91/59 1937

[Dalton wayne]

I have a mint 1937 91/59 this rifle looks brand spanking new, I've had it for two years and will never part with it, hope to take it on my first hog hunt, There does not seem to be much info out there on the 91/59 this rifle has a really nice trigger like I said it looks new, what can you tell me about them?

[MN Fan]

Nice rifle. The experts here can tell you everything about your rifle except for the name of the soldier who carried it. What I know is that is considered a carbine, but with 91/30 sights (modified by grinding off the longest yardage). The stocks also appear to be cut down 91/30 stocks.

Also, I may be wrong, but to be honest, it doesn't appear to be "mint". It actually looks like it was refinished sometime after being refurbished. I can't see worth crap anymore, but the finish appears to be a bit light and a bit shiny to be 50 year old shellac and cosmoline.

Very nice rifle

Again, welcome

[Jumperwire]

Welcome to the Forum Dalton wayne. That's a nice 91/59 you have there. I have one and can't for the live of me remember what year it is That comes with age. If you have more pictures, feel free to post them. We love pictures. Stand by, as I am sure JYD will chime in with a true explanation of the 91/59 as IIRC, he seems to consider that one of the best Mosin Nagant rifles.

[bunkysdad]

Welcome Dalton. Very nice carbine. There are quite a few of these here on the forum. I still want to get one someday soon.

[martin08]

Beautiful gun. These are, of course, cut down and reworked post-1959 and most likely have never been issued since. It is not uncommon to find one in excellent condition.

I also vote for more pics!

[Dalton wayne]

All numbers match she's one sharp 91/59

[desdem12]

[bunkysdad]

She sure looks sharp to me. Have you shot it? You said it had a nice trigger and that should help this one fall right in line with their reputation for being accurate fine shooters. A good choice for busting up some hogs if you choose the right ammo. happy hunting.

[MoSEEN.Nut]

You will like that 59! They are really nice carbines.

I made my first post on this "new forum" regarding my M91/59 (Blondie).
http://www.russian-mosin-nagant-forum.c ... ?f=5&t=479

It's hard to tell from your pictures but it may be a "Blondie". They show up from time to time and were done when they were made in 1959. Probably birch wood. The M1891/59 has kind of a vague history. Think about it, reworking M91/30's into carbines is one thing but in 1959? The whole world was long since past bolt action battle rifles. But I am sure some bureaucrat looked at the inventory (millions) of M91/30's and thought it would be a good idea. It didn't last. I have no clue how many were made but it appears to be a very low number by comparison of what the Russian's normally produce of any model.

[Junk Yard Dog]

The carbines were built by cutting 91/30 rifles down to M38 size, the project was rushed through in 1959 due to the desperate need for weapons to fight the great Murmansk Zombie outbreak of 1958. That of course is complete bullshit, but as good an explanation as any. Made by the Soviets, or the Czechs, made to arm communist insurgents, or the KGB, or little green men from Mars, until the Russians, or whoever built them comes forward with actual documentation then everything we come up with is pure speculation. The 91/59's are very well built, they tend to be very good shooters, this is not because the builders did anything special to the rifles, it's due to the barrel being cut to an area were there was no wear, or at least to a spot were the cleaning rods hadn't ruined anything. They ground off half the markings on the 91/30 sight, and that was it other than the /59 mark added to some, but not all of these conversions. I suspect the conversions were done by the Soviets, and probably with the idea of bringing the existing supply of 91/30's still in use by the Red Army in the late 50's more in line with the shorter M44. They probably would have reserved the carbines for use by rear area types freeing up AK's for the front line fighting troops. While there are none of the familiar Ukrainian refurb markings the rifles have been refinished pretty much exactly the same as any of the Ukrainian rifles except for the red shellac. One notable point however is that an effort was made to clean up the wartime tool marks on the '41-'44 receivers, my '42 shows signs of having it's metal smoothed up..
One day someone will produce evidence that sheds light on the mystery, until then our imaginations will have to suffice.