The Three-Line Rifle designed by Sergei Mosin was adopted in 1891 by the Russian military, officially, as the M91 (Model of 1891). It was the first repeating rifle to be adopted by the Russian military, and it was chambered in the then-new 7.62x54mmR smokeless powder cartridge. The rifle fed from an internal, single-stack, five-round magazine. It proved to be a massive improvement over the Berdan rifle, and the M91 served as the main infantry rifle of Russian soldiers in World War I, and several variants were made for specific units and troops, such as a slightly shortened model frequently referred to as a "Dragoon" rifle.
After World War I, the Soviet military decided that the old M91 rifles should be updated. These updates were put into effect in 1930, and the new rifles were made to be around the same size as the old Dragoon rifles. Of the upgrades put into the new rifle, the M91/30, two were most noticeable: the receiver went from having a hexagonal shape to a round receiver, and the rear sight was changed from being marked in Arshins, an outdated and obsolete unit of measure, to a rear sight that was graduated in hundreds of meters. During World War II, the M91/30 saw service as the main infantry weapon of the Red Army. The rifle was also issued with a twist-on socket bayonet. The bayonet had a cruciform/spike blade, and soldiers were not issued scabbards as the bayonet was to never be removed without permission. This combination of rifle and bayonet put the overall length of the weapon close to 5'5" in length.
This length proved to be a major issue after various urban conflicts during the war. Because of this, the Soviets fielded a shortened carbine version of the M91/30 that lacked a bayonet. This carbine was adopted in 1938 and designated as the M38 Carbine. It was, simply put, an M91/30 with a shortened barrel without the ability to accept a bayonet. After this carbine proved to be quite useful, the Soviets began working on modifying it slightly in 1943. They designed a new front sight fixture for the weapon that housed a built-in, fold-out spike bayonet. The design was adopted in 1944 as the M44 Carbine, and the rifles saw use by both rearline troops and troops fighting in urban environments alike.
After World War I, the Soviet military decided that the old M91 rifles should be updated. These updates were put into effect in 1930, and the new rifles were made to be around the same size as the old Dragoon rifles. Of the upgrades put into the new rifle, the M91/30, two were most noticeable: the receiver went from having a hexagonal shape to a round receiver, and the rear sight was changed from being marked in Arshins, an outdated and obsolete unit of measure, to a rear sight that was graduated in hundreds of meters. During World War II, the M91/30 saw service as the main infantry weapon of the Red Army. The rifle was also issued with a twist-on socket bayonet. The bayonet had a cruciform/spike blade, and soldiers were not issued scabbards as the bayonet was to never be removed without permission. This combination of rifle and bayonet put the overall length of the weapon close to 5'5" in length.
This length proved to be a major issue after various urban conflicts during the war. Because of this, the Soviets fielded a shortened carbine version of the M91/30 that lacked a bayonet. This carbine was adopted in 1938 and designated as the M38 Carbine. It was, simply put, an M91/30 with a shortened barrel without the ability to accept a bayonet. After this carbine proved to be quite useful, the Soviets began working on modifying it slightly in 1943. They designed a new front sight fixture for the weapon that housed a built-in, fold-out spike bayonet. The design was adopted in 1944 as the M44 Carbine, and the rifles saw use by both rearline troops and troops fighting in urban environments alike.