1925 Tula 5-Line M1891/59

[qz2026]

This is one of three early dated M91/59's in my collection. As I have indicated in previous posts, I have an affinity for M91/59 carbines. I have found the discipline (somehow) to pass by duplicate (year/armory) M91/59's although difficult. I can't say no, however, to unique or year/armory models I don't have. These carbines and Mosin Nagants, in general, will surely be my undoing.


The "Five Line" refers literally to five lines of logo information on the barrel shank - in this case translated as "Foremost Ordnance Factory (of the) USSR at Tula". USSR relating to the "CCCP" (the Cyrillic initials for Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik or Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, i.e., "USSR"). Barrels so designated refer to Tula pre-1928 M91's or Dragoon's. For only a few years Tula, and only Tula, used this 5-Line scheme. Below the Tula star and above the date, 1925, are these five lines of information.

We have no serial number records to go by, but the 1925 Tula was originally made as M91's (either as an Infantry rifle or a Dragoon). In the early 1920's it is not unusual to find receivers with dates earlier than the dates on the barrel an example of which was my 1924 M91-59 submission with an 1898 receiver. The Soviets either re-used older receivers or used older receivers that were in inventory but still new. Generally speaking, both Tula and Izhevsk made Dragoons from 1893 to 1932. Both made Infantry models from 1892 to 1926. Since the barrels have been shortened we do not know if they were originally Infantry rifles or Dragoons. Most M91's were upgraded to M91/30 status (re: the M91/30 front and rear sights) and then some of those converted M91/30's were made into M91/59 carbines.

The jury is virtually "in" on whether the M91-59's were manufactured in The Soviet Union or Bulgaria - and the consensus is the Soviet Union.

The rectangular boxes on the heel of the buttstock with numbers like "17" and "20" are ceeded to be Bulgarian. Century imported approximately 25K M91/59's from Bulgaria. That gave rise to the rumors or "urban legend" that they were made in Bulgaria. Bulgaria, however, was one of the larger Soviet repair depots and storage facilities like Ukraine (where most of the Soviet imports have came from over the last 10 to 15 years). Just because they bear Bulgarian inventory or inspector stampings on the stocks does not prove that they were made there.

Discussion Section


Description: Mosin Nagant, M1891/59 carbine
Caliber: 7.62/54r
Barrel: Tula 1925 5-Line
Receiver: Tula 1925
Bore: Very Good
Overall Condition: Exceptional - flawless metal and 100% bluing. Pristine stock with outstanding wood grain.