The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

Don't know why the odd ones seem to find me, but I won't argue.

Judging by the serial number, this New England Westinghouse M91 was likely built in 1916, while the contract with Russia was still valid. But it doesn't appear to have been shipped out of the U.S. No other marks from another country, and no import marks.

It's constructed entirely of N.E.W. parts. The barrel serial number is lined out. The bolt is not numbered, and not scrubbed, it just never received a number. The floorplate is blank, which is usual. And the buttplate number on the gorgeous dark walnut stock matches the barrel.

This gun shows some moderate wear and tear on the bolt and in the receiver channel. The bore is good to excellent, but shows that it has been fired. And surprisingly, by the wear pattern on the muzzle end, it appears to have donned a bayonet many times. But overall, it is in great shape for a century old piece.

Oh, the oddest thing. It doesn't have the usual English Contract identification on the left buttstock. Instead, it has a very crisp and rarely encountered Meriden Arsenal cartouche on the right side, dated 1916.

Pics, enjoy, and thanks for looking folks.

Oh my!!! Veeeery nice rifle, sir.
Love that stock cartouche!

All around gorgeous! Amazing stock.

Wow. Where do you find this stuff???

That's a beauty.

Why did the Meridan factory use a different cartouche?

Very nice. Any guesses on the lined-out serial?

Great rifle Matt, I like that a lot.

millman wrote:Wow. Where do you find this stuff???

Didn't you read the first line of the post? It found me!

A fellow who restores guns for museums gave me a jingle. Not a usual specimen for him.

Lee-online wrote:That's a beauty.

Why did the Meridan factory use a different cartouche?

Dunno? It is quite scarce. The only other one I have seen is pictured on http://62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinMarks01.htm Row 29 :Column C.

But Charles Clawson, author of American-Made Mosin Nagant Rifles, states that the first Meriden production began as trial rifles, beginning around serial number 508,000.

This serial is slightly before that mark - which might explain the lined out number? Maybe it was a 'pre-trial' trial rifle.

Wow I love it ! I'm looking for a MN from the Great War era that is in my price range. That's the sticking point.
Great score, congrats !

Bayonet use would indicate it was used in training by somebody. State guard, plant guard, even Hollywood movie use. Maybe a company executive who took it home and used it to stab things in the garden.

martin08 wrote:

millman wrote:Wow. Where do you find this stuff???

Didn't you read the first line of the post? It found me! :l
A fellow who restores guns for museums gave me a jingle. Not a usual specimen for him.

Touche. Another damn fine specimen.

Nice, you have some very nice friends.

That is real nice Matt. I thought you were gonna say it was a yard sale find.

Trying to decipher Clawson's chronology....

.... best I can conclude from his description of the phasing out of the Stevens Hill plant in Chicopee Falls (April - June, 1917), and through the start up transition of the final assembly plant in Meriden, the original (Stevens Hill) Large Curved Logo design was used on roughly 6,000 trials rifles at Meriden (about 6 days of production). When regular contract production was assumed, the straight line logo was utilized to the end of New England Westinghouse manufacturing.

These trial rifles received the Meriden stock cartouche. Clawson's serial range for the trial rifles are estimated at 508,000 through 514,000. But he also states that tooling and employees were shifted from Stevens Hill to Meriden, and perhaps my barrel with the curved Stevens logo and the 501,000 serial was also brought over from Stevens, or trial rifle production started a little earlier than Clawson estimated.

Beautiful NEW rifle and excellent photos as usual. Thanks for sharing!

That's a damn fine rifle you got there.

Sweet

That cartouche is phenomenal. Great find!