This is what collecting is all about and too cool not to share.

A while ago I picked a 1939 Tula Finnish Capture and Soviet Recapture that I posted about here: http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_14/469431_.html  By all indications this M91/30 has been re-arsenaled by Mobile Artillery Repairshop #2 that was assigned to the Leningrad Front during WWII then stored until export.

Recently, I picked up the below 1939 Tula M91/30.  It is an ordinary refurb except for one special marked "F.L.P.Mi".  This mark means that this rifle has been capture by Nazi Germany, most likely during Operation Barbarossa, then later recaptured by Soviets once things turned sour for Germany.

The various "FLP" marks have long been known to be associated with German capture but until recently the hearsay story been that these are "Latvian Firefighter" unit marks under German control.  However, latest research on based on factual evidence indicated these marks indicate these rifles have been likely repaired/processed through Luftwaffe's Feldluftpark which were depots that service airplanes including the weapons on the planes. See more her: http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?462225-FLP-mystery-(probably)-solved

What is mind blowing is the fact these two very special rifles are only 2,995 production units apart!

According to Karl-Heinz Wrobel the Tula plant produced 760,423 M91/30s in 1939.  If you figure 6 day work in those days that leads to about 2,500 average units produced a day, so it's possible these two rifles could have been produced on the same day if they were playing catch up that week!

Amazing that after 77 years these two brothers that were captured by two different enemy forces and later recapured by Soviets were reunited in US...in my collection.

The 1939 Tula German re-capture:
















Here is the 1939 Tula  Finnish Re-Capture as well

Really interesting! Thanks for posting.

I so wish these guns could talk, the stories they could tell...

yea but if our guns could talk imagine if they shared something like. Yup, young pup right off the line, ready for some action, they threw me in a crate and off to the front lines....or so I thought.
Fast forward into my middle years, longing to see the light but only darkness, hark....the light shines, yes, I'm about to be set free, alas they look at me and throw me back in the dark. That was until my old age and alas the light once more. Some big hairy fat bearded guy pulls me out and sells me off for $89 and I go off to some home to sit in a safe.

lol.....

I had a 1931 Izhevsk and 1944 Izhevsk that were 125 or 150 apart in serial - but it was the importer (CAI) serial

I suppose that means they were both refurbed together - both had laminate stocks and were counterbored. Still wish they could talk.

That blonde stock on the first one is awesome.

hahah funny you should mention that!  I just picked up another one exactly like that.....Factory Original 1943 Izhevsk M91/30 : http://www.gunbroker.com/item/604332615

Very very few of these virgins like that to go around....specially at 72 y.o. LMAO