peashooter85:The Mosin Nagant Dragoon, Cossack Rifle, and the M91/30.After the development and adopt
peashooter85:The Mosin Nagant Dragoon, Cossack Rifle, and the M91/30.After the development and adoption of the Model 1891 Mosin Nagant bolt action rifle, the Russian Army decided it needed a specialty rifle for its mounted forces. To accomplish this the M1891 was modified into a slightly shorter and more compact rifle. Overall length was shortened by 2.5 inches and weight was reduced by a pound. The purpose of making a lighter and smaller rifle was that it was to be used by Russian Dragoons, a type of mounted infantry which rode to battle on a horse, but dismounted and fought as infantry once on the battlefield. The new “Dragoon” rifle was made to be easier to transport and handle while on horseback. In addition to the Dragoon rifle, the Cossack rifle was also produced. The Cossack rifle, primarily built for the use of Cossack horseman, was identical to the Dragoon rifle only it was sighted in without the bayonet mounted and issued without a bayonet. Most Russian military rifles up to the end of World War II were sighted in with the bayonet mounted.In 1922 the new Soviet government decided that it needed to simplify its arsenal. At the time the army used 3 variations of the Mosin Nagant; the original Model 1891 rifle, the Dragoon rifle, and the M1907 Carbine. The Model 1891 was too long, while the M1907 carbine was too short and inaccurate. The Dragoon rifle was just right, and adopted as the standard service rifle of the Soviet Army. In 1930 the Dragoon rifle underwent as series of upgrades intended to modernize it. The original length and pattern of the rifle was kept, but minor changes were made including the introduction of a shrouded front site, a new rear sight that was incremented in meters rather than Russian arshini, new barrel bands, and the replacement of a hex receiver with a round receiver. The result was the Mosin Nagant M91/30, which became the standard service rifle of the Red Army from 1930 up to the end of World War II. Most Dragoon rifles were refurbished and modified into 91/30’s after 1930, which explains the existence of the rarer hex receiver 91/30 (some were produced with a hex receiver as well). The M91/30 would become the most produced model of Mosin Nagant in history. -- source link