Editing Mosin–Nagant (section)

==History==
===Initial design and tests===
{{main|Fabrique d'armes Émile et Léon Nagant}}
During the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)]], Imperial Russian troops armed mostly with single-shot [[Berdan rifle]]s suffered heavy casualties against [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] troops equipped with [[Winchester rifle#Model 1866|Winchester 1866 repeating rifles]], particularly at the bloody [[Siege of Pleven]]. This showed Russian commanders the need to modernize the general infantry weapon of the army.

Various weapons were acquired and tested by [[Main Missile and Artillery Directorate|GAU]] of the [[Ministry of War of the Russian Empire]], and in 1889 the [[Lebel Model 1886 rifle]] was obtained through semi-official channels from France. It was supplied together with a model of the [[cartridge (firearms)|cartridge]] and bullet but without [[primer (firearms)|primer]] or [[smokeless powder]]. Those problems were solved by Russian scientists and engineers (the smokeless powder, for instance, was produced by [[Dmitri Mendeleev]] himself).{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

In 1889, three rifles were submitted for evaluation: Captain [[Sergei Ivanovich Mosin]] of the imperial army submitted his "3-line" [[caliber]] (.30 cal, 7.62 [[Millimeter|mm]]) rifle; Belgian designer [[Léon Nagant]] submitted a "3.5-line" (.35 caliber, 9&nbsp;mm) design; and a Captain Zinoviev submitted another "3-line" design (1 "[[Line (length)|line]]" = {{convert|1/10|in|2|disp=or|abbr=on}}, thus 3 lines = 7.62&nbsp;mm).

When trials concluded in 1891, the evaluators were split in their assessment. The main disadvantages of Nagant's rifle were a more complicated mechanism and a long and tiresome procedure of disassembling (which required special instruments—it was necessary to unscrew two fasteners). Mosin's rifle was mainly criticized for its lower quality of manufacture and materials, due to "artisan pre-production" of his 300 rifles. The commission initially voted 14 to 10 to approve Mosin's rifle. At this point the decision was made to rename the existing commission and call it ''Commission for creation of the [[small-bore]] rifle'' ({{lang|ru|Комиссия для выработки образца малокалиберного ружья}}), and to put on paper the final requirements for such a rifle. The inventors obliged by delivering their final designs. Head of the commission, General Chagin, ordered subsequent tests held under the commission's supervision, after which the bolt-action of Mosin's design was ordered into production under the name of ''3-line rifle M1891'' ({{lang|ru|трёхлинейная винтовка образца 1891 года}}).{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

The colloquial name "Mosin-Nagant" used in the [[Western world|West]] is persistent but erroneous, as established in 
[[#legaldispute|Nagant's legal dispute]].

===Technical detail===
Like the ''[[Gewehr 98]]'', the 1891 Mosin uses two front-locking lugs to lock up the action. However, the Mosin's lugs lock in the horizontal position, whereas the [[Mauser]] locks vertically. The Mosin bolt body is multi-piece whereas the Mauser is one piece. The Mosin uses interchangeable bolt heads like the [[Lee–Enfield]]. Unlike the Mauser, which uses a [[controlled feed]] bolt head in which the cartridge base snaps up under the fixed extractor as the cartridge is fed from the magazine, the Mosin has a [[push feed]] recessed bolt head in which the spring-loaded extractor snaps over the cartridge base as the bolt is finally closed similar to the ''[[Gewehr 1888]]'' and M91 [[Carcano]] or modern sporting rifles like the [[Remington 700]]. Like the Mauser, the Mosin uses a blade ejector mounted in the receiver. The Mosin bolt is removed by simply pulling it fully to the rear of the receiver and squeezing the trigger, while the Mauser has a bolt stop lever separate from the trigger.

Like the Mauser, the bolt lift arc on the Mosin–Nagant is 90 degrees, versus 60 degrees on the Lee–Enfield. The Mauser bolt handle is at the rear of the bolt body and locks behind the solid rear receiver ring. The Mosin bolt handle is similar to the [[Mannlicher–Schönauer|Mannlicher]]: it is attached to a protrusion on the middle of the bolt body, which serves as a bolt guide, and it locks protruding out of the ejection/loading port in front of a split rear receiver ring, also serving a similar function to Mauser's "third" or "safety" lug.

