How common are matching numbers on Mosins

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How common are matching numbers on Mosins

Posted: 9/16/2022 2:13:39 AM EDT

I pulled two of mine out that I haven't really looked at in a long time, just realizing how they both have matching numbers throughout.

Just wondering if this was a common thing.

I feel like obviously over time bolts, floor plates, and butt plates could be interchanged for whatever reason through the years..

Posted: 9/16/2022 8:43:33 AM EDT

[#1]

Most likely all post war refurbs. It's very very common for mosins to match. Almost all were refurbed and matched after WWII.

Posted: 9/16/2022 10:47:45 AM EDT

[#2]

A refurb Mosin will almost always be force matched by renumbering or line out the old number and stamp or electropencil the new number on.

It is much harder to find a NON refurb Mosin that is still original matching as it left the factory. About the only ones of those you can find are Finnish captures, SCW guns or any number of the post war Mosins.

Posted: 9/16/2022 11:51:38 AM EDT

[#3]

The ones I've had or seen over the years, over 10, were all force matched.

Never saw an original matching number Mosin.

Posted: 9/16/2022 1:38:52 PM EDT

[#4]

Quote History

Quoted:
The ones I've had or seen over the years, over 10, were all force matched.

Never saw an original matching number Mosin.

View Quote

When you say force matched you mean one number crossed out and another next to it?

Mine look like they are the original numbers with no others on the rifle. The numbers aren't really a big deal to me but was just curious.

Posted: 9/16/2022 7:01:07 PM EDT

[#5]

They are very common. Not refurbished is much less common

Posted: 9/16/2022 7:12:18 PM EDT

[#6]

Quote History

Quoted:
When you say force matched you mean one number crossed out and another next to it?

Mine look like they are the original numbers with no others on the rifle. The numbers aren't really a big deal to me but was just curious.

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
The ones I've had or seen over the years, over 10, were all force matched.

Never saw an original matching number Mosin.

When you say force matched you mean one number crossed out and another next to it?

Mine look like they are the original numbers with no others on the rifle. The numbers aren't really a big deal to me but was just curious.

Correct.

Evidently done during an arsenal rebuild.

Posted: 9/16/2022 8:14:16 PM EDT

[#7]

It's definitely been redone if they didn't stamp the prefix Russian alphabet letters before any or the bolt, stock, or magazine serial numbers.

So if it just has numbers it's been refurbished.

If you look super close you can see where the numbers got ground off and buffed smooth again then restamped.

Posted: 9/16/2022 10:04:08 PM EDT

[#8]

I always laugh when people stress over matching numbers on mosins as the clearly force matched parts are often just as correct as the matching parts. After you have been collecting them a bit you just become suspect of any rifle with a refurbish mark. It is very common to find bolt handles that are proofed by the wrong factory, or the butt plates that are the wrong version even though they don't appear to have been ground and restamped.

There are still factory matching rifles floating around, I even have a couple, but most tend to be SCW, post 45 rifles, and Fin captures.

Posted: 9/18/2022 1:29:15 PM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:
I always laugh when people stress over matching numbers on mosins as the clearly force matched parts are often just as correct as the matching parts. After you have been collecting them a bit you just become suspect of any rifle with a refurbish mark. It is very common to find bolt handles that are proofed by the wrong factory, or the butt plates that are the wrong version even though they don't appear to have been ground and restamped.

There are still factory matching rifles floating around, I even have a couple, but most tend to be SCW, post 45 rifles, and Fin captures.

View Quote

Had a guy today tell me that the 91/30 I had with me (1941 Izzy, refurbished and then sent to the Balkins) wasn't numbers matching, like that wasn't to be expected.

Once I brought that up, it turned into a history discussion.

Guess he knew that already.

Posted: 9/20/2022 5:20:59 PM EDT

[#10]

I have two non refurbed 91/30s. One was used in the Spanish Civil and never reworked. All numbers match. I also have a Winter War capture with the '41' stamp. It was not refurbed by the Finns. It is also all matching.

The only refurb I have is a 1942 Izhvesk 91/30 ex-sniper. I returned it to sniper configuration. It is obviously a rework and not a legit sniper.

Posted: 9/20/2022 8:19:26 PM EDT

[#11]

I've been collecting Mosin's for over 20 years now and despite owning a large number of them and having looked at countless others during that time I've found only 3 factory original matching examples. The first is a 1938 Izhevsk 91/30 that was captured by the Finn's. It's in rough shape and looks like it spent a few months buried in a snowdrift and may have. The second is a 1943 Izhevsk M91/30 "light refurb" it appears to have been used very little and only received a fresh coat of lacquer on the stock before being placed in storage. The third is something of a mystery, it's a 1934 Tula M91/30 that still has it's early blade front sight. It has a small PW Arms import mark on the barrel but no signs of refurbishment or use by another country.

Attached File

Posted: 9/20/2022 9:50:27 PM EDT

[#12]

I have at least two, that I fully gone thru and can confidently say are factory matching, 1948 M44 and a Romanian M44.
Then there are another 3-5 that may be, all the visible bits appear to be correct but I haven't taken the time to fully strip them and verify everything.

Then there is my one 1945 M44 that has been thru the ringer, and don't have a referbishers mark, and everything matches and is correct...... but it has a referb marked bolt head.

So it gets a runner up medal.

Posted: 9/21/2022 8:20:45 PM EDT

[#13]

Out of my seven 91/30's, I have only one numbers matching all parts. It's a 1941 Izzy sporting an arsenal refurb stamp from Ukraine. The numbers are clean and crisp with all Russian prefixes in place. There are no line outs and no evidence of grinding of other monkey business. The rifle is in excellent condition considering that it must have been issued for combat considering the year of production. I'm holding out for over 1k and then I still don't know if I would part with it. Never even fired it since I got it from SOG in 2004. Wish I'd bought a ton when they were only $29.

Posted: 9/25/2022 2:15:16 PM EDT

[#14]

I was just looking at my two SCW 9130s and neither are matching. I figured these rifles might be my best chance of having a numbers matching rifle.

No luck. Both are mismatched.

Checked my 1941 Finn captured 91/30 and that one DOES seen to be a legitimate numbers matching rifle. None of the parts seem to be ground and restamped or forced matched.

I'll have to check my other rifles, but I'll bet that Finn is the only one I have.

I'm going to say it's pretty stinking uncommon.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How common are matching numbers on Mosins

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