Serial Number on my Mosin-Nagant!!!

[Carolina Kalash]

Is there anywhere where i can look up the number and find out who it was issued to when it was in Red Army Circulation? or would anybody even have access to those records or if any were even kept?

BTW for those wanting to know it's a 91/30, a 1943 Izshevsk.

 

[jaguarxk120]

Try www.mosinngant.net there is a lot of info there. Please note they say the Izshevsk arsnal made about 14,000,000 standard rifles.

 

[SDC]

They didn't even BOTHER keeping such records for much of the war, as getting a rifle was a matter of "here's a pocket full of ammo, and pick up a rifle you find out on the battlefield". I'm reading a history of the battle of Stalingrad right now, and most of the troops sent there weren't given any weapons until immediately before boarding a boat across the Volga, or picking one up after its previous owner had been killed by German shelling.

 

[MaterDei]

Probably goes without saying but the proper URL is www.mosinnagant.net. You'll find all you need to know there.

 

[Jim K]

I have seen newsreels of Russian army officers handing out rifles to partisans as fast as they could get them out of the crates. It didn't look to me like they were filling out any registration forms or doing any NICS checks.

In fact it is impossible to trace a specific rifle to an individual soldier in the U.S. Army, as those records were temporary and destroyed when outdated. Unlike the German army Soldbuch, American personnel records did not record issued weapons or serial numbers, only the weapons the soldier had qualified with.

Jim

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

I've read several books on Stalingrad, fascinating and horrific (Either side).

The Soviet Army was not as poorly equipped from what I read. I think there was a point in 1941 or early 42 where they didn't have enough stuff to go around but by the middle to end of the battle for Stalingrad the Russians were the much better equipped army. They had fully fielded, trained and equipped divisions in reserve...

I think the "Crisis" point for the soviets was getting caught flat footed after killing all of his officer corps...and the massive setbacks early in the war(1939-1941). Once Soviet Russia gasped for air (Entangled the German Army in Stalingrad) and cranked up the machines to produce the stuff, that war was over, All but the fighting and 1 million more Soviet Soldiers. (I am always amazed at the apparent lack of concern for casualties, the human wave was a real strategy for them)

If your rifle is made during WW2 (Pre 45), it served someone. I dont know of any way that you could figure out when, where, or who... I like the rifles from the late 30's and early 40's. I figure there is just about zero chance that between 3-4 of them one of them was somewhere interesting!

I Highly suggest reading "Stalingrad, The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943" by Antony Beevor if this interests you.

 

[bikerdoc]

My favorite uncle used to tell me stories of WW2. He was a medic with the 26 th I D. Seems they hooked up with Russians at the end of the war. He was appalled at how little medical attention they had, and how most could not read or write.
I doubt even if the wanted to keep records basic illiteracy got in the way.