The rifling of the Mosin barrel is right turning (clockwise looking down the rifle) 4-groove with a twist of 1:9.5" or 1:10". The 5-round fixed metallic [[Magazine (firearms)|magazine]] can either be loaded by inserting the cartridges individually, or more often in military service, by the use of 5-round [[stripper clip]]s.{{sfn|Harriman|2016|p=68}}

===Initial production===
[[File:Rifles1905-2.jpg|thumb|left|Schematic of Model 1891 (top left)]]

The ''3-line rifle, Model 1891'', its original official designation, was adopted by the Russian military in 1891. Production began in 1892 at the ordnance factories of [[Tula Arsenal]], [[Izhevsk Arsenal]] and at Sestroryetsk Arsenal. An order for 500,000 rifles was placed with the French arms factory, {{lang|fr|italic=no|[[Manufacture d'armes de Châtellerault|Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Châtellerault]]}}.<ref name="7.62x54r.net">{{cite web |url=http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/Mosinprimer.htm |title=A Brief Overview of the Mosin Nagant Rifle |website=7.62x54r.net |access-date=11 May 2011 |archive-date=14 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214212028/http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/Mosinprimer.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Refinement===
There have been several refinements and variations of the original rifle, the most common being the M1891/30 (commonly referred to as "the 91/30" by shooters), which was a modernized design introduced in 1930. Some details were borrowed from Nagant's design. 
* One such detail is the attachment of the magazine spring to the magazine base plate. In Mosin's original design the spring was not attached to the base plate and, according to the Commission, could be lost during maintenance, rifle cleaning. 
* Another detail is the form of the [[stripper clip|clip]] that could hold five cartridges to be loaded simultaneously into the magazine.
* One more detail is the form of the interrupter, a specially designed part within the receiver, which helps prevent [[Firearm malfunction#Double feed (Type 3 Malfunction)|double feeding]]. The initial rifle proposed by Mosin lacked an interrupter, leading to numerous failures to feed. This detail was introduced in the rifle borrowing from Nagant's rifle. Although the form of the interrupter was slightly changed, this alteration was subsequently borrowed back by the Commission for the Model 1891. During the modernization of 1930, the form of the interrupter was further changed, from a single piece to a two-piece design, as the part had turned out to be one of the least reliable parts of the action. Only the clip for loading cartridges and the attachment of the magazine spring to the magazine base plate in subsequent models were designed by Nagant. Considering the rifle could be easily loaded without using a clip, one cartridge after another, the magazine spring attached to the magazine base plate is the only contribution of Nagant to all rifles after 1930.

===Nagant's legal dispute===
{{anchor|legaldispute}}Despite the failure of Nagant's rifle, he filed a patent suit, claiming he was entitled to the sum the winner was to receive. It appeared that Nagant was the first to apply for the international patent protection over the interrupter, although he borrowed it from Mosin's design initially.{{cn|date=February 2023}} Mosin could not apply for a patent since he was an officer of the Russian army, and the design of the rifle was owned by the Government and had the status of a military secret.

A scandal was about to burst out, with Nagant threatening he would not participate in trials held in Russia ever again and some officials proposing to expel Nagant from any further trials, as he borrowed the design of the interrupter after it was covered by the secrecy status given in Russia of that time to military inventions and therefore violated Russian law. Taking into consideration that Nagant was one of the few producers not engaged by competitive governments and generally eager to cooperate and share experience and technology, the Commission paid him a sum of 200,000 Russian rubles, equal to the premium that Mosin received as the winner. The rifle did not receive the name of Mosin, because of the personal decision taken by [[Alexander III of Russia|Tsar Alexander III]], which was made based on the opinion of the Defence Minister [[Pyotr Vannovskiy]]: {{clarify|text=there are parts in this newly created design, invented by Colonel Rogovtzev, by Lt.-General Chagin's Commission, Captain Mosin and small-arms manufacturer Nagant, therefore it is only fair to call it the ''Russian 3-line rifle M1891''.<ref name=eren20>{{harvnb|Erenfeicht|Konstankiewicz|2016|p=20}}</ref>|reason= is this a direct quote? If so, it needs quotation marks. If not, it needs to be rewritten.|date=November 2022}}
The Tsar himself dashed the word "Russian" from this document with his own hand.<ref name=eren20/> The decision to pay off Nagant proved wise, as he remained the major contractor for the Russian Government, and the [[Nagant M1895]] revolver was subsequently adopted by the Russian army as its main sidearm.

