Westinghouse Mosin question

[6_gunner]

I have a Westinghouse Mosin-Nagant 1891, dated 1915. I haven't been able to find much info about this variant on the web.
Can anybody tell me the history of this type of rifle? I assume it's Lend-Lease or something like that.
It's a very accurate shooter, but it seems to jam when I use steel-case ammo, but not when I use brass case ammo. Why is that and is there anything I can do about it?
I'm also curious about how they compare to other Mosin variations in regard to quality, reliability, fit and finish, etc.

Thanks, guys!

 

[Cosmoline]

Not lend-lease. These date back to an earlier war. They were ordered by the last Czar, but he was unable to complete the contract and the American companies were stuck with a bunch of them. Many were sold to the US military for use as reserve arms, others ended up at Bannerman's and were modified and converted to .30'06.

Terence Lapin himself has a good writeup on them here:

http://www.mosinnagant.net/USSR/US-Mosin-Nagants.asp

Is it intact? If so KEEP IT THAT WAY!!! The US Mosins were almost all hacked by Bannerman & Co. or Bubba & Bro. Matching, intact examples are commanding higher and higher prices. One sold for near a grand on gunbroker last year, though it was basically unissued. Intact Westinghouse Mosins are ranked as a "9" on the rarity scale at 54R.net. That means you see a hacksaw, you shoot the man carrying it ;-)

As far as jams, some Mosins just don't like steel case. It actually can be a good sign, since it means the tolerances on your Mosin are tighter than average. I've shot tackdriving Finns that also hate steel cased ammo. Just feed it brass factory rounds or handloads and make sure the corrosive primers on surplus ball don't damage the bore.

 

[DnPRK]

The Czar contracted with New England Westinghouse and Remington to produce rifles to fight the Kaiser's army in WWI. Many Westinghouse rifles made it to the Russians before the communists took over and Lennin signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany in March 1918. Many of the Remington rifles went to the 3000 US troops of the Northern Russian Expeditionary Force before they were withdrawn from Archangel.

 

[hso]

I've got a Westinghouse SA capture (Finnish) one and you should treasure it as a great piece of history.

 

[6_gunner]

Thanks! That link was very helpful.

Another thing I have wondered about: The numbers on the sights are re-stamped. I assumed it was originally in arshins and was later re-marked for meters or yards. Is this correct?

 

[Cosmoline]

Remarked to meters, you say? Do you see an [SA] stamp on that pup by any chance?

Is the rifle intact, or cut?

 

[DMK]

Is it intact? If so KEEP IT THAT WAY!!!

I've got a Westinghouse SA capture (Finnish) one and you should treasure it as a great piece of history.

Very true. I'd gladly trade my perfect condition, unissued Russian for it.


I always liked this scan that Ezra Coli did. I wonder what ever happened to the young Ensign Hicks and his rough looking band of men.

Here's a little blurb I founds on the web:

On April 28, 1918, the USS OLYMPIA sailed out of Charleston, S.C. bound for Murmansk to take part in the ill-fated Allied intervention against the Russian Bolscheviks. She joined the Allied force on May 28, 1918, and actually landed sailors to garrison Murmansk. She contributed approximately one hundred of her crew to join the forces that marched inland.

 

[Hoppy590]

the American mosins are a HUGE historical talking piece

made in america, for our friends in czarist russia.
many shipped. many not. before the revolution(s)

some of the remaining Mosins were issued to US troops during an expedition to Russia to support "white" russians ( the anti-commies, not the delicious vodka, kaluha and milk concoction)

heres some more reading, includes stuff about the AEF trip to mother russia. and its use ( and abandonment of MN's)
http://www.texastradingpost.com/militaria/usmosin.html