Editing Mosin–Nagant (section)

===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>