the Mosinka would be able to meet the requirements for this class of weapon. At the same time, the development of a new repeating rifle was pointless, since repeating rifles were an obsolete type of weapon. As a result of the modernization of 1924, the Mosin rifle of the 1891/30 model appeared. In 1928, the production of optical sights for it began in the USSR.
in 1938, another modification of the Mosinka was developed - a carbine of the 1938 model. It was designed for aimed shooting at a distance of up to 1000 m;
The next modification adopted by the Red Army was the 1944 carbine. It was distinguished by a simplified manufacturing technology and the presence of a fixed bayonet. After its adoption, the releases of the Mosin rifle of the 1891/30 model of the year were discontinued.

Design

The Mosin rifle has a barrel with 4 grooves. In its rear part there is a chamber with smooth walls. Also at this end of the barrel there is a threaded stump, the receiver is tightly screwed onto it, in which the shutter is placed. A magazine box with a feeder, a cut-off reflector and a trigger are attached to the shutter.

The cartridges inside the store are arranged in one row. The cut-off reflector separates the cartridges that are in the magazine box and the cartridge in the bore. Due to this, there are no delays in the supply, which could be caused by the engagement of the rims of the ammunition with each other. This detail also reflects spent cartridges. The cut-off reflector is one of the key elements of the rifle, which was introduced into the design by Mosin. Thanks to her, the rifle works flawlessly in any conditions.

Trigger components:

hook;
trigger spring, which also acts as a sear;
screw;
hairpin.

The descent of the Mosin rifle is tight and long, without warning - the trigger stroke is not divided into two stages with different effort.

Components of a three-line shutter:

stem with comb and handle;
larva;
ejector;
trigger;
drummer;
action spring;
connecting strip.

The mainspring is compressed when the bolt is unlocked by turning the handle. During locking, the combat drummer rests against the sear. The drummer can also be cocked manually with the shutter closed, for this you need to pull the trigger back. To put the rifle on the safety, you need to pull the trigger back and turn it counterclockwise.

Sights

The Mosin rifle of the 1891 model was equipped with a stepped sight. On the modification of 1891/30, a sector sight was installed. It consists of an aiming bar with a collar, an aiming block and a spring, and is marked at a distance of up to 2000 m. The rear sight can be set to any position from 50 to 2000 m, the step is 50 m.

To fully unlock the potential of the Mosin rifle, it is necessary to install optical sight. The owners of this weapon put on it like anything, but the situation is complicated by the fact that it was not originally intended for use with optical sights. It is important to choose an optic that will not interfere with the use of an open sight.

A good solution may be to install a "native" PU optical sight using the Kochetov vertical base bracket. Thus, you can get the most authentic and harmonious outwardly weapons.

Another option is to use modern brackets and modern optical sights.

The principle of operation of the Mosin rifle

To charge the three-line, you must:

turn the shutter handle to the left;
pull the shutter all the way back;
insert the clip into the receiver;
drown the cartridges, discard the clip;
take the shutter forward;
turn the bolt handle to the right.

Then it remains only to pull the trigger to shoot. To make the next shot, it is enough to repeat steps 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6. From the clip, four rounds are fed into the magazine, the fifth - in the receiver. After closing the shutter, he finds himself in the chamber.

Versions and modifications

The Mosin rifle is a weapon designed for military purposes. Some use such army three-rulers for hunting. Especially for hunting purposes, various modifications of the Mosin rifle and carbines based on it were developed - primarily KO-91/30, OTs-48 and Los carbines.

A rifle designed for hunting medium to large game. Main characteristics of KO-91/30:

length - 1232 mm;
barrel length - 745 mm;
weight - 4.0 kg;
caliber - 7.62 mm;
cartridge used - 7.62x54R;
magazine capacity - 5 rounds.

The rifle is designed for shooting at a distance of up to 300 m. You can also put an optical sight on it, which, after installation, does not interfere with using the open one. Reloading is done manually. The design feature of this rifle is a safety mechanism that protects against premature firing.

Carbine OTs-48

The OTs-48K sniper rifle was developed by the Tula TsKIB of sports and hunting weapons in 2000. It was created for the needs of the troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and special forces. The rifle showed excellent results in tests both in terms of firing range and accuracy of fire. From it you can hit accurately at 1300 m, while at a distance of 100 m the spread of bullets does not exceed 3.5 m. For the Dragunov sniper rifle, these figures are 1000 m and 8 cm, respectively.

OTs-48, in turn, is a hunting carbine based on the Mosin rifle, which is intended for hunting large game. It is designed to use 7.62x54R cartridges. The barrel and locking unit were left from the Mosin rifle, and the stock and butt were replaced with modern ones. Unlike the OTs-48K, which is produced only in small quantities on special orders, the OTs-48 has gone into mass production and has become a fairly recognizable brand.

Rifle caliber 8.2 mm, which was designed for cartridges with semi-shell bullets and was produced in the USSR. Its other characteristics:

rifle length - 1010 mm;
barrel length - 520 mm;
weight - 3-3.6 kg;
magazine capacity - 5 rounds;
starting bullet speed - 440 m / s.

Designed for hunting medium and large game. Reloaded manually, trigger without warning. There is also a modification of the KO-8.2M, which is distinguished by a different rifling pitch, has an active sector sight and a different stock shape.

Carbine KO-38

A hunting rifle that was created on the basis of a carbine of the 1938 model and was produced in the USSR.

Carbine KO-44

A hunting carbine developed on the basis of a military carbine of the 1944 model, which was produced in the USSR.

Carbine "Los-7-1"

The Los hunting weapon family was developed in the USSR largely on the basis of the Mosin three-line rifle. The main characteristics of the carbine "Los-7-1":

barrel length - 550 mm;
weight - 3.5 kg;
caliber - 7.62 mm;
cartridge used - 7.62 × 51 mm;
magazine capacity - 5 rounds.

On sale you can find modifications of the Los-7-1 carbine for different versions of imported cartridges.

Among connoisseurs, opinions about the Mosinka and the carbines created on the basis of it differ. But they are quite popular and are suitable for fishing for medium and large game. The main advantages that distinguish the Mosin hunting carbine are the highest reliability and affordable price. This weapon is used by many professional hunters. Thanks to the release of updated versions, such as OTs-48, this combat system still remains relevant.