1947 Izhevsk M91\30 - Laminate, Not an Ex-Sniper
Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 6:55 pm
This rifle and story started back in December of last year. I had gone on a wild buying spree of firearms and my wife was getting a bit annoyed with the whole thing. I had found a really nice M91 which I of course had to have so I promised that if she let me get that one, I wouldn’t buy another for a very, very long time. That was in late September. Come December, I was with a friend and his wife at a shop and saw two beautiful looking dark laminate 91/30’s sitting on the shelf. Of course I asked to see them. The first was a ’43 and other than the nice laminate wasn’t anything too interesting. I handed it back and asked to see the next one. As soon as I looked at the date on it, I had the sudden “Oh boy, I’m about to get in a lot of trouble” feeling. There in my hand was a 1947 laminate stock M91\30. My mind started flashing the word “rare” in big bold red letters in my head. I opened the bolt and checked to see whether it might have been an ex-sniper. Nope, no holes drilled in the receiver anywhere. This was a plain Jane standard M91\30 infantry rifle made in glorious Soviet Union in 1947! I had remembered reading a thread about there having been around 2800 M91\30’s produced that year, the majority of which were made to be snipers. I can’t validate those production numbers of course, just what I remember having seen floating around the net somewhere, maybe here. The only other ’47 91\30 that wasn’t a sniper was the one here on the boards owned by Miller Tyme. I HAD to have this rifle!
Even though I knew ahead of time how the next 2 minute phone call with the wife was going to go, I had to make the call and pray for mercy. She answered and I carefully pleaded my case to her. There was a moment of silence on her end of the phone, quickly followed by a “Are you *(@#$@ kidding me?!!?”. Enough said my dear, I understand. I hung my head low and we left the shop, that poor rifle still sitting on the shelf.
I sent a text about the whole thing to Titanium Hammer, hoping that he would rescue this one like he had the M27 I had found a couple months earlier. He wound up going there two days later but alas, that beautiful ’47 had been sold! DRATS!
Over the past few months, I would stop in at the shop to see what was on the shelves. The ’43 was still there, waiting for a home. I’d just shake my head and mutter that I wished I had gotten the ’47 when it was there. The owner just smiled at me and nodded his head in understanding.
So then there was yesterday, Easter Sunday. The family and I were over at our friends house for dinner and some conversation. After dinner the wives disappeared for a bit and when they re-appeared, they were carrying a long cardboard box that had “Happy Easter” written across it. What’s going on here I wondered. They stick a bunch of chocolate in an old Mosin box? Yum, cosmo covered candies! My wife passed the box over to me and said “Happy Easter, I hope you like it”. Awww, thanks dear, I didn’t get you anything. I opened the box, wondering what could have been inside of it. Somewhat surprised, there was a Mosin staring at me. I was puzzled, why did my beautiful, lovely, amazing wife get me a Mosin for Easter? She had already let me have a good chunk of some bonus money which I had used to buy four rifles and a reloading station. Why would she be doing this? I looked at it a little more and suddenly my eyes got wide. This was the ’47 that I had seen 5 months ago! SHE was the one that had gone up there the next day and bought it before Titanium Hammer had made it up there! She said that she bought it as a birthday present but had been worried that I’d wind up finding another one and would wind up buying it. So instead of risking that, she gave it to me for Easter! I don’t know how many times or how passionately I can tell you exactly how much I love my wife!
After we came back home last night, she went to bed and I went into the garage to start cleaning this one up. It is a refurbed M91\30 and there is plenty of black paint in various places on it, some ridiculously thick. The numbers match on all the parts, except the bayonet, though the fonts are not necessarily the same. I positively love this rifle and can’t wait to see how she shoots at the range this weekend! I might even let the wife take the first shot
The barrel shank also has an interesting “PF” stamp on it that I haven’t seen before. Yet another unknown marking I suppose. Also a small refurbishment stamp on the metal on the bottom.
The date is fairly lightly stamped, or possibly slightly scrubbed during refurb. Here’s a close up that shows the full date a bit more fully. It’s easy to see in person but not as easy in some of the photos.
