|Project by Eric M. Saperstein||posted 09-25-2013 01:06 AM||1879 views||3 times favorited||12 comments|
Anyone of you can pickup one of these rifles – and as you’re all woodworkers look at the stock! It glows warm and rich with very little effort. It’s beaten and worn, but shows the heritage of combat. This very rifle may have held the ground the Germans would have otherwise forsaken.
World Wars brought on massive military buildups, and of course Russia was a huge producer of firearms. Prior to the world renown AK-47— Avtomat Kalashnikova (Russian: Автомат Калашникова), referred to mostly as a Kalashnikov; simply saying “AK” will immediately infer a visualization of the rifle around the world. The AK had predecessors, the most famous of all being the Mosin Nagant conceived during the Russo-Ottoman War (1877-1878) this bolt action five round internal magazine repeating rifle held an assortment of complexities, but offered a huge advantage as a repeating rifle with a new 7.62×54R high powered cartridge.
Revisions resulted in the M91/30, the 1891 concept revised in 1930. From there an estimated 17.5 million rifles rolled out of Russian factories alone. Step back, and take a moment; manufacturing might and the simplicity of the design allowed the sheer numbers of rifles required to arm the Russians towards holding back back the German invasions to be produced. The rifle brought Russia in line with the German Mauser, English Enfield, and American Springfield. The rifle remained prominent through WWII until 1949 when the AK-47 was accepted by the Russian Military.
After the war millions were bathed in cosmoline and packed into arsenal storage; hidden from the Russian people as the Soviets gained control. Here’s just a tidbit of history; CITIZENS are armed – SUBJECTS are disarmed. As Russia modernized they happily unloaded the surplus rifles around the world, a seemingly endless supply reached the hands of the American people. If a Soviet invasion ever did play out, how ironic would it be that the rifles that drove the Germans out of Russia would play a hand in driving the Russians out of America?
OK enough with the politics and propaganda, we’re artists and restorers not lobbyists. This 1942 Mosin Nagant arrived in standard oily condition. It is now battle ready; just a few hours of work and only four coats of Waterlox tung oil on the stock. All the original leather, straps, tools, and the bayonet are intact. Its worth the time and effort to gather and restore artifacts, equipment, and military pieces.
More historic rifle restorations are pending!
-- Eric M. Saperstein, Master Craftsman www.artisansofthevalley.com