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RGUNS PU Sniper
Characteristics
Barrel Shanks
Left Side of Barrel Shank (on Izhevsk)
No Photos
Originals intact
Originals ground off and new put over the top (original numbers can be
seen slightly or grinding is aparent)
Originals lined off with one solid line and new scope numbers added
above
Note: All proof marks are either on top or high up and the scope
numbers are never stamped "over" the proof marks.
Original Not touched and new number above
No Photo
Originals lined off with one solid line and no new scope numbers added
No Photo
Originals lined on individually and new scope numbers added above
No Photo
Originals lined on individually originals lined off with one solid line
and no new scope numbers added
Scope
Mount
(this does not include the scope)
No photo
Original, no marks
EP’ed scope number only
No Photo
EP’ed serial number only
EP’ed both serial number and scope number
Scopes
Scopes are all over the place on condition
Some SVT scopes
Some “newer” looking scopes are on some rifle
Some look like they have a lot of wear
Serial
Numbers
number mostly match but some have have mismatched
Top
Of Barrel Shank
Izhevsk on left, Tula on right (note "CH" above star on Tula)
Bolt
Magazine
Floor Plate
Butt
plate
No Photos (Typical M91/30)
Stock
Wartime stock with half sling guides
Cartouche on right side stock
Turret
Turret wrapped in
oil paper. This is the sign that a sniper has not been touched. RGUNS
issues the snipers they sell
with the oil paper and cosmoline still on the rifle.
Little history of the RGUN snipers:
Tuco (C0-Gun Boards Owner) heard of the rifles for
sale in the Ukraine 2 to 3 years before they went on sale with RGUNS.
He understood no one wanted to import them at that time as they felt
there was not enough demand for them at the $800 level. When he went to
find them he discovered RGUNS had bought them and imported them. He
knows the rifles and knows they are real.
They were originally WWII used sniper rifles and
later used by the police. After service with the police they were
returned to the military and refurbished and stored until RGUNS bought
them. Some will say that the story that they were police rifles is just
a story made up by those trying to sell them, but as it adds no value
to the rifle to have been used by the police, it it generally believed
to be true.
Many of the PU snipers on the market (not RGUN
snipers) are put together rifles . Century did some of that by buying
original PU parts and rifles without scopes on them and putting them
together. They carry the Century import mark.
SAMCO sold Yugo PU snipers without the mounts and
scopes. Many people bought these and added original PU scopes and
mounts. The problem with them is, they were PU snipers sent to
Yugoslavia by the Soviets with many M44's and other Mosins. Yugoslavia
never used Mosins post war as they were using 8mm. They removed the
optics and used them on their rifles until they started producing their
own optics. That is why the SAMCO PU snipers have no optics on them. So
they are a "put together by someone here in the US" sniper. Not an
arsenal rifle. They carry the SAMCO import marks.
RGUNS are the only "known" PU snipers for sale
that can be confirmed where they came from. That comfirmation also came
from someone other than RGUNS. Yes they are all in a different state of
re-refurbishment. Some are rifles that obviously had damage during the
war and parts were replaced, and other are almost entirely original.
But all the work was done by the arsenals, not a "civilian". They carry
the RGUNS stamp on the top of the receiver in a very small font, and
RGUNS has never done that with their other imports. They have used a
slightly larger font or a very large font and always on the side of the
receivers of the other M91/30's (non snipers) that they imported. This
is how you can tell if someone took a RGUNS imported M91/30 and turned
it into a fake PU sniper. The import marks (which you are not allowed
to alter) will be under the mount on on the side of a fake. So the
stamp on the top is the "seal of approval" that these rifles are the
"real deal". ;)
RGUNS Sniper rifles are "WWII examples of PU
sniper rifles that were arsenal refurbished post-war"
Some had parts interchanged with other PU snipers at the time of
refurbishment. Others did not. Depended on the amount of repair the
rifle needed at the time of refurbishment. Most if not all had swapped
bolts and butt plates (from other PU snipers) during refurbishment. The
bolt and butt plate was re-stamped after refurbishment so it is
impossible to know if they are original to the rifle or not. (probably
not).
They went to some trouble to make sure the
barrel/receiver, stock, scope mount /base, and scope all stayed
together on the same rifle if possible. To do this they electro
penciled the scope mounts with
1. Scope number
and
2. Rifle serial number.
This allowed them to put the barrel/receiver back with the same mount
and same scope.
They marked the serial number in the barrel
channel on the stock. This would allow them to put the stock back with
the barrel and receiver. Some have penciled in serial numbers partly
shellacked over which shows the pencil marks were on “before” the
shellac process.
All this makes sense as they would not have to "re
fit" all these parts once everything was re-blued. It would all then
fit with no adjustments. This is why they think they were electro
penciled on the mount and marked in the barrel channel of the stock. If
not, the stocks would show large gaps in some area as they were
refitted. They eliminated this problem buy numbering the parts to keep
everything together.
However, probably some had to have new scopes,
some new stocks and so on. Those rifles that needed new stock and had
them put on will not show serial numbers in the barrel channel. Those
that needed new scope may not match the scope numbers on the side of
the barrel shank and will not have the scope number on the mount
electro penciled on or it might not match.
There are a lot of variations with the RGUNS snipers.
RGUNS sells them all for $800 now but, they used to sell them for
Tula for $900
Izhevsk for $800
$1000 they would handpick an all matching rifle.
That would be all serial numbers and scope numbers matching.
Scope numbers matches barrel shank, and electro penciled number on
mount.
Serial number on barrel shank matched number on stock and re-stamped
number on bolt and butt plate and EP’s number on mount.
In other words, Except for the bolt and butt plate, this is the same
rifle as in WWII except it was refurbished. The bolts do not have the
pre fix letters on them and they originally did, so this shows they
have been re-stamped.
Some will agree with this and some will not. But
they are certainly a refurbished WWII PU sniper rifle refurbished by
the Russian arsenals. Not much different than the M1 Garands, M1
carbines, 1903's and 1903a3 were done by the US arsenals after the War.
In fact the Russians tried to keep the same rife (for the most part)
together as far as the PU snipers go.
What is good about buying a RGUN sniper rifle is,
It is guaranteed it is real, and that import mark on the top of the
receiver (RGUNS never did that only on the snipers and in a small font)
is the signature it is a real PU sniper and not a "re-sniper" a "put
together or a "fake".
Note from Author: In my opinion, RGUN sniper rifles are the preemire Sniper Rifles for a collector. They are in a class by thenselves.rere
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