Mosin-Nagant Dragoon
Tula Arms Plant / Izhevsk Arsenal / Sestroryetsk Arsenal · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1893
Also known as: Dragoon Rifle Model 1891, Drahunka, M/91rv, Dragoon Mosin, 3-line Dragoon Rifle
Overview
The Mosin-Nagant Dragoon is the shortened cavalry version of the Russian Imperial M1891 bolt-action rifle, adopted in 1893 to give mounted dragoons, cavalry, and Cossack troops a handier weapon than the full-length 800mm-barreled infantry rifle. Chambered in 7.62x54mmR and fed from a five-round single-column internal magazine loaded by stripper clips, the Dragoon shaved the barrel down to roughly 730mm and shortened the forend, trimming overall length by about 75mm and weight by around 0.4kg while retaining the rifle's two front locking lugs, cock-on-close bolt, magazine interrupter, and hexagonal receiver. From the outset it carried a wooden handguard, a feature not added to the infantry M1891 until 1894, and it used the Konovalov arshin-graduated rear sight. Because it balanced the reach of a full rifle with greater maneuverability, the Dragoon proved so successful that its dimensions, rather than those of the longer infantry rifle, were chosen as the basis for the 1930 modernization that became the iconic M91/30.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3800 g (134.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1230 mm (48.43") |
| Barrel Length | 730 mm (28.74") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 795 m/s (2608 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3100 J (2286 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 500 m (547 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1900 m (2078 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 241 mm (9.49") |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.62x54mmR · primary — also known as 7.62x54R, 7.62x53mmR, Three Line Rifle Cartridge, 3-line Cartridge
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Internal Magazine, Stripper Clip
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Bolt Safety
- Features: Stripper Clip Compatible, Magazine Cutoff Interrupter, Integral Bayonet Lug, Two Piece Stock, Cock On Close Bolt, Hexagonal Receiver, Konovalov Arshin Sights, Wooden Handguard, Shortened Forend
Variants
- Mosin-Nagant M91/30 — Modernized
- Mosin-Nagant M1891 Cossack — Cavalry
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Imperial Russian Army · adopted 1893 · as 3-line Dragoon Rifle Model 1891
- Imperial Russian Cavalry and Cossack Hosts · adopted 1893 · as Dragoon Rifle
- Red Army · adopted 1922 · as Dragoon Rifle obr. 1891 g.
- Finnish Defence Forces · adopted 1918 · as M/91rv
- Czechoslovak Legion · adopted 1917 · as Dragoon Rifle
Conflicts
- Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)
- World War I (1914-1918)
- Russian Civil War (1917-1922)
- Polish-Soviet War (1919-1921)
- Winter War (1939-1940)
- World War II (1939-1945)
Production
Production years: 1893-1930
Produced at Tula, Izhevsk, and Sestroryetsk arsenals from 1893 until the 1930 modernization replaced it with the dimensionally similar M91/30. Many surviving Dragoons were later reworked to M91/30 sight configuration ('Ex-Dragoons'). Exact Dragoon-specific output is not separately recorded within total Mosin production exceeding 37 million across all variants.
Origin
Country of origin: Russia
Designer: Sergei Ivanovich Mosin and Leon Nagant
Discontinued: 1930
Notes
The Dragoon is distinguished from the M91/30 chiefly by its Konovalov arshin-graduated rear sight (versus the Soviet metric leaf sight) and its slimmer stock and handguard profile; rifles later refitted with M91/30-pattern sights are collected as 'Ex-Dragoon' rifles. The Dragoon shares its barrel length and general proportions with the closely related Cossack rifle, the principal difference being that the Cossack pattern was issued without a bayonet and sighted to fire without one. When the Soviet Union standardized the Mosin pattern in 1930, it adopted the Dragoon's handier dimensions for the M91/30 rather than the longer Imperial infantry rifle, making the Dragoon the direct dimensional ancestor of the most-produced Mosin variant.
Background
When the Soviets set out to modernize the Mosin-Nagant in 1930, they did not pick the long Imperial infantry rifle as their pattern - they chose the cavalryman's Dragoon. Its shorter barrel and handier balance, designed in 1893 for soldiers fighting from horseback, became the template for the M91/30 that armed millions of Red Army troops through World War II, quietly making the obscure Dragoon the true ancestor of the most-produced Mosin of all.