Holy crap, there is some actual info on this? I had always heard them being called “M44L”, and I just heard they showed up in some crates and there was no records of it. Thanks for the information!
This isn’t an M44L. There actually is no such thing as an M44L, the Soviet designation was M1945 Short Rifle. The M1945 was an intermediate length rifle with a barrel length between that of the M44 carbine and M91/30.
Last year, a local dealer got a batch of those (about 20), and he sold them off for €500 a piece. He knew what they where, thus the slightly higher price than your usual Mosin, but he figured nobody would want a permanently even more front-heavy 91/30, so he kept them on the cheaper side. And he was right. Eventually they sold, but it took months. Might also have had to do with the guns' mediocre reputation around here, even among 91/30's. They're considered "drop-out guns", like in "there's got to be a reason why nobody wanted them even then, or they'd have built more". So people reckon that there's got to be something inherently wrong with it.
Fetts4ck News flash: Just because the Mauser action is better then the Mosin doesn’t make the Mosin trash. Also, what makes you think people only buy Mosins for hunting? These days mostly collectors buy them. On the other hand, it is cool you have a Gewehr 98, I have been wanting one myself but can’t seem to find them
@@fetts4ck849just pointing out your flawed logic and you just explained why everyone loves thier mosins or any inherited surplus weapon. They are both great guns in thier own right.
@@fetts4ck849 If you're saying "IMHO these rifles are utter garbage", you *are* saying that they are trash, since the latter statement is always an opinion. > Why should i use a modern, PVC-stock rifle with holo-Call of duty-scope and camo for 9000€ Maybe it's just an American market thing, but aren't there bolt actions with synthetic stocks (way better in every way than wood except maybe aesthetics) plus a scope for less than 500 Euros? And they're every bit as reliable as an old 98 if not more so. Not sure why you think 98 ammo is more expensive, 8x57mm is 8x57mm, no?
I love my Mosin collection and my SKS collection. I purchased all mine in 2000 to 2005 and never paid more $200 for any of them. My first mosin was $79 and its in great condition.
@@mrb692 holy cow a painted black M44 :( i cannot understand how someone looked at their M44 and thought "hmmm this wood is an eyesore better paint it black"
@@Winterydee it is 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. So it is 3 centuries and they are still being used. Female snipers in Aleppo used and just like in Stalingrad. History does repeat itself.
@@ratagris21 - FYI: a century means 100. The Mosin-Nagant began mass production in 1891. That means in 1991 it was a hundred years old or 1 century old. So the math is pretty easy. Take the date of this year, 2020, and minus the year the Mosin-Nagant was put in mass produce, 1891, and that will give you the total number of years that it's been in service, 129 years. But remember that you only get to count a century of service for each full 100 years that it's been in service. Also, please remember that 300 years ago the only firearms were muzzle loading, black powder rifles and pistols. Also the United States of America was not a country or even a dream of a country yet.
The lowly Mosin has been rising as a collectable rifle and is now appreciated for it's longevity and place in history. Your videos on the various versions is greatly appreciated. I have a measly three aquired long ago. When I watch your videos on the variants....I keep repeating....I don't need it......I don't need it it.....I don't need it. Video ends and ..... I NEED IT! (In my best Spong Bob voice).
It's shaped so it doesn't get stuck between enemy's ribs and guts I've heard a story from a vet who happened to participate in a bayonet fight once and he mentioned that the moment when he stabbed first of the germans and got his bayonet stuck in his body was nerve-wracking: other Germans are close and can kill you any moment and here you are, basically defenceless, trying to free your rifle from a dead body attached to its business end
Would you do a deep dive on the chinese sks's that cabella's bought and sold in canada? many of them have resin jungle stocks and are vietnam era guns, i think alot of us would be very interested in the history of that lot since so many are sold in canada, the sks i bought from tenda, "grade a" has what appears to be a sino - soviet reciever from an earlier era, these guns are so prolific i think interest would be great, even though this is not a forgotten weapon.
I recently got a Type56 Norinco (classic firearms). Serial number dates it to 1967, so certainly post Sino-Soviet. Somehow I got it with an modified Albanian stock, but it has a Chinese butt pate (making the cleaning kit inaccessible). Getting a history on this era of production would be very interesting. The story of the supply lines would be a fun trip. ChineseSKS.weebley had a good resource for production information.
I managed to find a Chinese SKS from factory 6601 that's in a unique resin jungle stock. The stock has molded-in grip features at the back grip and at the front just past the normal front finger grooves. I've never seen another one like it and I collect unusual SKS rifles. Also would love to see Ian review a 1950 sks in 1949 pattern, extremely rare.
@@robertupson5274 The price was around $200 CAD for a Norinco or Soviet. A bit more for laminated stocks or rifles in better condition. Canadian Tire stopped selling them in 2018 I think. Cabella's sold them as is, and with a tapco stock installed. The price for these has shot up recently due to the recent semi-auto prohibitions. SKS is still non-restricted. I think the retail price has almost doubled. Yugo's have gone for more than $500 for several years.
I bought one of these last year in Austria, had some storage marks and the shellac coating was very brittle but the metal and bore absolutely unissued. Very cool collectors item, not so fun during shooting with folded out bayonet. Nice vid!
Ian, are you aware of any Kholodovsky's 1912 trials Mosins (attempted modernization of the M1891) in existence and do you recon you'll ever be able to do a video on it?