However, in spite of the payment, Nagant attempted to use the situation for publicity, resulting in the name "Mosin–Nagant" appearing in the Western press.<ref name=eren20/>

From a technical point of view the rifle that came to be called "Mosin–Nagant" is the design proposed by Mosin as further amended by Mosin with some details borrowed from Nagant's design. Only since 1924 the rifle was officially named "Mosin's rifle" in the USSR, although some variants were still known only by their year of origin.<ref name=eren20/>

===Russo-Japanese War===
In 1889 Tsar Alexander III ordered the Russian army to meet or exceed European standards in rifle developments with "rifles of reduced caliber and cartridges with smokeless powder".<ref>{{harvnb|Menning|1992|p=104}}</ref> The new weapons would entail "high velocities", exceeding {{convert|600|m/s|ft/s}} and would result in land battles both commencing and being capable of being fought at longer ranges, nearly two kilometers.<ref name="Menning p. 105">{{harvnb|Menning|1992|p=105}}</ref> The new Mosin rifles would replace the Berdan rifles then in use by the Russian army.

The Mosin rifle was first tested in combat in 1893, during clashes between Russian and Afghan troops in the Pamirs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Letov. |first=B. |script-title=ru:"Большая игра" на Памире. Как русские офицеры отбирали "крышу мира" у Британии |url=http://www.centrasia.ru/newsA.php?st=1139954760 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180811230445/http://www.centrasia.ru/newsA.php?st=1139954760 |archive-date=2018-08-11 |website=centrasia.ru}}</ref>

The [[Russo-Japanese War]] (1904–1905) was the rifle's first major conflict. By the time the war broke out in 1904, approximately 3.8 million had been built,<ref>{{harvnb|Lapin|2003|pp=83–84}}</ref> with over 1.5 million in the hands of the Russian [[cavalry]] and all of its reserves when hostilities commenced.<ref name="Menning p. 105"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Kowner | first=Rotem |author-link=Rotem Kowner |year=2006 |title=Historical Dictionary of the Russo-Japanese War |url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio00libg_334 |url-access=limited |publisher=The Scarecrow Press |isbn=0-8108-4927-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio00libg_334/page/n287 243]}}</ref>

Between the adoption of the final design in 1891 and the year 1910, several [[#Variants|variants]] and modifications to the existing rifles were made.

===World War I===
[[File:Defenders NGM-v31-p369-A.jpg|left|thumb|Russian Imperial infantry of World War I armed with Mosin–Nagant rifles]]
With the start of [[World War I]], production was restricted to the M1891 dragoon and infantry models for the sake of simplicity. Due to the desperate shortage of arms and the shortcomings of a still-developing [[Russian history, 1892–1917#Accelerated industrialization|domestic industry]], the Russian government ordered 1.5 million M1891 infantry rifles from [[Remington Arms]] and another 1.8 million from [[New England Westinghouse Company]] in the United States in 1915.<ref name="7.62x54r.net"/> Remington produced 750,000 rifles before production was halted by the 1917 [[October Revolution]]. Deliveries to Russia had amounted to 469,951 rifles when the [[Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (Russia–Central Powers)|Treaty of Brest-Litovsk]] ended hostilities between the [[Central Powers]] and now Soviet-Russia. Henceforth, the new Bolshevik government of [[Vladimir Lenin]] cancelled payments to the American companies manufacturing the Mosin–Nagant (Russia had not paid for the order at any time throughout the Great War).

