A Mosin question

[Guest TankerHC]

Ok, so I have this friend. He is no phony, he knows his guns about better than anyone I know and owns a LOT of really expensive and rare firearms. But today for the first time he put his hands on a 91/30. Its a friends and he is cleaning it up for him.

 

The friend claimed the gun was used in Vietnam. I asked how he knew that. He emailed the guy and the reply is straight from Wiki "The Chinese type 53 we used quite a bit in Vietnam. Actually if you Wikipedia mosin nagant, they have been in over 25 wars/ conflicts including Syria!"

 

But that wasnt the claim, the claim was this gun was used in Vietnam. I know plenty of French and US troops were on the receiving end of a Mosin. Thats not even in dispute. He and I are kinda kidding around, nothing serious, but someone told him he would have a lot of fans on the Mosin forum if he took that Mosin "Used in Vietnam" over to the Mosin Forum.

 

I told him "yea, you will have a lot of fans over on the Mosin Forum if you go there with the first Mosin you have had in your possession being one that was used in Vietnam, go ahead on over there and post". I dared him...double dared him. 

 

But now the serious question. Since it has been brought up. Is there any way to authenticate a Mosin short of a bring back? Seems to me with 37 million manufactured, that you would have an easier time authenticating a 61 Springfield, which, short of a Battlefield Pickup is impossible and even then is questionable and only 650,000 of those were manufactured during the war.

 

Keep in mind the inability to authenticate a Mosin by me is pure assumption. But knowing all the people I do, all the forum posts by knowledgable gun owners I have read and all the articles I have read on the Mosin and at least a book or two, I have never heard a single person claim they could authenticate a Mosin Nagant.

 

So is it possible?

[Jonnin]

The enemy used what they had and were supplied by russians .... of course a few mosins were used.  Probably not many, but a few.  possibly, as sniper rifles (?).   I don't know.  But if you internet search "vietnam mosin" you will get a lot of pictures of soldiers carrying what look like mosins and tons of people commenting that it was indeed used SOME, if rarely.  Too many hits for it to be complete nonsense IMHO.

 

The only verification would be bring back/ capture papers, yes.  The gun could have been used there and ended up here without a trace too, and no proof at all about it.   I am not aware of any way to ID a mosin from nam -- not like they restamped them or anything that I know of.  

 

One or 2 hits indicate they were used as sniper or counter sniper gear.  But the truth in that is in the web... it could be BS too.

Edited November 6, 2013 by Jonnin

[No_0ne]

Most Vietnam era bringbacks were captured cache weapons and will show much use and rust.  The only sure way to authenticate is with papers to certify the provenance.  Mosin variants were used throughout the Vietnam conflict, including many T-53's, however many of these same rifles have been imported to the US over the years.  A lack of import marks, along with the right "look" will usually ignite some discussion, but as to your original question, no, there are no Mosin origination or authentication sources to be found.  In the Mosin world, you learn very quickly to "never say never" ...