@@andyblack5687 General simplifications to the M1891 to make production faster and cheaper. They turned it from a long rifle to a short rifle, gave it a two-piece stock with several reinforcement metal lugs, changed the sight, improved the buttplate to make it more comfortable, gave it a fluted barrel (I think) and several more small adjustments to ease production and make the rifle more soldier-friendly. Edit: some sources also mention a different bayonet lug (for a different bayonet than the standard M1891 pig sticker) and a moving dust cover.
@@andyblack5687 -- fluted barrel and different bayonet for "better balance and accuracy", reduced weight (4kg) -- different rear sight, -- stock is a bit more curved (+3-4°), you can adjust length by changing for different rear plates, -- trigger with safe pull, -- longer bolt handle for easier reloading, cut our for the thumb in the reciever for safer/easier loading Just summing up what I've found on those pages : ww1.milua.org/Rholodovskij.htm commi.narod.ru/txt/markev/431.htm
There is also a cross pin under the front site, they made them difficult to remove, usually requiring a small amount of heat to remove the bayonet after the pins were driven out.
in russian it's pronounced as "syomin". trere is the letter "Ё", which makes the sound Yo and is alvays stressed. they often are careless to use a separate key on a keyboard to make it distinguished from a regular E
Takes a screwdriver to remove, and it makes a terrible screwdriver if you do. That tip is sharp! Ruins screw heads if you are careful, and will send you looking for bandages if you aren't.
Thanks for the video, Ian! My 91/30 appears to be a factory refurb (5155 electro-penciled onto the parts, including the bayonet) made of a '43 Izhevsk receiver with Tula bolt and rear sight, furniture unknown. Now it feels like I have to buy a spare bayonet to try and re-create that configuration! Those M44 variants are too noisy, anyhow ;D
I’ve always loved the M44.... I only bought one M38 years ago, but liked the M44 (because of the bayonet)... I just wish I would’ve bought more which were around $100 each. The 880 round crates of ammo were around $169.
Thanks Ian. I had no idea the inventor of that mechanism was known. As a collector of M44 rifles and SKS pattern rifles - it’s cool to know whose work I have been appreciating. Quick clarification: It seems like some folks in the comments are getting confused by your statements regarding the Soviet transition from the single to the double hook design... This didn’t happen until mid-1945. Izhevsk has already turned out several million carbines with the single hook design, and to the best of my knowledge, they actually technically outnumber the double hook revision - at least in Soviet examples. That said, when the Soviets shared TDPs on the M44, they used the latest model. That means that the Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, and most importantly, Chinese examples all use double hooks - making the single hooked Soviets seem rarer by comparison. The only way to recognize a “combat trial” M44 is the date: 1943.
Hey Ian, my Russian made in 1945, M44 does not have the front locking lugs on the bayonet. It only has the spring loaded ring that goes around the barrel for when it is extended. It only has a single set of rear facing lugs to retain the bayonet in the closed position. But the mounting bracket goes fully around the barrel and is pinned in place.
There is a lot cooler way to deploy these folding bayonets: pull the spring collar down and do a loop with the barrel in the air counterclockwise to swing it out and lock it in place
Another one where I'd say it would be darn interesting to see the chamber / barrel from the inside. That would be another great treat in your videos, Ian., and I believe many viewers are as curious as I am what the condition of these barrels would be, not from every gun, but for example on these particularely refurbished ones.
When you talk of the m44 froward lugs you say they help lock the bayonet, but i believe its to help cam the barrel ring down the bayonet so you don't need to manually pull it down. Just a swift swing out will deploy the bayonet. But my m44 doesn't have that so i am guessing.
When I worked at the Cabelas gun library we had a pile of mosin bayonets laying around that we would use to tighten screws on shotgun stocks that we couldn’t reach with a screwdriver. Works!
some russian sources say that 91/30 full length rifles with Semin bayonet were manufactured with bent lock handle, not straight. And very few examples were produced.
Actually Ian, the M44 also had the same early latch mechanism when first put into production. I have a 1944 example with this early setup, it was only part way into 1945 that the later version came into use.
Very nice video. There were several modernisation efforts of Mosin rifle but none of them made it то mass production. I think it is because in 30s Soviets already decided that they definitely want self-loading rifle and got rid of the bolt action completely. I could recommend Chumak (Чумак)books more. He did books for both Mosin and SVT (and most prototypes between them) among with incredible amount information. They are amazing books. They are very expensive but definitely worth it. They are all in Russian though.
This reminds me of the DKS rifles I saw for sale at Wolloworth's, many years ago. They were permanently mounted and folded back much the same way. It amused me, the guns were weapons, even without ammo. The three sided bayonet making them a nasty weapon, out of the box. I wondered if they might run afoul of thr ban on double edged weapons. This was in Boston, not exactly a firearms friendly area. It seems this style lasted into the post-War era. Thanks.
A very neat bit of engineering to solve the problem of lost Bayonets but I would much prefer to have a proper Knife type Bayonet in a scabbard that would have multiple uses.
I always thought the added set of hooks were to allow the bayonet to be pushed up and over the barrel on it's own momentum instead of having to manually lift it up and over the barrel, if that makes sense. I used to have one of the early m44s and some of the later ones and always assumed this change was made for that reason.
Ian, that front lug was not for making it stronger, it's for pushing the locking collet forward so the muzzle ring clears the barrel when you swing the bayonet forward it, then it snaps into place. The prototype took two actions, unlock, swing forward, pull the collet/ring assembly forward to clear the barrel, then snap in place. Thanks for this video, I was wondering about the history behind the bayonet on my SKS. It would be interesting to know what was behind the blade vs. spike bayonet. The spike does not impress me as being much cheaper to make than the blade.