[[File:111-SC-42421 - NARA - 55244047 (cropped) (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Arkhangelsk]], Russia, November 20, 1918. The U.S. [[339th Infantry Regiment (United States)|339th Infantry Regiment]], equipped with Mosin-Nagant rifles, is inspected by British General [[Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside|Edmund Ironside]], commander of the [[North Russia intervention]] Force.]]
With Remington and Westinghouse on the precipice of bankruptcy from the Communists' decision, the remaining 280,000 rifles were purchased by the [[United States Army]]. American and British expeditionary forces of the [[North Russia Campaign]] were armed with these rifles and sent to [[Murmansk]] and [[Arkhangelsk]] in the late summer of 1918 to prevent the large quantities of munitions delivered for Tsarist forces from being captured by the Central Powers. Remaining rifles were used for the training of U.S. Army troops. Some were used to equip U.S. [[National Guard]], [[Student Army Training Corps|SATC]], and [[ROTC]] units.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Mosin-Nagant in U.S. Service |last=Canfield |first=Bruce N. |date=July 2008 |magazine=[[American Rifleman]] |pages=51–73}}</ref> Designated "U.S. Rifle, 7.62mm, Model of 1916", these are among the rarest of American service arms. In 1917, 50,000 rifles were sent via [[Vladivostok]] to the [[Czechoslovak Legions]] in [[Siberia]] to aid in their attempt to secure passage to France.

Many of the New England Westinghouse and Remington Mosin–Nagants were sold to private citizens in the United States before World War II through the office of the Director of Civilian Marksmanship, the predecessor to the federal government's current [[Civilian Marksmanship Program]].

Large numbers of Mosin–Nagants were captured by [[German Empire|German]] and [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian]] forces and saw service with the rear-echelon forces of both armies, and also with the [[Imperial German Navy]]. Many of these weapons were sold to Finland in the 1920s.

===Civil War, modernization, and wars with Finland===
During the [[Russian Civil War]], infantry and dragoon versions were still in production, though in dramatically reduced numbers. The rifle was widely used by all belligerents in the civil war. In 1924, following the victory of the [[Red Army]], a committee was established to modernize the rifle, which had by then been in service for over three decades. This effort led to the development of the Model 91/30 rifle, which was based on the design of the original dragoon version. The barrel length was shortened by {{convert|7|cm|in|abbr=on}}. The sight measurements were converted from [[Obsolete Russian units of measurement#Length|arshins]] to meters; and the front sight blade was replaced by a hooded post front sight less susceptible to being knocked out of alignment. There were also minor modifications to the bolt, but not enough to prevent interchangeability with the earlier Model 1891 and the so-called "Cossack dragoon" rifles.

[[Grand Duchy of Finland|Finland was a Grand Duchy]] in the Russian Empire until 1917, so Finns had long used the Mosin–Nagant in service with the Imperial military. The rifle was used in the short [[Finnish Civil War]] and adopted as the service rifle of the new republic's army. Finland produced several [[#Finland|variants]] of the Mosin–Nagant, all of them manufactured using the receivers of Russian-made, American-made, French-made or (later) Soviet-made rifles. Finland also utilized a number of captured M91 and M91/30 rifles with minimal modifications. As a result, the rifle was used on both sides of the [[Winter War]] and the [[Continuation War]] during World War II. Finnish Mosin–Nagants were produced by [[SAKO]], Tikkakoski, and VKT, with some using barrels imported from Switzerland and Germany. In assembling M39 rifles, Finnish armorers reused "hex" receivers that dated back as far as 1891. Finnish rifles are characterized by Russian, French or American-made receivers stamped with a boxed SA, as well as many other parts produced in those countries and barrels produced in Finland, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium and Germany. The Finns also manufactured two-piece "finger splice" stocks for their Mosin–Nagant rifles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rawles.to/Pre-1899_FAQ.html |title=The Pre-1899 Antique Guns FAQ |website=Rawles.to |access-date=7 June 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514032921/http://www.rawles.to/Pre-1899_FAQ.html |archive-date=14 May 2011}}</ref>

In addition, the rifle was distributed as aid to [[Second Spanish Republic|Republican]] anti-[[Francisco Franco|Franco]] forces in the [[Spanish Civil War]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinRareSCWM9130s.htm |title=Spanish Civil War M91/30s |website=7.62x54r.net |access-date=7 June 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060128160530/http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinRareSCWM9130s.htm |archive-date=28 January 2006}}</ref> Spanish Civil War Mosins can be readily identified by the wire sling hangers inserted in the slots in the forearm and buttstock meant to take the Russian "dog collars" for Russian-style slings, so the rifles could accept Western European–style rifle slings.

