More fascinating and surprising appraisals of your vintage firearms

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I have this old rifle (above), but I don’t know much about its history or value. My grandfather had it forever. I think it may be a Mosin-Nagant, or a Cossack rifle. Any info would be helpful.

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JOE CHAD

REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN

It appears to be a Mosin-Nagant rifle made at the Izhevsk arsenal. The markings suggest it is a Dragoon model, made for use by cavalry troops. This model was normally issued with a bayonet, and it was factory sighted with the bayonet in place. The Cossack model, issued to Cossack regiments, was identical to the Dragoon, but it was not issued with a bayonet. Cossack models from this era had the marking “KA3,” which is an abbreviation for “Cossack” using the Cyrillic alphabet. Your rifle does not have that.

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Both the Dragoon and Cossack models are relatively rare (the Cossack slightly more so). An online chart rating Mosin-Nagant models on a scale of one (most common) to 10 (most rare), places the Dragoon at eight and the Cossack at nine. Your rifle may be of interest to collectors of Mosin-Nagant rifles, with its value depending on the condition. I doubt, however, that even a model in very good condition would get into four figures.