Dead ass my buddy just showed me his Mosin Nagant Carbine that he got from Afghanistan and it actually had one of these. I was so shocked cuz I immediately remembered this video
Great video as always i find something new for me!!! I had read once an article in russian about bayonets. When russians sum up the experience from balkan russian-turkish wars, especially 1878 ... they come up with idea that ones who have detachable bayonets tend to react to melee suprises much more slowly, than ones who have fixed bayonets or folding ones... so this approach originated from tzar imperial russia stick with Mosin concept even for Soviets :D
A gun store in Toronto, Canada that closed in the late 80s imported a bunch of Mosin rifles in the late 60s/ early 70s. The batch consisted of Polish Factory 11 rifles M44's, Regular 91/30 long rifles and few hundred of Semin Mosin trail rifles. I can find out what the store was called if Ian is interested in that sort of information. How did a gun store in Toronto in the 60s/70s obtain a bunch of surplus rifles from the Iron Curtain is another mystery added to the story of Semin Mosin trail rifles.
I just unknowingly bought one of these last week! Bayonet didnt come with it tho. The hunt begins. I tracked it back to a importer in upstate New York. (Maybe got it from canada?) I will keep researching but I'm pretty sure mine is from the 100 batch. Found it at cabelas next to all the normal 91/30s
Interesting. I assume the cruciform style bayonets were favored vmbecause at least in theory, they are less likely to hang up in the ribcage? Also the wounds do not close as easily as blade wounds, or so i hear. It would also seem that these use less steel than a knife style bayonet. No personal experience (never served in the military), but i have also heard that bayonet training emphasizes strikes ro the abdoninal area in order to avoid the ribcage. Assumedly the liver is the best place there to hit, because it is so vascular. These bayonets are obviously longer than needed, and coukd easily be shortened by several inches (probably 6" for the 91/30). The US Army gradually realized after WW1 that a 14" bayonet was not needed, thus the 10" Garand bayonets, which became the postwar and Korean era M5A1 with 6.5" blade. All bayonets after that seemed to standardize at 6.5" (as the Carbine bayonet already was). The current one (can't remember the designation- M10 maybe?) is 8" i believe, but is a combination bayonet and knife. I don't think we have had a spike bayonet since the trapdoor Speingfield. Anyway, great video as always. Thank you
The M44 used the single ear lug used until 1945. That would be around half of the soviet M44 production run, wouldn't exactly count that as trials rifles. Now Ian will need to find a M44L. M44 with a nearly 91/30 length bayonet. Only a couple known to have made it to the US.
I own an airsoft version of this, I think it's the shorter version though and yes it DOES have the fully functional folding bayonet which I have to zip-tie closed when I decide to use it for an event due to it being steel and likely to cause serious injury.
It's known as "KM-44" for "Карабин Мосина 1944 года" - "Mosin's Carbine of 1944". Optionally "with non-detachable folding needle bayonet by Syomin". Or just "Carbine ver. 1944".
Wow found one of these in a group of other bayonets at a surplus/antiques store. Bought it because even though it wasn’t a hand gripped Bowie style like the K98 it was sharp and looked deadly so I bought it for 20 buck along with a Czech VZ24 bayonet for 108 (with scabbard no frog but very clean). Wondered how it worked.
When I saw the thumbnail I was hoping that the soviets decided to throw and even LONGER bayonet on the 91/30. Is it just me or does that stock look like it's been sanded and stained?
It appears that the front lug wasn't necessary because the barrel ring is much meatier than the one on the M44. The barrel ring on the M44 is scalloped I guess so you can slap it into position rather than having to lift the ring over, but I think that that they added the front lug to make up for that scalloping.
The problem was that Mosn rifles where zeroed with byonet on, so if you take if off shooting become inaccurate. From the other side if untrained disoriented recruters in 1941 -42 trying to move aound with spike byunett on they pose a danger to each other. Therefore officers orderd to take it of on march and put it on in a battle. As a result, a lot of buyonets got lost this way.
Guns, one of the most controlled goods on international market. Nobody knows where are 100 rifles come from. In 2020. But these guns appear to be legally clear, not something you buy on black market. Nice.
I had an M44 carbine. Kicked like a mofo, and you didn't want to shoot it with the bayo retracted unless you were wearing a heavy glove on your support hand. I heard that they were zeroed with the bayo deployed.
With my M-44 if the bayonet is extended... it hits where I'm aiming and the balance feels right. With the bayonet retracted... it does not hit where I'm aiming and the balance feels off.
would this also fix the "zero issue"??? most 91/30s shoot WAY high at 100..... but are very close with the bayo on (myth says they were zeroed with the bayo on) most of the weight with this folding bayonet would still act on the muzzle..... possibly keeping the zero.... and allowing you to use the adjustable sights
The second pair of hooks _appear_ to be so once you've unlocked it, you don't need to manipulate the latch at all. You can fling it forward, the second hooks will ramp the latch open, and it can snap over the muzzle.
@@MultiMcgruber at least that works right this way on SKS. Even the guy who never hold a gun in his hand before (me) was able to manipulate bayonet very quickly.
