Ex-Dragoon? Run of the mill Mosin? Something else?

[GBPack]

I bought this Mosin about a year ago. The guy who sold it to me told me it is a 1928 ex-dragoon from the Tula Arms Factory. He wasn't selling it for any more than the other Mosins he was selling so I went with the one he seemed excited about. Today I decided to figure out if he was right thinking it would be easy but now I'm just more confused. Date and factory were obviously easy to confirm but it doesn't have the gap in the sight mount that the ex-dragoons are supposed to have. From what I've read, the date and the hex receiver mean it should be a ex-dragoon but the flush rear sight means its not. I'm fine with it just being a matching numbers older Tula Mosin and would be happier if it is something a bit rarer, but not knowing which is bugging me.

[Junk Yard Dog]

It's an MO marked double date rifle from what I can see, that just means it was refurbished at the time of the extra date and so marked by the facility that did the work. This is not done on every Soviet refurbished Mosin. It's an ex dragoon by the 1928 date because they were not making M1891.30 rifles until after 1930. While the upgrades were adopted in 1930 it would be several more years before the factory's were tooled up to make the new parts and the old parts inventory was depleted. Post WW2 the Soviets just went ahead and upgraded all the older dragoon rifles remaining in inventory. Welcome to the board, nice first Mosin.

[qz2026]

Nice. Don't see too many MO 5-line Tulas. There is a gap under the rear sight base. It was just filled in with some sort of goo or epoxy.

[B24]

Clean your site base real good and take another pic. I also have a 28 Tula that definitely does not have the gap under
the rear site base. I have compared it to other 28 Tula's at gun shows and noticed the difference. According to info
on 7.62x54r.net prototypes with M91\30 style rear sites were built concurrently with Dragoons from 1927 to 1929
at Tula and Izhevsk arsenals. Mine also has the set screw at the rear of the site base, look and see if yours does.
There are many things not known about these weapons and probably never will be. These could be prototypes but
with changes made during refurbishment we may nerver know for sure.

[GBPack]

Thanks everyone. It looked like the gap was bigger in the pictures I was looking at and mine had some cosmoline was in it. After wiping it away I can see it now.

[Lavitias]

Very nice rifle.