The first general-issue Russian-made scope used on the relatively new 91/30s was the PE (Unified Model, based on the Zeiss optic) from about 1931 to about 1939, with some production from existing parts continuing into the early 1940s. While there were attempts to extend the practical range of the Model 1891 in the 1920s, with the emergence of the 91/30, the Soviets stepped up their sniper program, initially buying optics from the well-known German Zeiss firm. It’s one of the longest-lived active-duty military rifles in history. In service from 1891 till the late 1970s in some areas, the 91/30 was manufactured both in Russia and abroad and issued by more than one nation in more than one war. But, the Mosin proved to be a rugged design that could-and did-handle the worst combat conditions a Russian winter could throw at it as well as any other bolt action fielded by any military force of its day, and its simple manual of arms was well suited to the typical Russian soldier of the era. The Model 91/30 was never considered elegant or svelte, and the quality of its machining, fit and finish was never on par with its German, British and American contemporaries on the battlefields. It featured a strong, short-handled, bolt-operated action with two front locking lugs an integral, five-round magazine a 29-inch barrel a tangent rear and hooded-post front sight regulated to 2,000 meters a long, full-length wood stock with an upper handguard and sling slots cut through the wood an under-barrel cleaning rod an awkward (but very positive) “knob” safety and a long, cruciform, spike bayonet with a flattened “screwdriver” tip. The basic 8.8-pound rifle, first developed by Captain Sergei Ivanovich Mosin and Belgian designer Leon Nagant in 1891, was redesigned in 1930 as the Model 91/30. The exact origin of the Russian sniper program is a bit sketchy, but sources place it between 19, which roughly coincides with the consolidation of the time’s three main battle rifles (Infantry, Dragoon and Cossack) into the modified Model 91/30. These included not only handguns and submachine guns, but also rugged and capable sniper rifles. In addition to basic infantry rifles, the Soviets realized that more specialized weapon systems were also needed. However, to effectively combat the invaders, Russia worked diligently to produce enough arms for its military.
Making things worse, Soviet troops in the early part of the war were chronically short of both weapons and supplies. Invaded by Germany, the Soviets were faced with a highly capable and determined foe. World War II was at its core an existential threat for the Soviet Union.
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