Clever. I would like to get my paws on one for my 91/30. I gotta admit though, I shortened my bayonet (not matching numbers) to 7" and am currently reshaping it. Tedious because that steel is hard
No - that is incorrect. Ian’s comments were a little misleading on that point. Identifying trials rifles is very straight forward: the manufacture date is “1943”. Serial number length is irrelevant. The Soviet’s used letter-prefix blocks, so they reset every 10,000 (ex. Rifle AA 9999 is followed by AB 1). Therefore, 9% of all M44s have 3 digit serial numbers. There are 50,000 trials rifles. All have single hooks. 4,500 have three digit serial numbers. There are millions of M44s. About 4 million have single hooks. 360,000 of them have three digit serials. Without looking at the date on your father’s rifle, there is a 1 in 80 chance it’s a ‘43 (Trials Rifle) and a 79 in 80 chance it’s a ‘44 or a ‘45 (not a Trials Rifle) Hope that helps.
Pig Sticker. The idea was to make a nasty wound. Sending a combatant back for medical reasons was as effective as killing them for the immediate purposes...until they return the next time!
Random but Bowman Arms has new old stock polish AKMS parts kits with production sanitized circle 11 milled off. C P marked selector. Only markings starting SG08xxx receivers. Ever heard of a thing of polished sanitized weapons?
Great video. I have suggestion for ian that he should start history telling channel his voice and language is so crisp and simple. Spacially for non english speaker.
Another reason that it was attached was that soviet soldiers would throw away things they saw as useless so they tended to throw away gas masks helmets and bayonets, but you can’t throw away your gun so they attached it to the gun to prevent the soldiers from throwing away the bayonet
It would be interesting to hear smth. about bayonets in general, I see why they were introduced in the first place, but then again, why are bayonets still a thing? And shouldnt by WWII someone question the general purpose?
Cut to footage of Ian firing this and somehow the whole bayonet assembly flies off.
Holy crap, there is some actual info on this? I had always heard them being called “M44L”, and I just heard they showed up in some crates and there was no records of it. Thanks for the information!
The M44L is different; I have a video on that one coming in a couple weeks.
Forgotten Weapons Oh, that’s even cooler! I didn’t know there were two 91/30s like this. Thanks again!
This isn’t an M44L. There actually is no such thing as an M44L, the Soviet designation was M1945 Short Rifle. The M1945 was an intermediate length rifle with a barrel length between that of the M44 carbine and M91/30.
This has become my new favorite channel on youtube
Welcome to the club!
@kevin Sorbo Kevin, I follow YOU! We have an opportunity with Ian McCullom to learn a lot. Usually this is a more congenial place. Kurt
Are you the real Kevin Sorbo? Hercules?
Welcome to the gun jesus family
Last year, a local dealer got a batch of those (about 20), and he sold them off for €500 a piece.
He knew what they where, thus the slightly higher price than your usual Mosin, but he figured nobody would want a permanently even more front-heavy 91/30, so he kept them on the cheaper side. And he was right. Eventually they sold, but it took months.
Might also have had to do with the guns' mediocre reputation around here, even among 91/30's. They're considered "drop-out guns", like in "there's got to be a reason why nobody wanted them even then, or they'd have built more". So people reckon that there's got to be something inherently wrong with it.
Fetts4ck News flash: Just because the Mauser action is better then the Mosin doesn’t make the Mosin trash. Also, what makes you think people only buy Mosins for hunting? These days mostly collectors buy them. On the other hand, it is cool you have a Gewehr 98, I have been wanting one myself but can’t seem to find them
@@fetts4ck849 well by that logic your rifle is trash too buy a modern one lol
@@fetts4ck849just pointing out your flawed logic and you just explained why everyone loves thier mosins or any inherited surplus weapon. They are both great guns in thier own right.
@@fetts4ck849 If you're saying "IMHO these rifles are utter garbage", you *are* saying that they are trash, since the latter statement is always an opinion.
> Why should i use a modern, PVC-stock rifle with holo-Call of duty-scope and camo for 9000€
Maybe it's just an American market thing, but aren't there bolt actions with synthetic stocks (way better in every way than wood except maybe aesthetics) plus a scope for less than 500 Euros? And they're every bit as reliable as an old 98 if not more so.
Not sure why you think 98 ammo is more expensive, 8x57mm is 8x57mm, no?
@@fetts4ck849 Lmao "confirmed kills". You've been playing too much call of duty,
I love my Mosin collection and my SKS collection. I purchased all mine in 2000 to 2005 and never paid more $200 for any of them. My first mosin was $79 and its in great condition.
Got a 1955 Romanian M44 for $150 back in 2015. It was painted black, but I was able to strip the paint and refinish it with linseed oil
@@mrb692 holy cow a painted black M44 :( i cannot understand how someone looked at their M44 and thought "hmmm this wood is an eyesore better paint it black"
I got a m44 for $50 on a Father’s Day sale back in the early 2000’s
@@johncage3025 lol crazy
Yup those days are over, every now and again you can find a mosin for under $100 but not how they used to be
Great video and the Mosin-Nagant rifle has so much history. Ironically they are still use today 3 centuries and still serving.
Ah you know that the Mosin-Nagant is not 3 centuries old, right?
Three centuries? The gun is the model of 1891.
@@Winterydee it is 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. So it is 3 centuries and they are still being used. Female snipers in Aleppo used and just like in Stalingrad. History does repeat itself.
@@ratagris21 - FYI: a century means 100. The Mosin-Nagant began mass production in 1891. That means in 1991 it was a hundred years old or 1 century old.
So the math is pretty easy. Take the date of this year, 2020, and minus the year the Mosin-Nagant was put in mass produce, 1891, and that will give you the total number of years that it's been in service, 129 years. But remember that you only get to count a century of service for each full 100 years that it's been in service.
Also, please remember that 300 years ago the only firearms were muzzle loading, black powder rifles and pistols. Also the United States of America was not a country or even a dream of a country yet.