===World War II===
At the beginning of the war, the Mosin–Nagant 91/30 was the standard-issue weapon of Soviet troops. Millions were produced in World War II for use by the largest mobilized army in history.

[[File:Mosin-Rifle-1891-30-Illustrated-Japanese-Military-Book-digidepo 1462798 0043.jpg|thumb|A book published by the Japanese Army Magazine in 1938, quoted a Soviet Red Army military adviser's conversation, talking about the Mosin-Nagant sniper rifles (with a PE or PEM scope), which were used by the Chinese military in the [[Battle of Shanghai|Battle of Shanghai (1937)]], caused great losses to the Japanese army.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/1462798/1/43 |title=赤軍読本 |vauthors= |collaboration=陸軍画報社 |publisher=陸軍画報社 |year=1938 |publication-date=1938-03-10 |pages=44–45 |language=ja |trans-title=Red Army Reading book}}</ref>]]

The Mosin–Nagant Model 1891/30 was modified and adapted as a [[sniper rifle]] from 1932 onwards, first with mounts and scopes from Germany then with domestic designs ([[PE scope|PE]], PEM) from 1931; from 1942 it was issued with [[PU scope|3.5-power PU fixed focus scopes]]. It served quite prominently in the brutal [[Urban warfare|urban battles]] on the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]], such as the [[Battle of Stalingrad]], which made heroes of such [[sniper]]s as [[Vasily Zaitsev (sniper)|Vasily Zaitsev]], [[Lyudmila Pavlichenko]], [[Ivan Sidorenko]], and [[Roza Shanina]]. Finland also employed the Mosin–Nagant as a sniper rifle, with similar success with their own designs and captured Soviet rifles. For example, [[Simo Häyhä]] is credited with having killed 505 Soviet soldiers, many of whom fell victim to his Finnish M/28-30 derivative.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mosinnagant.net/finland/simohayha.asp |title=Simo Häyhä |website=Mosin-Nagant.net |access-date=7 June 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110224035052/http://www.mosinnagant.net/finland/simohayha.asp |archive-date=24 February 2011}}</ref> Häyhä did not use a scope on his Mosin. In interviews Häyhä gave before his death, he said that the scope and mount designed by the Soviets required the shooter to expose himself too much and raise his head too high, increasing the chances of being spotted by the enemy. In addition, scopes tended to reflect sunlight when moved side to side, which gave away a sniper's position.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/01/simo-hayha-white-death-sniped-over-542-soviet-soldiers-in-wwii/ |title=Simo Häyhä, 'White Death', Sniped Over 542 Soviet Soldiers In WWII |first=Daven |last=Hiskey |date=29 January 2010 |website=todayifoundout.com |access-date=29 November 2020}}</ref>

In 1935–1936, the 91/30 was again modified, this time to lower production time. The "hex" receiver was changed to a round receiver.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinReceiver.htm |title=Mosin Nagant Rifle Receiver Variations |website=7.62x54r.net |access-date=7 September 2011 |archive-date=16 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716042706/http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinReceiver.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> When war with Germany broke out, the need to produce Mosin–Nagants in vast quantities led to a further simplification of machining and a falling-off in finish of the rifles. The wartime Mosins are easily identified by the presence of tool marks and rough finishing that never would have passed the inspectors in peacetime.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} However, despite a lack of both aesthetic focus and uniformity, the basic functionality of the Mosins was unimpaired.

In addition, in 1938 a [[carbine]] version of the Mosin–Nagant, the M38, was issued. It used the same cartridge and action as other Mosins, but the barrel was shortened by {{convert|21.6|cm|in|abbr=on}} to bring the weapon down to an overall length of {{convert|101.6|cm|in|abbr=on}}, with the forearm shortened in proportion. The idea was to issue the M38 to troops such as [[combat engineer]]s, signal corps, and artillerymen, who could conceivably need to defend themselves from sudden enemy advances, but whose primary duties lay behind the front lines. Significantly, the front sight of the M38 was positioned in such a way that the Model 91/30's cruciform bayonet could not be mounted to the muzzle even if a soldier obtained one.

