These will typically have two hastily-stamped digits instead. It should be four digits unless it is a wartime model. In order to determine this you must remove the action from the stock and check the date on the underside of the tang. In actuality the markings “MO”, “XO” and a few other similar codes are merely stamps used by various refurbishment depots.įor American readers in particular this section is more relevant as the ATF does not care when the barrel was made but places importance on when the receiver was made. Previously it was thought that some rifles with double or triple dates lacking an “MO” stamping were re-issued before the reformation of the Ministry of Defense but it turns out this is not the case. This practice may not be present on some Mosins from outside Russia’s sphere of influence. These double & triple-date rifles were pulled out of storage and issued to various organizations during states of heightened alert during the Cold War. Rarely a third date may be appended as well. As pictured in the heading, this may be followed by a slash (/) and a two-digit year date (the example pictured is 52).
The date on Russian rifles will be followed by a Cyrillic character that means “year”. To begin with is the obvious large date on the barrel shank. The Mosin rifle is a common sight on gun shop racks and in the collector’s armory and while the country of origin may vary they all have a relatively universal method of dating that can be applied to pretty much any Mosin you come across.