@@ratagris21 You can say that it was used in "3 different centuries", but "3 centuries" is just wrong.
The lowly Mosin has been rising as a collectable rifle and is now appreciated for it's longevity and place in history. Your videos on the various versions is greatly appreciated. I have a measly three aquired long ago. When I watch your videos on the variants....I keep repeating....I don't need it......I don't need it it.....I don't need it. Video ends and ..... I NEED IT! (In my best Spong Bob voice).
I love that you take the time to analyze different variations of different firearms / firearm accessories !!! Beautiful
Wow! It's not everyday that I learn something new about the "Three Line Rifle"!
In Russia we call it "Tryo-kh-leenEykah"! (Three-liner) If you are interested, copypaste this in google translator and push sond button - Трёхлинейка.
The tip of that bayonet is interesting. It's like menacing someone with a screwdriver.
prison shank bayonet
It's shaped so it doesn't get stuck between enemy's ribs and guts
I've heard a story from a vet who happened to participate in a bayonet fight once and he mentioned that the moment when he stabbed first of the germans and got his bayonet stuck in his body was nerve-wracking: other Germans are close and can kill you any moment and here you are, basically defenceless, trying to free your rifle from a dead body attached to its business end
Would you do a deep dive on the chinese sks's that cabella's bought and sold in canada? many of them have resin jungle stocks and are vietnam era guns, i think alot of us would be very interested in the history of that lot since so many are sold in canada, the sks i bought from tenda, "grade a" has what appears to be a sino - soviet reciever from an earlier era, these guns are so prolific i think interest would be great, even though this is not a forgotten weapon.
I recently got a Type56 Norinco (classic firearms). Serial number dates it to 1967, so certainly post Sino-Soviet. Somehow I got it with an modified Albanian stock, but it has a Chinese butt pate (making the cleaning kit inaccessible). Getting a history on this era of production would be very interesting. The story of the supply lines would be a fun trip. ChineseSKS.weebley had a good resource for production information.
I managed to find a Chinese SKS from factory 6601 that's in a unique resin jungle stock. The stock has molded-in grip features at the back grip and at the front just past the normal front finger grooves. I've never seen another one like it and I collect unusual SKS rifles.
Also would love to see Ian review a 1950 sks in 1949 pattern, extremely rare.
Out of curiosity, how common are sks’s in Canadian gun shops, and how much do they usually go for up there?
@@robertupson5274 The price was around $200 CAD for a Norinco or Soviet. A bit more for laminated stocks or rifles in better condition. Canadian Tire stopped selling them in 2018 I think. Cabella's sold them as is, and with a tapco stock installed. The price for these has shot up recently due to the recent semi-auto prohibitions. SKS is still non-restricted. I think the retail price has almost doubled. Yugo's have gone for more than $500 for several years.
AWOL too late for that, when JT is taking your shit soon.
It's rather Syomin than Semin.
Right you are. It's Сёмин, not Семин. E letter sounds like german Ö.
@@GOR77708 And Semin sounds like something else... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
@@80m63rM4n he's a firearms expert not a language professor!
Better Semin than Seamen
@@80m63rM4n Like seamen and stuff?
I bought one of these last year in Austria, had some storage marks and the shellac coating was very brittle but the metal and bore absolutely unissued. Very cool collectors item, not so fun during shooting with folded out bayonet. Nice vid!
Ian, are you aware of any Kholodovsky's 1912 trials Mosins (attempted modernization of the M1891) in existence and do you recon you'll ever be able to do a video on it?
What mods did they have?
@@andyblack5687 General simplifications to the M1891 to make production faster and cheaper. They turned it from a long rifle to a short rifle, gave it a two-piece stock with several reinforcement metal lugs, changed the sight, improved the buttplate to make it more comfortable, gave it a fluted barrel (I think) and several more small adjustments to ease production and make the rifle more soldier-friendly.
Edit: some sources also mention a different bayonet lug (for a different bayonet than the standard M1891 pig sticker) and a moving dust cover.
@@andyblack5687
-- fluted barrel and different bayonet for "better balance and accuracy", reduced weight (4kg)
-- different rear sight,
-- stock is a bit more curved (+3-4°), you can adjust length by changing for different rear plates,
-- trigger with safe pull,
-- longer bolt handle for easier reloading, cut our for the thumb in the reciever for safer/easier loading
Just summing up what I've found on those pages :
ww1.milua.org/Rholodovskij.htm
commi.narod.ru/txt/markev/431.htm
@@leshatcatski5089 Great info, thanks for your input!
@@janwacawik7432 "cheaper" and "faster to produce" doesn't really fit with fluted barrel, aluminium bayonet and two-piece adjustable stock tbh.
There is also a cross pin under the front site, they made them difficult to remove, usually requiring a small amount of heat to remove the bayonet after the pins were driven out.
in russian it's pronounced as "syomin". trere is the letter "Ё", which makes the sound Yo and is alvays stressed. they often are careless to use a separate key on a keyboard to make it distinguished from a regular E
Mexicans pronounce their countries name as Meh-He-Co. Not going to start doing that either.
Hah! I actually have an M44 Carbine, so this is really cool to see the history.
I have a deactivated one as a wall hanger. But with that big-ass bayonet it's still usable as a polearm. This full size Mosin even more so!
My dad has one that my papa brought back from Vietnam. The barrel is pretty much shot out though, and it has the bayonet without the front tab.
These bayonets can also be used as a flathead screwdriver in a pinch.
