To be perfectly honest, I never thought I'd have one of these firearms. History was never my favorite subject in school (too much memorizing). But when I was at the Philadelphia gun show this past weekend (June 2-3, 2007), walking around looking at all the tables of goodies, something called to me. Something told me to check out the rifles in the big wooden crates. So, I checked out the M38's and M44's. They were within my small budget for that weekend. But I thought ammo would be expensive, so I left the crates alone. That evening, I thought about it. I also did some research and forum posting about it that night. And everyone thought I should definitely get one the next day.
So I went back the next day. And looked at the crates. Then I walked around the "corner" and saw more firearms for sale. These had longer barrels. I decided to chat w/ the dealer1 and ask him about all the Mosins there. And after 45 minutes of talking, asking questions, and looking at many choices, I decided on one. I found one that had all the serial numbers matching, all the arsenal markings matching, and even an extra mark indicating an East German influence. Add to that, the receiver was rough cut, indicating a wartime manufacturing process. I was sold.
This is what followed me home:
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s/n on the mag plate | |
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Arsenal: Izhevsk Symbol:
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 "TG KNOX TN 91/30 762X54 RUSSIA" |
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(importer's s/n) | |
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Arsenal: Izhevsk Symbol:
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Barrel Shroud | Arsenal: Izhevsk Symbol:
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s/n on bolt | |
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Some information:
References:
1=Gun Show Dealer from Morton Enterprises, 407 Old Franklin Road, Stahlstown, PA Ph: (877) 819-7280
2=SurplusRifle.com
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