This rifle was the mainstay of the Red Army in World War II.
It's a sturdy, rugged bolt-action rifle firing the powerful 7.62R rifle
cartridge. These rifles are extremely inexpensive, usually running between 50-90
dollars with most online dealers and at gun shows. If buying online, they
usually come with the sling and most cleaning accessories.
These rifles come in both rounded receivers and octagonal
receivers (usually referred to as hex receivers). The hex receivers generally
feed better, as do rifles produced prior to 1942. However, any year rifle will
work fine. Also available is the sniper variant; check with the CO before
buying.
Please obtain one of these before buying any other weapons, even
if it is just as a back-up weapon; where as other more complicated weapons may
fail, the trusty Mosin Nagant never will.
Specifications:
Caliber: 7.62x54mm R Length: 48 in. Weight unloaded: 8.6 lbs.
Magazine: Internal box, 5 rnd.
M38
Mosin Carbine
It was soon realized that the M91/30 was too long and heavy to
be useful for troops who would not always be in direct combat or where overall
weight needed to be kept at a minimum; such examples of troops who needed a
lighter weapon were the airborne paratroops, artillery and machine gun crews,
and the cavalry. To solve this problem, the M38 carbine was developed.
Essentially a shorter version of the M91/30 rifle, the M38 carbine had the same
5- round magazine, bolt action, and similar stock components. This rifle wasn't
originally intended for the average infantrymen to use, but still made it into
the hands of those riflemen that were lucky enough to receive this lighter
rifle. It was never issued with a bayonet, nor ever intended to have one.
This rifle is permitted for use with the 3rd Rifle Division in
limited numbers- check with the CO before buying, several odd versions exist out
there. Price range tends to be in the 90-125 dollar range.
Specifications: Caliber: 7.62x54mm R Length: 40.1 in. Weight unloaded: 7.2 lbs. Magazine: Internal box, 5 rnd.
SVT-40 Tokarev Rifle
Long
before the outbreak of WWII, it was realized that bolt-action rifles were
quickly becoming outdated. The result of much research and development was the
SVT-38, later refined and redesignated the SVT-40 rifle. It was a semi-automatic
rifle using an ingenious gas-operated blowback system, firing from a ten-round
removable magazine. While initially only seen in the hands of snipers and NCOs,
this weapon quickly filtered down through the ranks. Intended to replace the
Mosin Nagant M91/30, it never reached the needed production, though it was still
quite common in the Red Army.
A temperamental rifle, the SVT-40 is nonetheless both a good
reenacting weapon and a great investment. Blank adapting will be necessary to
get the most out of the SVT- a local gunsmith can do it cheaply. Price range is
between 400-800 dollar range, but get one now- the prices on them keep climbing.
Specifications: Caliber: 7.62x54mm R Length: 48 in. Weight unloaded: 8.5 lbs. Magazine: removable, 10 rnd.
PPSh-41 Submachine Gun
Perhaps the most famous of all the weapons ever used by the Red
Army, it also happens to be one of the best. Firing full or semi automatic,
using 35 round magazines or 71 round drums, and made entirely out of stamped and
folded steel parts with a wooden stock, this weapon was crude, effective, and durable, while being
incredibly easy and cheap to manufacture. It is also said to have a slight edge
in accuracy over all other submachineguns of the time period.
This is a great weapon to have for Red Army reenacting, though
getting ahold of a full auto may seem impossible. If possible, try to run down
one of the semi-auto variants out there- several models have been made or are in
production. You will need to blank adapt it first before using blanks in it.
Also, if you have the money, www.ssroom.com is currently producing a full-auto blank-only PPSh-41 which
requires no special permit to buy.
Specifications: Caliber: 7.62x25mm Length: 33.2 in. Weight unloaded: 8 lbs. Magazine(s): removable, 35-round stick mags or 71-round drum mags.
PPS-43 Submachine Gun
The
PPS-43 is a direct descendant of the PPSh-41. It was created during the siege of
Leningrad, when certain materials were not available to the encircled city. A
prototype was created, made entirely out of machinery located within the
trapped city. Thus, the PPS-43 was born.
Mechanically similar to the PPSh-41, the only major changes were
replacing the solid wood stock with a folding metal stock, adding a pistol grip,
and creating a new barrel shroud. The weapon uses only specially-designed
35-round magazines, as the drum magazines were seen as being too unreliable at
the time.
Finding one of these weapons is seemingly impossible, though
semi-autos are just starting to hit the market. Like the PPSh-41, it will need
to be blank adapted.
Combat experience quickly showed two things in the Red Army:
(1)the current standard issue rifle, the M91/30, was too long for use in the
crowded house-to-house fighting of urban battles, and (2) a bayonet was needed
for all bolt-action rifles, even if it was meant to be used as a last resort-
again, needed for street fighting. This last requirement was in response to the
M38 Carbine not having any provision for a bayonet.
The Russian weapons bureau quickly solved the problem by
combining the already-produced bolt-action M38 Carbine with a permanently
attached side-folding bayonet. This allowed the bayonet to be swung into action
in seconds, and was always ready for action, while being attached to a
lightweight carbine for ease of mobility. After a year of front-line testing,
the new rifle was designated the M44 Carbine, and full production was ordered.
This carbine uses a 5-round internal box magazine like all other
bolt-action Russian rifles of the time period. It is a lighter, less bulky
alternative to the M91/30. A neat weapon to have, it is only usable in later-war battles, when they would have been just reaching the front-line
troops. They run cheaply in most cases, 75-90 dollars online and at most gun
shows.
Specifications: Caliber: 7.62x54mm R Length: 40 in. (bayonet folded) Weight unloaded: 8.5 lbs.
Magazine: Internal box, 5-rnd.