Takes a screwdriver to remove, and it makes a terrible screwdriver if you do. That tip is sharp! Ruins screw heads if you are careful, and will send you looking for bandages if you aren't.
The original detachable bayonet was in fact used as a maintenance tool for the weapon.
Thanks for the video, Ian! My 91/30 appears to be a factory refurb (5155 electro-penciled onto the parts, including the bayonet) made of a '43 Izhevsk receiver with Tula bolt and rear sight, furniture unknown. Now it feels like I have to buy a spare bayonet to try and re-create that configuration! Those M44 variants are too noisy, anyhow ;D
I’ve always loved the M44.... I only bought one M38 years ago, but liked the M44 (because of the bayonet)... I just wish I would’ve bought more which were around $100 each. The 880 round crates of ammo were around $169.
I also have an M38, and have always sorta regretted passing up the chance to get a nice M44 for cheap.
Thank you , Ian .
Thanks Ian. I had no idea the inventor of that mechanism was known. As a collector of M44 rifles and SKS pattern rifles - it’s cool to know whose work I have been appreciating.
Quick clarification: It seems like some folks in the comments are getting confused by your statements regarding the Soviet transition from the single to the double hook design...
This didn’t happen until mid-1945. Izhevsk has already turned out several million carbines with the single hook design, and to the best of my knowledge, they actually technically outnumber the double hook revision - at least in Soviet examples.
That said, when the Soviets shared TDPs on the M44, they used the latest model. That means that the Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, and most importantly, Chinese examples all use double hooks - making the single hooked Soviets seem rarer by comparison.
The only way to recognize a “combat trial” M44 is the date: 1943.
Hey Ian, my Russian made in 1945, M44 does not have the front locking lugs on the bayonet. It only has the spring loaded ring that goes around the barrel for when it is extended. It only has a single set of rear facing lugs to retain the bayonet in the closed position. But the mounting bracket goes fully around the barrel and is pinned in place.
pretty sure the front facing tabs and cut in the barrel ring were added post ww2.
@@Gungeek yeah M1948 has them
There is a lot cooler way to deploy these folding bayonets: pull the spring collar down and do a loop with the barrel in the air counterclockwise to swing it out and lock it in place
6:24 Who and why placed a duct tape on serial number?? LOL
The owner wanted the numbers covered.
privately owned in Canada, gun owner security against gov.
@@gregoryclark8217 confused it with phone IMEI
Ghost gun.
Looks like pixie binding adhesive strap, rather than duct tape.
Another one where I'd say it would be darn interesting to see the chamber / barrel from the inside. That would be another great treat in your videos, Ian., and I believe many viewers are as curious as I am what the condition of these barrels would be, not from every gun, but for example on these particularely refurbished ones.
I actually have an M44 with the early bayonet pivot! And it's got brass on the upper handguard!
When you talk of the m44 froward lugs you say they help lock the bayonet, but i believe its to help cam the barrel ring down the bayonet so you don't need to manually pull it down. Just a swift swing out will deploy the bayonet. But my m44 doesn't have that so i am guessing.
Thats a big screwdriver
When I worked at the Cabelas gun library we had a pile of mosin bayonets laying around that we would use to tighten screws on shotgun stocks that we couldn’t reach with a screwdriver. Works!
It is a very good bayonet. It pierces everything even greatcoats and leather belts what can be problematic for knive bayonet
@@HughesEnterprises thanks for the good idea!
@@HughesEnterprises Works on some of the Mosin's screws too I believe
some russian sources say that 91/30 full length rifles with Semin bayonet were manufactured with bent lock handle, not straight. And very few examples were produced.
Actually Ian, the M44 also had the same early latch mechanism when first put into production. I have a 1944 example with this early setup, it was only part way into 1945 that the later version came into use.
He stated this.
Nice to see a grey background, not the black. It is easier to see the firearm.
Very nice video. There were several modernisation efforts of Mosin rifle but none of them made it то mass production. I think it is because in 30s Soviets already decided that they definitely want self-loading rifle and got rid of the bolt action completely.
I could recommend Chumak (Чумак)books more. He did books for both Mosin and SVT (and most prototypes between them) among with incredible amount information. They are amazing books. They are very expensive but definitely worth it. They are all in Russian though.
Finnish called it "rotanhäntä".The rats tail
I've been loving these bayonet videos!
And thus I start to see more lineage of the sks
Very cool! I have a M91/30 and an M44, had no idea these existed.
This reminds me of the DKS rifles I saw for sale at Wolloworth's, many years ago. They were permanently mounted and folded back much the same way. It amused me, the guns were weapons, even without ammo. The three sided bayonet making them a nasty weapon, out of the box. I wondered if they might run afoul of thr ban on double edged weapons. This was in Boston, not exactly a firearms friendly area. It seems this style lasted into the post-War era. Thanks.
Reminds me of the later Czech vz. 52 rifles (side-folding bayonet), is this also why SKS rifles have folding bayonets?
yes, those bayonets are developed from these ones.
Yep. Don't have to worry about your conscript infantryman losing his bayonet somewhere if it can't be removed from the rifle in the first place.
I am familiar with the SKS
@@Dirtzoo who isn't
Yes, and the earliest SKS production models (from 1948 and 1949) used spike bayonet very close to the M44 Mosin rifle
A very neat bit of engineering to solve the problem of lost Bayonets but I would much prefer to have a proper Knife type Bayonet in a scabbard that would have multiple uses.
