I would like to introduce my book "M91/30 Rifles and M38/M44 Carbines in 1941-1945, Accessories and Devices."
The idea of writing this book came to me long ago, but it could not have been realized without the help of Ryan Elliott (RyanE), who translated and revised all of the book’s text, I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to him.
In spite of the fact that the M91/30 rifle (together with its carbine and sniper rifle variants) was the most produced type of infantry weapon in the period of 1941-1945, the history of its production is very poorly researched, and many myths about this period circulate. I have attempted to gather a large number of reliable sources, such as archive documents and specialized publications, which are not familiar to a wide audience. This book contains the planned and produced quantities of M91/30 rifles and carbines, facts related to their production, sections describing the slings and pouches produced in 1941-1945, the different accessories which can be used with the rifles, and the various aspects of rifle maintenance and repair during the war. Every single digit in this book has confirmation in the archive documents.
The primary objective of this book is not to reprint facts which can be easily found with a non-intensive search, or those well known within the collector community, but it aims to provide a brief, complete description of the production and maintenance related events of 1941-1945 with facts currently unknown and unpublished.
This book is divided into four parts:
Chapter 1 describes the production of the rifles and carbines in the period of 1941-1945. It contains facts related to their production, detailed production numbers, and the evolution of the rifles and carbines over the same period. It also covers the previously unknown aspects of wartime rifle and carbine repairs by Red Army repair depots.
Chapter 2 describes the accessories - pouches, slings, and cleaning tools.
Chapter 3 describes the devices for the rifles and carbines (such as the sound suppressor, rifle grenades/mortars, and others) that were designed and produced in 1941-1945.
The final part consists of eight appendices which describe factory and repair depot markings, sniper and training rifles, and other interesting aspects.
In the future, I plan to continue my research, attempt to discover more facts related to production in 1941-1945, and will most likely expand my research into other periods.
Sincerely, Alexander Yuschenko
The book text was kindly reviewed by Vic Thomas, and below is his feedback about the book:
For years the collector of the Mosin Nagant series of rifles and carbines was at a disadvantage in that the archival factory information and records of the rifles and carbines had not been available to the western collector. Due to political reasons and language difficulties, the ability for the Mosin Nagant enthusiast to fully understand the subtle nuances of the rifles was shrouded in some mystery and less than detailed facts. Information like the numbers of rifles and carbines produced was limited to some reprints of older European publications that had been translated and released for sale in the United States in English. While those books gave us rough ideas of the numbers of rifles and carbines made as well as the types, they did not detail the amount of rifles and carbines ordered for production and how many were actually made. Often times the numbers presented had a degree of "propaganda" involved or where simply incorrect. As collectors the information that was sorely lacking in regard to the Soviet production of the Mosin Nagant, was the detailed chronological break down of the production orders, the individuals involved and the production facilities and sub-contractors. Now orders presented and the actual archival factory production by month and year during the wartime era has been unearthed. In addition to these and other factory details, the Mosin Nagant collector lacked the identification details of the markings, inspection proofs, and the meanings of the many other unknown proof and production markings placed on the rifles barrel, parts and receivers as well as wooden stock parts. With new information becoming available and the impressive research work of the author Alexander Yuschenko using documented wartime archival information such as factory orders and reports, a detailed and accurate overview of the wartime production of the M91/30 infantry and sniper rifle as well as the models 1938 and 1944 carbines is for the first time, available to the collector. In addition the author meticulously details the many types and makers of accessories produced for the weapons - including optics, bayonets and slings, as well as ammunition pouches in both model types and variations and deciphered the markings found on them. The book contains numerous wartime era photographs supporting the author’s research and detailed images of the rifles illustrating markings and types not seen previously.
As a lifelong collector of the Mosin Nagant types of weapons and a contributor to many other books pertaining to the subject matter, I found this book to be an absolute necessity for anyone interested in the Russian produced Mosin Nagant rifles and carbines. Finally, for the first time a detailed reference book is available to the English reader based on substantiated archival research and documents presenting facts to the reader never before available in such clarity and subject. This new resource for the Mosin Nagant enthusiast - M91/30 rifles and M38 and M44 Carbines in 1941-1945 with Accessories and Devices is a must have in every Mosin Nagant collectors library.
Sincerely,
Victor Thomas
Gunboards.com
The book has 136 pages (А4 size) and a hard cover. It will be printed on high quality paper with a combination of color (where it is neccessary) and grayscale pages.
Price for a book will be 30$ + shipping (PayPal . Other ways of payment will be available also). If payment will be made from PayPal account registered in California, this will add 8,75% sales tax.
Estimated price for shipping will be 12$ with an approximate delivery time of 2-2.5 weeks. Shipping price for several books will be cheaper per book than shipping of a single book.
I should get the first printed copies approximately up to March 15. Orders for the book can be sent to m9130book@gmail.com
Please note:currently I will record all orders received via email (you must get order confirmation) but I will not send invoices yet. After I have the books in my hands, I will answer all emails and will send everyone a PayPal invoice.
I would also ask that you not send me PMs here (related to the book), as it will be very difficult to track and proceess orders via PM's
Below are a few screenshots of the book’s pages and the list of contents. * Note - image show M91/30 rifle with trial folding bayonet, not M44 carbine
