Mosin Nagant 91/30 serial, markings and other things of interest. OKay after going through all my cleaning, I must say I have a very beautiful Mosin Nagant. Though I am perplexed by the serial numbers, I do know it is a Tula made in 1942. Stock Marking I discovered is a Arms depot/refurbishment mark from a Soviet facility located in Ukraine. Anno 1800 serial key code. Dec 04, 2020 Mosin Nagant has been the primary service and sniper rifle of the Soviet (and many other) military forces for quite a long time. But if you plan on buying a Mosin Nagant today, you’ll have to consider factors such as the condition of the rifle, sights, and the type of ammo you are using. The Russian Mosin Nagant & Historic Military Firearms Page is dedicated to the collecting and preservation of the rifle Mosin and all other historic military firearms. The popularity of the Mosin has grown over the past few years as more and more people discover how interesting and affordable these rifles are to collect.

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I need to enter this rifle into my C&R book, as well as fill out the FA-10. I'm a bit puzzled as to which number counts as the serial number. Here's what I see..
The same 4-digit number is stamped on the buttplate, floorplate and bolt. I also see that same number stamped onto the top of the receiver (just behind the rear sight) but preceded with a '10X' whatever that means.
Meanwhile, on the left side of the receiver just in front of the bolt is a bunch of stuff that was electrostenciled in by the same person: a different 5-digit number, the make/model/caliber, 'R Guns' (some company?) and 'Carpentersville, IL'.
I won't even mention the faded random characters scattered about.
So, which do I put down on the forms?
I'll probably have similar 91/30 questions too but I'm not there yet.

M28 Mosin Nagant Civil Guard Rifle
(Mfg. by Suojeluskuntain Ase-ja Konepaja Osakeyhtiö using a Tikkakoski barrel)
(Click PIC to Enlarge)

Caliber: ............7.62x54R
Barrel Length: ....... 27' (685mm)
Rifling: ............ 4 groove, right hand twist, 1:9.5'
Overall Length: ...... 43.7' (1110mm)
Weight: ............ 9.2 lbs (4.18Kg)
Magazine capacity: ... 5 rounds.
Qty mfg: ........... 33,061 total M28 production, 13,061 with Tikka barrels
(In production from 1928 - 1930)
Canadian Collector Market Value Estimate: $
Source: The Mosin-Nagant Rifle by Terrence Lapin, ISBN: 1882391217 and Mosinnagant.net
M28 Mosin Nagant Civil Guard Rifle
(34 picture virtual tour)

Observations: (by 'Claven2')
Note: Pics of rifle provided courtesy of Milsurps.com moderator Claven2.
In the 1920's the Finnish authorities were beginning to re-evaluate the M91 as the country's primary infantry arm. Many of the examples in service were well worn and a good number required new barrels, stocks and other parts. Despite the country's best efforts to acquire these spares abroad, it was becoming evident that an update was needed. In 1924, the Civil Guard began building the M24, essentially an M91 with a heavier foreign made barrel and in some cases updated sights. The Army too was actively rebarelling numbers of M91's, but the Finns were not oblivious to the changes going on in other countries. It was becoming clear that the trend was toward shorter and better handling infantry rifles of a standard length for issue to most or all services within the armed forces. Both the Army and the Civil Guard then began experimenting with designs to supplement or even replace the M91 rifle.
The Army was the first to field a new arm. Designated the M27, it had a shorter barrel than the M91, an improved front sight with protective ears and a rugged new nosecap, a reinforced Konovalov sight with wings that hugged the sight base and a ladder with a replaceable sighting blade as well as a variety of sling arrangements. To economize, these early M27s were constructed from M91 stocks cut down to the M27 configuration, though in later production purpose made-stocks with thicker dimensions became prevalent to minimize stock damage and splitting at the nosecap due to bayonet use, as well as further reinforcement of the nosecap.
The civil guard, not wanting to be left behind by Army innovation, introduced their own updated design a year later in 1928, designated the M28. It shared many of the M27's design features, but with some notable differences. While the M27 had an elaborate and expensive to produce nosecap designed to lock the handguard in place, the M28 employed a milled front band reminiscent of the Mauser Gewehr 98 front band. The M28, like the M27 also made use of the older Konovalov rear sight design, but without the reinforcing tabs of the M27. It also used a different method of attaching a replaceable sighting plate. The rear band was narrower and had an undressed leading edge as opposed to the radiused edge of the wider M27 band. The front sight base retaining screw was forward of the sight blade on the M28, whereas the M27's screw is behind it. The M28 bayonet is virtually identical to the M27 bayonet with the exception that the M28 bayonet sports smoothly polished rivets on the grips.
All M28's were stocked with modified one piece Russian M91 stocks that underwent conversion and were inspected and accepted by the Civil Guard workshop Suojeluskuntain Ase-ja Konepaja Osakeyhtiö (the fore-runner to SAKO). These original M28 stocks will all have an SYT cartouche surrounded by an oval in a finger groove on the side of the stock.
All M28's were built on older Russian, French or American produced receivers fitted with a mix of parts salvaged from earlier rifles broken down for their components. Parts were inspected to ensure they were within specification and then re-used on new M28 rifles. Barrels were provided primarily by SIG (Schweiz Industrie Gessellscaft, Neuhausen) and Tikkakoski with less than 100 Sako produced barrels being used at the end of production.
M28 production was eventually supplanted in in 1931 by the introduction of the M28/30 rifle. Deliveries of new M28's to units, however continued into 1932. Given the short production run and the losses experienced over the three wars in which the M28 was fielded, the M28 is one of the rarest Finnish infantry rifles a collector is likely to encounter today. Additionally, by the end of the Lapland war in 1945, the M28 was generally considered obsolete and thus was not subject to the rebuild and refurbishment programs that saw the refit of many of the M91's, M28/30's and M39's then in service. This accounts for the somewhat worn and battered condition M28's are often found in.
Serial

In rare cases, it is possible to find an M28/30 with an M28 serial number. Individual members of the civil Guard could pay to send in their M28 rifles to be rebuilt to the M28/30 standard. Such rifles are exceedingly rare and are officially referred to as the M28-28/30.
Collector's Comments and Feedback:
1. Relatively few M28's exist today. In fact, the M28 is a rarer rifle than the highly sought after M28/30 and the difficulty in sourcing one will confirm this. Most were imported to the United States well before the current influx of Finnish rifles, the most notable importation being by the Marathon Corp. The depicted rifle formed part of that importation and is so marked on the barrel. It is safe to assume that most M28's encountered in Canada will have been imported from the United States by Mosin Nagant enthusiasts and will be similarly marked. This is one case where an import marking will not affect value given rarity and prevalence.
M28's will generally show considerable wear, use and abuse. Most will not show any signs of refurbishment and the stocks served long lives as M91 stocks before ever becoming an M28 stock. Many will have repairs or g

Mosin Nagant Serial Number Database