Mosin-Nagant

The Mosin-Nagant is a Russian-made bolt action rifle. The rifle was first constructed in 1891, and is still in production, albeit in smaller numbers today. The rifle is one of the most common appearances in games where you play as a member of the Soviet Red Army during World War II, though it is commonly forgotten that the Mosin-Nagant saw service outside of this war.

History

The Mosin-Nagant is a bolt-operated rifle, that was designed by two different men: Colonel Sergei Mosin, a Russian artillery colonel, and Belgian weapon designer Emile Nagant. Due to their names, the rifle was named to mark the co-operative design for the rifle. Sergei was responsible for the design of the receiver, while Nagant designed the magazine system. This creation of theirs was first produced in Russia, in the year 1891. 
 
During World War I, the rifle was refined and improved upon. It was also used by British and American forces for different reasons. British soldiers used the rifle when they were in Northern Russia, and the American soldiers used them as practice rifles in boot camps, amongst other reasons. The US rifles were designated as "US Rifle, Model 1916". The few American models in existence are among the rarest US service firearms. Many of the rifles were gathered by the Germans, who used them into the 1920s before selling them to Finland.
 
During World War II, the Mosin-Nagant was the standard-issue weapon of all Russian soldiers who actually received a rifle. Due to this factor, many thousands, if not more than a million, different Mosin-Nagant rifles were built for the Russian troops. The Nagant was arguably one of the most vital tools of the biggest ever mobilized force.