I always thought the added set of hooks were to allow the bayonet to be pushed up and over the barrel on it's own momentum instead of having to manually lift it up and over the barrel, if that makes sense. I used to have one of the early m44s and some of the later ones and always assumed this change was made for that reason.
I agree
IIRC, the original factory designation was "91/30 with folding Semin bayonet". This is because it was a prototype, with no actual military designation
Ian, that front lug was not for making it stronger, it's for pushing the locking collet forward so the muzzle ring clears the barrel when you swing the bayonet forward it, then it snaps into place. The prototype took two actions, unlock, swing forward, pull the collet/ring assembly forward to clear the barrel, then snap in place. Thanks for this video, I was wondering about the history behind the bayonet on my SKS. It would be interesting to know what was behind the blade vs. spike bayonet. The spike does not impress me as being much cheaper to make than the blade.
yet another mosin, i didnt know i needed, damn you Ian.
Dead ass my buddy just showed me his Mosin Nagant Carbine that he got from Afghanistan and it actually had one of these. I was so shocked cuz I immediately remembered this video
Great video as always i find something new for me!!! I had read once an article in russian about bayonets. When russians sum up the experience from balkan russian-turkish wars, especially 1878 ... they come up with idea that ones who have detachable bayonets tend to react to melee suprises much more slowly, than ones who have fixed bayonets or folding ones... so this approach originated from tzar imperial russia stick with Mosin concept even for Soviets :D
This is cool for the Mosin but basically shows us where the SKS and AK(family) of folding bayonets all came from. Great video! Take Care, John
A gun store in Toronto, Canada that closed in the late 80s imported a bunch of Mosin rifles in the late 60s/ early 70s. The batch consisted of Polish Factory 11 rifles M44's, Regular 91/30 long rifles and few hundred of Semin Mosin trail rifles. I can find out what the store was called if Ian is interested in that sort of information. How did a gun store in Toronto in the 60s/70s obtain a bunch of surplus rifles from the Iron Curtain is another mystery added to the story of Semin Mosin trail rifles.
I just unknowingly bought one of these last week! Bayonet didnt come with it tho. The hunt begins. I tracked it back to a importer in upstate New York. (Maybe got it from canada?) I will keep researching but I'm pretty sure mine is from the 100 batch. Found it at cabelas next to all the normal 91/30s
Interesting. I assume the cruciform style bayonets were favored vmbecause at least in theory, they are less likely to hang up in the ribcage? Also the wounds do not close as easily as blade wounds, or so i hear. It would also seem that these use less steel than a knife style bayonet. No personal experience (never served in the military), but i have also heard that bayonet training emphasizes strikes ro the abdoninal area in order to avoid the ribcage. Assumedly the liver is the best place there to hit, because it is so vascular. These bayonets are obviously longer than needed, and coukd easily be shortened by several inches (probably 6" for the 91/30). The US Army gradually realized after WW1 that a 14" bayonet was not needed, thus the 10" Garand bayonets, which became the postwar and Korean era M5A1 with 6.5" blade. All bayonets after that seemed to standardize at 6.5" (as the Carbine bayonet already was). The current one (can't remember the designation- M10 maybe?) is 8" i believe, but is a combination bayonet and knife. I don't think we have had a spike bayonet since the trapdoor Speingfield. Anyway, great video as always. Thank you
I just spent 8,5 minutes listening with interest to a man talking about a metal rod... That's the magic of Ian.
The M44 used the single ear lug used until 1945. That would be around half of the soviet M44 production run, wouldn't exactly count that as trials rifles.
Now Ian will need to find a M44L. M44 with a nearly 91/30 length bayonet. Only a couple known to have made it to the US.
Yes, my 1944 Izhevsk M44 has a single lug.
The M44L video posts in two weeks. ;)
The purest form of Mosin Nagant
I own an airsoft version of this, I think it's the shorter version though and yes it DOES have the fully functional folding bayonet which I have to zip-tie closed when I decide to use it for an event due to it being steel and likely to cause serious injury.
There's a definite market for this if it could be produced aftermarket. Patents and such need to be loiked into for legal production reasons.
Interesting. On my M44, the bayonet doesn't have the two forward hooks but is otherwise the same as the M44 shown here.
It's known as "KM-44" for "Карабин Мосина 1944 года" - "Mosin's Carbine of 1944". Optionally "with non-detachable folding needle bayonet by Syomin". Or just "Carbine ver. 1944".
Are you referring to the M44? Because this video is not about that, it's about the predecessor to the M44.
@@cymond More like parallel development. Both the 91/30 folding socket bayonets and the M44 started limited production in 1943.
Wow found one of these in a group of other bayonets at a surplus/antiques store. Bought it because even though it wasn’t a hand gripped Bowie style like the K98 it was sharp and looked deadly so I bought it for 20 buck along with a Czech VZ24 bayonet for 108 (with scabbard no frog but very clean). Wondered how it worked.
Somehow, I read the title as semi-auto folding bayonet.
Cool stuff
Good video mate
When I saw the thumbnail I was hoping that the soviets decided to throw and even LONGER bayonet on the 91/30. Is it just me or does that stock look like it's been sanded and stained?
It appears that the front lug wasn't necessary because the barrel ring is much meatier than the one on the M44. The barrel ring on the M44 is scalloped I guess so you can slap it into position rather than having to lift the ring over, but I think that that they added the front lug to make up for that scalloping.
That gal definitely has some interesting digits. 91-30-43
The problem was that Mosn rifles where zeroed with byonet on, so if you take if off shooting become inaccurate. From the other side if untrained disoriented recruters in 1941 -42 trying to move aound with spike byunett on they pose a danger to each other. Therefore officers orderd to take it of on march and put it on in a battle. As a result, a lot of buyonets got lost this way.