An increase in urban combat led directly to the development of the Model M44 Mosin. In essence, the M44 is an M38 with a slightly modified forearm and with a permanently mounted cruciform bayonet that folds to the right when it is not needed. It was an improvement on the Model 91/30, particularly for urban warfare; but few M44s saw combat on the Eastern Front.

By the end of the war, approximately 19.8 million Mosin–Nagant rifles had been produced.<ref>{{Cite book |title=When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler |last1=Glantz |first1=David M. |author-link1=David Glantz |last2=House |first2=Jonathan M. |author-link2=Jonathan House |name-list-style=amp |location=Lawrence, Kansas |publisher=University Press of Kansas |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-70062-120-0 |page=306 |oclc=910239607}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:RIAN archive 640806 Soldiers train before going to front line.jpg|Soldiers of the Voroshilov Regiment training to use Mosin–Nagant rifles before going to the front line. Moscow, August 1941
File:Corporal Onni Ryyppö of the 44th Border Jäger Company, posing with his sniper rifle for the cameraman in the frontlines at Valkeasaari (Beloostrov), Karelian isthmus, 15 April 1942. (50258242472).jpg|Finnish Corporal Onni Ryyppö of the 44th Border Jäger Company, use a captured Mosin-Nagant sniper rifle with PEM scope in the frontlines at Valkeasaari (Beloostrov), Karelian isthmus, 15 April 1942
File:Ohlopkov and Kvachantiradze.jpg|Famous Soviet sniper duo [[Fyodor Okhlopkov]] and [[Vasilij Kvachantiradze]] use a Mosin-Nagant sniper rifle with PU scope
</gallery>

===Increased world-wide use===
[[File:Caracas, Canciller Ricardo Patiño participó en los actos de conmemoración de la muerte de Hugo Chávez (12960883923).jpg|thumb|[[Bolivarian Militia of Venezuela|Venezuelan National Militia]] armed with Mosin-Nagant rifles on parade in [[Caracas]], [[Venezuela]], on 5 March 2014]]
In the years after World War II, the Soviet Union ceased production of all Mosin–Nagants and withdrew them from service in favor of the [[SKS]] series carbines and eventually the [[AK-47|AK]] series rifles. Despite its increasing obsolescence, the Mosin–Nagant saw continued service throughout the Eastern bloc and the rest of the world for many decades to come. Mosin–Nagant rifles and carbines saw service on many fronts of the [[Cold War]], from [[Korean War|Korea]] and [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]] to [[Soviet invasion of Afghanistan|Afghanistan]] and along the [[Iron Curtain]] in Europe. They were kept not only as reserve stockpiles, but front-line infantry weapons as well. Finland was still producing the M39 Mosin–Nagant in small numbers as late as 1973.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinProduction.htm |title=Mosin Nagant Rifle Years of Production |website=7.62x54r.net |access-date=2020-10-24 |archive-date=2021-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418083751/http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinProduction.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Virtually every country that received military aid from the Soviet Union, China, and Eastern Europe during the Cold War used Mosin–Nagants at various times. Middle Eastern countries within the sphere of Soviet influence—Egypt, [[Syria]], [[Iraq]], [[Afghanistan]] and [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] fighters—have received them in addition to other more modern arms. Mosin–Nagants have also seen action in the hands of Soviet,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdGNW_4CTpk |title=Mosin Nagant rifles in Modern Warfare |website=YouTube |access-date=7 June 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604164652/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdGNW_4CTpk |archive-date=4 June 2010}}</ref> [[Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan|Afghan]] and [[Mujahadeen]] forces in [[Afghanistan]] during the [[Soviet–Afghan War|Soviet Afghan War]] of the 80s and the following [[Afghan Civil War (1989–1992)|civil wars]] of the late 1980s and 90s. Their use in Afghanistan continued on well into the 1990s and the early 21st century by [[United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan|Northern Alliance]] forces.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}