Sawn-off Mosin Nagant?

[Deadman]

While flipping through channels I noticed a History Channel documentary dealing with the aftermath of warfare. As I changed to the History Channel a Russian collector of some sort was showing a Stalingrad era Mosin Nagant to a Soviet Stalingrad veteren.

The Nagant in question had its buttstock removed to the pistol grip, the forestock had been greatly reduced to the point where most of the 20inch or so barrel was exposed and there was just enough of the forestock for something to hold onto in front of the magazine.

Although it looked quite 'cool' and I'm sure it was easier to use in the urban environment of Stalingrad, I wouldn't be the first person to volunteer to fire a lightened, stockless Nagant...

 

[MatthewVanitas]

Yep, that'd be an "obryoz"

(Probably coming from the Russian "ob"="round/about" and "rezat'"=cut)

Back on TFL we discussed these briefly, w/ good input from G-n Volk. I was reading a book of "The White Armies" which had various color plates of the anti-Soviet fighters of 1917 and thereabouts. One showed a "kulak", a peasant who'd picked himself up by his own bootstraps and had no interest in land redistribution. The kulaks were, of course, later villainized as reactionaries and enemies of the people, for not wanting to share the land they'd worked their tails off to buy in the first place.

Anyway, said picture shows a guy in peasant garb carrying an obryoz, a sweet little sawed-off Mosin Nagant. The book said that such was the favorite weapon of kulaks, great for surprise attacks and retreats. So, it's not only a cool piece of gear, it's got some good story behind it too.

 

[DMK]

There was an article in Shotgun News a while back about salvaged arms in Russia. Apparently, there are still a lot of weapons still buried in fields and laying in forests from WWII. People are finding them and selling them on the black market.

Some of the guns in the pictures looked a lot like you describe. I'm not sure whether they were intentionally cut down or if the wood just rotted away after all these years, but it seems some folks are still shooting them regardless.

 

[cool45auto]

"Obryoz", huh? I'd never heard of that before. That's a neat piece of history I would have never found out.

 

[Okiecruffler]

Great, just when I thought my Mosin collection was getting close to complete.

 

[Deadman]

DMK, actually that's exactly what the Russian collector was doing. Whether he was commisioned to salvage material buried around Stalingrad or it was just his hobby, I'm not sure. Part of the footage had this guy in a pit with a couple of skulls and a serverly rusted MG42 barrel next to the pit.


Okiecruffler, at least Nagants aren't expensive, and it would be an easy enough project to achieve.

 

[Okiecruffler]

"Okiecruffler, at least Nagants aren't expensive, and it would be an easy enough project to achieve."

Not sure if I would want to make one of my own, not sure what the good old boys down at the BATF would think about that. But if someone were importing the real thing I might be talked into paying whatever silly tax they put on it. Worth it for the history value alone.

 

[DMK]

But if someone were importing the real thing

I doubt very much that it would be importable.

 

[4v50 Gary]

If it's buried in the dirt, it should be a curio or relic. I'd hate to try to shoot the thing.

 

[Cosmoline]

Big muzzle blast. Like a blowtorch. At close range it would burn and tear the enemy apart. Pretty nasty.

Gotta get one

What's the lowest OAL allowed?

 

[Southern Raider]

26" OAL and 16" barrel are the minimums for a rifle. Anything less will cost you $200 on an ATF form 1 to make.

Anybody have a picture of this beast?

 

[AlexI]

That would be "obryez" rather then "obryoz", otherwise you got it right.
I've heard stories about shooting one of these (find from WW2, "butchered" for conceilement, they were illegal to possess anyway in USSR). There really was an insane muzzle flash and recoil (I think the guy mentioned that after several shots he had to wrap the "handle" in some soft rags to protect his hand), plus bullets tumbled immediately upon exiting the barrel (not enough rifling length left to stabilize a bullet).
So these were usefull for nothing more then almost contact range shots -assasinations (when used by "kulaks" against communist activists and such), and plain criminal activity like holdups/robberies. Which explains why "obryez" has a very unsavory reputation in Russian context...

Alex.

 

[goon]

"These weapons were apparently an early Russian attempt at a crude flame thrower. The intense muzzle blast and flash set anything within twenty feet ablaze. Their use was discontinued when a young Soviet soldier accidentally set his commander on fire during a firefight with German Wermacht forces."