The rifle itself is pretty interesting and I'm very curious to get some others opinions on it. It's not all matching but I think there are quite a few original parts still on the rifle. The magazine and butt plate serial numbers look to be original matching, with all the magazine internals being Izhevsk stamped parts. The bolt though is not original matching, though it is restamped with the serial number on the side. All of the bolt parts appear to be Tula pieces. The rear barrel band is Izhevsk but the front band is Tula. I would tend to think that the rifle came through via Finland but there aren't really any Finn traits to it. The rear sight doesn't have the Arshins crossed out or meters marked on it. There is no [SA] or D stamp on the barrel shank, nothing that really screams that it went to Finland. There are no import marks on the rifle either, so it likely came into the country a very long time ago. I don't think it's Balkan or SCW, doesn't really have traits for either of those. I don't really think it's a bring-home rifle either. The rifle had some very old dried grease on the exposed parts and some pretty thick grease on the internals, similar to what I've seen on some Finn rifles, including some fir needles embedded in the grease inside the magazine. I'm guessing that it likely was an old Finnish import but would welcome some other opinions.
Anyhow, here's a bunch of photos of the rifle.
The exposed metal on the rifle is in the white, all of the bluing is pretty much gone, though under the woodline it is still present. It is also present for the most part on the rear sight. As you can see, the rifle is a 1905 Izhevsk M91. The barrel shank does not have an [SA] or D stamp that might indicate Finnish ownership at some point. The receiver does not have the serial number stamped on the side either, as would be expected with a later import.
The receiver is also stamped with a 1905 date and the Izhevsk logo.
The receiver has likely been mated with the stock for a fairly long period of time as the tang date impression can be clearly seen in the wood.
Cleaning rod nut..
What drew me to the rifle the most of course was the stock. The combination of the German capture stamp and the fact that the stock did not have sling slots, which were added in 1908. I would tend to believe that this stock is original to the rifle. It still has the original matching butt plate, has the very clear impression from the tang date etc.
The right side of the stock has the Deutsches Reich stamp, showing the rifle likely served during WWI and was captured by the Germans. The stamp for the stock maker is also present though it is no longer legible.
The butt plate appears to be original matching.
The magazine appears to be original matching. The magazine also has the sling hanger installed at the front of the magazine, which would have been correct for a 1905 m91. All of the internal parts of the magazine are Izhevsk stamped.
A picture of the right side of the magazine, along with the bolt and receiver.
The rear sight still has most of it's bluing, at least compared to the rest of the exposed metal. The right side has not been updated with meter marks as would be typical of a Finnish m91.
Left side of rear sight. Still has the Russian Arshins not crossed out
Left side of rifle
Front sight, izhevsk parts, left side, Tula front barrel band with hanger.
Left side, Izhevsk rear barrel band
The bolt is not original matching to the rifle. There are multiple crossed out numbers in the standard location and was restamped with this rifles number on the side. All of the parts of the bolt are Tula rather than Izhevsk.
Serial number stamped on the side.
The cocking knob has been restamped though it does not have the serial number of this rifle on it.
At least 2 serial numbers have been assigned to this bolt before it was restamped to this rifle.
Barrel Bands
The front barrel band was made by Tula and still has the slign hanger installed. It appears to be a 2nd configuration, which has the notches for the handguard tabs.
The rear barrel band is Izhevsk marked. Also in this photo, you can see that the front hanger is slightly bent.
The rifle was originally covered in old dried grease on the metal parts that were exposed and pretty thick grease under the woodline and in all of the internals. You can see the thick grease on the interrupter and trigger here. You can also see that the trigger is Izhevsk marked.
You got me wondering is it WW1 capture ?
