Romanian M44: Wrong Stock

[Earl Burlin]

So what do you other guys think? Junk Yard Dog thinks it's original, but is he right?

I have learned that JYD is always right....if I know what is good for me

JYD does seem like a smart man. Hopefully this is an original stock... but I wonder, why has it been refinished with shellac? Most of the Romanian stocks I've seen have looked quite a bit worse, not so nice... ?

[Brdm2]

The Hungarian stock on my Romanian m44 has a <c> on it..it was made that way from the arsenal. Every time I take it apart I learn something new.

[Junk Yard Dog]

It's not refinished, a typical Romanian "rebuild" seems to have been just pull parts out of the spare parts pile and use them to assemble a rifle just the way they are. Unlike the Soviets they didn't refinish the rifle's parts, just made it function. All of my issued M44's from the Romanian hoard seem to follow that pattern.

[Earl Burlin]

Very cool, interesting to know. The metal on this carbine is so nice, and the bluing and polishing is the best I've yet seen on a Mosin in person. The bore is also in mint condition, and I took a nice sized hog with this last autumn. I won't be getting rid of it, regardless of it's history!

[target]

I've seen original Russian stocks that look just like yours. Personally no doubt in my mind that it's original. Since that's the case I would just leave it be.

I've got a Polish M44 that was rebuilt by the Romanians. They did a terrible job, really no saving grace for that gun. Horribly fitting in the Romanian stock, absolute trashed bore, and the front sight post is literally a nail they nipped off and stuck in the front sight globe. At 20 yards it won't even get on paper.

The fact that it's Polish is the only reason I have it and I got it in a great package deal a while back with a numbers matching+cleaning rod T53. I just need a true Romanian M44 and I will be all set when it comes to the M44 carbines.

[Junk Yard Dog]

The idiot they had running the country spent all their money building a huge palace as a monument to himself. He bankrupted the country's economy such as it was and there was no money left over for the army's weapons. They had to make do with whatever they could find or make from parts. You can't blame them for shooting him and his equally miserable wife live on TV.

[Earl Burlin]

The idiot they had running the country spent all their money building a huge palace as a monument to himself. He bankrupted the country's economy such as it was and there was no money left over for the army's weapons. They had to make do with whatever they could find or make from parts. You can't blame them for shooting him and his equally miserable wife live on TV.

Yeah that was Romania wasn't it... I remember seeing that video.

Well if you guys think it's an original stock... why does it have a Romanian triangle marking on it but in Russian shellac?

I apologize for all the questions, I feel about about bothering you guys, but inquiring minds want to know! Thanks for putting up with me.

[Junk Yard Dog]

The Romanians could still afford the stamp,

[Junk Yard Dog]

The bayonet thing is most likely done here, first to allow the sale of the rifles back in the day in states that didn't permit the bayonet, or by some Bubba who didn't want it on his hog rifle.

[cj1964]

Romanian mosins are an "anything goes" mix of salvaged pieces/parts, but they sure did a good job with the M91 spliced stocks they made! They're almost always good quality, complex splices. Just thought I'd stick up for the poor Romanians here.

[Brdm2]

Whatever they did it works! Mine is super accurate. The only thing I'll change is to add a Romanian bayonet on it.

Ugh, I feel the urge to march dissidents off to the gulags now.

[Junk Yard Dog]

There were no imports of Romanian held small arms before 1968, that was the height of the Cold War and Romania still had these weapons in service. Romania was the recipient of charity used arms shipments from other buffer states and Russia, they were not an exporter of weapons to places like Vietnam were it could have been picked up and brought home. The import stamp on these was very tiny and lightly struck up by the muzzle, it did not contain the serial number as later marks do, it could have been buffed off. These M44's sold very cheaply back in the late 1990's, they were the target of many home projects as well as professional ones.

[steelbuttplate]

The Chinese used Hog lard, salt water, rust , and cosmoline, sparingly.