I knew my Mosin was special, even before seeing this video😌
I forgot about this one. Thank!
Guns, one of the most controlled goods on international market. Nobody knows where are 100 rifles come from. In 2020. But these guns appear to be legally clear, not something you buy on black market. Nice.
Yeah, esp. it is stressed by that duct tape over the serial number.
I don't think Ian would ever risk recording an illegal or criminal firearm.
@@KDX420 Exactly.
@@sergeykoshelev4566 I've thought it's only me!
Eric from IV8888: *heavy breathing*
I saw one of these at a gun show knowing they were rare, still bought the m44 carbine anyways
I had an M44 carbine. Kicked like a mofo, and you didn't want to shoot it with the bayo retracted unless you were wearing a heavy glove on your support hand. I heard that they were zeroed with the bayo deployed.
With my M-44 if the bayonet is extended... it hits where I'm aiming and the balance feels right. With the bayonet retracted... it does not hit where I'm aiming and the balance feels off.
The bayonet will raise the point of impact for me about an inch or so when retracted.
would this also fix the "zero issue"???
most 91/30s shoot WAY high at 100..... but are very close with the bayo on (myth says they were zeroed with the bayo on)
most of the weight with this folding bayonet would still act on the muzzle..... possibly keeping the zero.... and allowing you to use the adjustable sights
Making the bayonet to be a generally useful knife is the better solution.
The second pair of hooks _appear_ to be so once you've unlocked it, you don't need to manipulate the latch at all. You can fling it forward, the second hooks will ramp the latch open, and it can snap over the muzzle.
That's an interesting and plausible theory.
@@MultiMcgruber at least that works right this way on SKS. Even the guy who never hold a gun in his hand before (me) was able to manipulate bayonet very quickly.
Thanks for the video, i have one of these and couldn't find useful information about it. Mine still has a sort of paint on it
Mosins with bayonetts are great. If you run out of ammo, just use it as a thorwing spear.
Ian, have you done a video on reference book recommendations? I'd like to have books listing things to look for when collecting SKSs and Mosins.
He generally releases book reviews on Sundays.
Although Beer has altered his release schedule somewhat.
Nice spear you got there
Offical designation code is 56-B-222
Clever. I would like to get my paws on one for my 91/30. I gotta admit though, I shortened my bayonet (not matching numbers) to 7" and am currently reshaping it. Tedious because that steel is hard
So a 3 digit serial with the non front hook bayonet on an m44 is a trials rifle?
Hmmm dont know if im going to give it back to my father
No - that is incorrect. Ian’s comments were a little misleading on that point.
Identifying trials rifles is very straight forward: the manufacture date is “1943”.
Serial number length is irrelevant. The Soviet’s used letter-prefix blocks, so they reset every 10,000 (ex. Rifle AA 9999 is followed by AB 1). Therefore, 9% of all M44s have 3 digit serial numbers.
There are 50,000 trials rifles. All have single hooks. 4,500 have three digit serial numbers.
There are millions of M44s. About 4 million have single hooks. 360,000 of them have three digit serials.
Without looking at the date on your father’s rifle, there is a 1 in 80 chance it’s a ‘43 (Trials Rifle) and a 79 in 80 chance it’s a ‘44 or a ‘45 (not a Trials Rifle)
Hope that helps.
Pig Sticker. The idea was to make a nasty wound. Sending a combatant back for medical reasons was as effective as killing them for the immediate purposes...until they return the next time!
I can almost smell the shellac and years in the crate smell
I wonder if that's a little piece of duct tape on the markings 6:33
The owner of the gun didn't want the serial number to be public, for some reason.
i bought 4 of those at $40 a piece....ahhhh, the good ol days.
Random but Bowman Arms has new old stock polish AKMS parts kits with production sanitized circle 11 milled off. C P marked selector. Only markings starting SG08xxx receivers. Ever heard of a thing of polished sanitized weapons?
wow finally something on forgotten weapons what I own lol
Great video. I have suggestion for ian that he should start history telling channel his voice and language is so crisp and simple.
Spacially for non english speaker.
Dhananjay Chafale check out InrangeTV, lots of interesting history videos by Karl and him.
Fancy way to say "yet another garbage rod".
I saw one of these at a gun store once for like 300 bucks. Kicking myself for not getting it now.
Another reason that it was attached was that soviet soldiers would throw away things they saw as useless so they tended to throw away gas masks helmets and bayonets, but you can’t throw away your gun so they attached it to the gun to prevent the soldiers from throwing away the bayonet
I have the same bayonet on my Cherry Russian 1944 Mosin Nagant M44. Its like a sharp flathead screwdriver that gets fatter the deeper you stab. Ouch.
I own one of these beauties. Serial is in the 8000s. Very conflicted on if I should shoot it ever or have it as a keepsake.
I still see these for sale here in Canada.
Outta all the guns you have this is one ive owned well least the m44
Didnt mention its a flat head screw driver 😊 one of the best bayonet designs imo, although very long
hey that looks like the Mosin carbine i have. bought mine many years ago for like 100 bucks at a pawn shop. its a very good rifle.
Ian: "I bet I can still make these fall off when fired..." 😂
It would be interesting to hear smth. about bayonets in general, I see why they were introduced in the first place, but then again, why are bayonets still a thing? And shouldnt by WWII someone question the general purpose?
Cool trials rifle to see. Would love to find one in the wild but I bet its unlikely.