Just for future reference if anyone looks at this thread...
I am the new proud owner of this rifle
Thanks again Andrew.
What I have learned is that Kazan used the same scope tube on the Mosin Nagant as the SVT until late 1944 or early 1945.
The scope on this gun has always been a Mosin Nagant scope and has never been on a SVT. You can tell from the CB stamping on the turret combined with the lack of any electro or previous stamps on the scope body.
I tried to confirm that the scope was changed at a re-arsenal plant and not the original. It certainly looks that way to me.
But a contact I made in Russia looked at my pictures and told me it is the correct scope and mount.
He had me look for other areas that are heavily polished and I found two other areas that have been polished, interrupting the lathe marks. And amongst the serial# there is a pattern of lathe marks. I didn't notice until it was pointed out to me.
The amount of detailed work needed to remove the old serial number and polish around the numbers and restamp a new serial number in the same polished areas just didn't happen.
The old numbers were either ground off and re-stamped or more commonly ###### then a new number was stamped near the old number.
This is what he confirmed.
-It is the original scope mount for this rifle.
-At the re-arsenal plant great pain was taken to keep the original scope and mount mated with the original rifles.
And if a scope needed to be changed, the new scope serial number should have been scribed onto the scope mount. This rifle only has the rifle serial number on the scope mount.
-This rifle went to a refurb plant in the early 1950's as per the stamp marks on the scope. (later on, the year was stamped instead of a letter).
-The stock was refinished and the scope was either checked over or had parts replaced at the refurb plant.
But the scope was not changed during the refurbishment in the 1950's. So if the scope isn't the original scope it was changed during the war and therefore would have been changed in a separate section of the Izhevsk plant that the PU rifles were assembled and scopes attached and sighted.
-The sight picture through the scope matches how the rifles were sighted in from the factory during the war.
(The horizontal bars are set high at 100 yards). If the scope was not the original scope the scope base elevation screws would have been changed to set the scope bar to the correct elevation. The bottom screw has been peened in place only once.
There have been so many variations during the war it is very difficult to know if you have the original rifle, scope, scope base combination especially if your rifle, like most have gone through a repair during or after the war.
I was positive that the different font meant that the serial number was stamped in the receiver at a later date than the war.
It was pointed out to me that that only means it was worked on at a different plant than the Izhevsk plant at some time.
The sniper repairs weren't done by the same people or the same area as the infantry rifles.
If you compare the scope font to the rifle font it makes sense I guess?
In this case it really doesn't matter. I will not be selling this rifle.
It's a very accurate rifle.
The cold shot is nearly always in the bullseye.
It never has flyers. Always tight groups. And that's the case with first time users as well. Almost always
At 100 yards it's capable of under 1 MOA. I can't wait to try it out at longer distances.
Another interesting fact I was told is that the PU snipers had a darker red pigment than the infantry rifles due to extra moisture proofing for the wood.
Apparently the red stain isn't just a stain.
I do know that having a friend who reads Russian and is happy to read old Russian documents is very helpful in understanding the maze of information out there.