There is a partial date on the tang but unfortunately the only part visible is the Izhevsk stamp and “19”, the rest of the date is missing. Unfortunately I can’t tell for sure whether the receiver was also a 1947.
The laminate stock has a toe splice, also laminate.
As you would expect, this one has a two piece interrupter / ejector.
What can I say about the bore that this picture can’t? Ok, I could say that I missed a spec in the bore…
Lots of little stamps all over the stock. These ones are on the underside of the fore-end, forward of the magazine.
Stamps on the top of the stock near the butt plate. The top-right most one looks a bit like an anchor to me.
All I can say is I’m the luckiest guy on earth with a wife like mine! Why she married a shlub like me…
Even though I knew ahead of time how the next 2 minute phone call with the wife was going to go, I had to make the call and pray for mercy. She answered and I carefully pleaded my case to her. There was a moment of silence on her end of the phone, quickly followed by a “Are you *(@#$@ kidding me?!!?”. Enough said my dear, I understand. I hung my head low and we left the shop, that poor rifle still sitting on the shelf.
I sent a text about the whole thing to Titanium Hammer, hoping that he would rescue this one like he had the M27 I had found a couple months earlier. He wound up going there two days later but alas, that beautiful ’47 had been sold! DRATS!
Over the past few months, I would stop in at the shop to see what was on the shelves. The ’43 was still there, waiting for a home. I’d just shake my head and mutter that I wished I had gotten the ’47 when it was there. The owner just smiled at me and nodded his head in understanding.
So then there was yesterday, Easter Sunday. The family and I were over at our friends house for dinner and some conversation. After dinner the wives disappeared for a bit and when they re-appeared, they were carrying a long cardboard box that had “Happy Easter” written across it. What’s going on here I wondered. They stick a bunch of chocolate in an old Mosin box? Yum, cosmo covered candies! My wife passed the box over to me and said “Happy Easter, I hope you like it”. Awww, thanks dear, I didn’t get you anything. I opened the box, wondering what could have been inside of it. Somewhat surprised, there was a Mosin staring at me. I was puzzled, why did my beautiful, lovely, amazing wife get me a Mosin for Easter? She had already let me have a good chunk of some bonus money which I had used to buy four rifles and a reloading station. Why would she be doing this? I looked at it a little more and suddenly my eyes got wide. This was the ’47 that I had seen 5 months ago! SHE was the one that had gone up there the next day and bought it before Titanium Hammer had made it up there! She said that she bought it as a birthday present but had been worried that I’d wind up finding another one and would wind up buying it. So instead of risking that, she gave it to me for Easter! I don’t know how many times or how passionately I can tell you exactly how much I love my wife!
After we came back home last night, she went to bed and I went into the garage to start cleaning this one up. It is a refurbed M91\30 and there is plenty of black paint in various places on it, some ridiculously thick. The numbers match on all the parts, except the bayonet, though the fonts are not necessarily the same. I positively love this rifle and can’t wait to see how she shoots at the range this weekend! I might even let the wife take the first shot
The barrel shank also has an interesting “PF” stamp on it that I haven’t seen before. Yet another unknown marking I suppose. Also a small refurbishment stamp on the metal on the bottom.
The date is fairly lightly stamped, or possibly slightly scrubbed during refurb. Here’s a close up that shows the full date a bit more fully. It’s easy to see in person but not as easy in some of the photos.
There is a partial date on the tang but unfortunately the only part visible is the Izhevsk stamp and “19”, the rest of the date is missing. Unfortunately I can’t tell for sure whether the receiver was also a 1947.
The laminate stock has a toe splice, also laminate.
As you would expect, this one has a two piece interrupter / ejector.
What can I say about the bore that this picture can’t? Ok, I could say that I missed a spec in the bore…
Lots of little stamps all over the stock. These ones are on the underside of the fore-end, forward of the magazine.
Stamps on the top of the stock near the butt plate. The top-right most one looks a bit like an anchor to me.
All I can say is I’m the luckiest guy on earth with a wife like mine! Why she married a shlub like me…
She's completely unique and awesome. I knew that the first time I saw her, freshman year in highschool, 1st period, gym class. It only took two years for us to be friends, seven for her to date and and another to marry me. 19 years later, I couldn't imagine the world without her.
