Interesting '46 M44 Found Locally
1 - 20 of 28 Posts
Joined
·
9,164 Posts
Found this one in an online classified, the guy said he got it years ago as payment for some electrical work he did for a someone. Said it had just sat in his gun safe until last fall, when his grandson took it out and fired it a grand total of two times (with both of those shots being fatal to deer). Interestingly, he threw in a box of Winchester "Deer and Wild Boar" ammo, which had two missing. 
![]()
![]()
It appears to be original matching, but the stock seems to be in some type of oil finish. Almost looks Romanian to me, but there are no serials stamped into the buttstock.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
The only sign of an import mark I can find is an old-style PW Arms stamp on the end of the barrel:
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
The bore is pretty good-just a touch of rounding and reasonably tight muzzle, but with some frosting. Overall, I really like it.
Anyone care to conjecture where it may have spent time before being imported?
It appears to be original matching, but the stock seems to be in some type of oil finish. Almost looks Romanian to me, but there are no serials stamped into the buttstock.
The only sign of an import mark I can find is an old-style PW Arms stamp on the end of the barrel:
The bore is pretty good-just a touch of rounding and reasonably tight muzzle, but with some frosting. Overall, I really like it.
Anyone care to conjecture where it may have spent time before being imported?
Reminds me of the guns that came in around 2002 from Yugoslavia. Not all of them got rebuilt, just some. I'll say this and risk the handgrenades that are sure to follow, but it looks to be all original matching. Nice find. I have one just like it from 1947.
Joined
·
3,280 Posts
was gonna say Yugo
Joined
·
9,164 Posts
Well, I guess that answers my question. I did have an initial thought that it might have come out of Yugoslavia, but dismissed the thought since it looks nothing like a 1.TRZ processed gun (plus I wasn't aware that there'd been other batches of M44s out of Yugoslavia).
Another thing that would support the theory is that the trigger has been worked. I shot it a bit today, and the trigger is way better than a normal Soviet M44. It's a pretty good shooter too-got a couple of groups around 2, 2 1/2" at 100 meters, and with less than stellar ammo (Bulgarian LPS) to boot.
.
Joined
·
253 Posts
That's a nice rifle. I want to add a nice nen refurbished m38 or m44 to the collection but everytime i see one someone post one here they recently purchased.
Joined
·
3,971 Posts
Very nice Relic! I like the looks of that one. Has a nice patina on it. Haven't seen a PW Arms Redmond WA import mark like that before. Congrats, nice find. You and Nirvana both. Keeping the WA theme going I guess with your rifles, and Nirvana's name xD
Joined
·
9,164 Posts
Load up on guns and bring your friends, It's fun to lose and to pretend
She's over-bored and self-assured, Oh no, I know a dirty word
Hello, hello, hello, how low . . . :laugh:
Since I got schooled on Yugo export M44s I did a little research, and it turns out what I thought was a Bubba-installed sling that came on the rifle was actually a Yugo M44/Mauser sling. Here it is back on the rifle:
I always worry about overposting on other people's posts, but I'll take this risk here, since most collectors don't remember these "old days" anymore.
These guns came stacked in crates with no dividers of any kind. Just wooden crates stocks full of super super greasy guns. The local gun store had them for $40 each, as I recall. Most were mismatched, 90% plus. After much poking, I found this gun, a bolt mm 1945 izh hex, and stock only matching 1944 Tula, a 1944 izh with all matching parts, but the bolt was yugo matched. I dont remember many yugo stamps in the stocks. Some didn't have cleaning rods, some had been refinished while others had not. I recall penciled serial numbers on the bottom of the handguards. I don't recall slings, but it could've happened in other crates.
These guns came stacked in crates with no dividers of any kind. Just wooden crates stocks full of super super greasy guns. The local gun store had them for $40 each, as I recall. Most were mismatched, 90% plus. After much poking, I found this gun, a bolt mm 1945 izh hex, and stock only matching 1944 Tula, a 1944 izh with all matching parts, but the bolt was yugo matched. I dont remember many yugo stamps in the stocks. Some didn't have cleaning rods, some had been refinished while others had not. I recall penciled serial numbers on the bottom of the handguards. I don't recall slings, but it could've happened in other crates.
Joined
·
9,164 Posts
I'm glad you posted on this thread, helped me figure this one out after I missed what should have been obvious.
Joined
·
9,092 Posts
That's really neat! In the absence of the 1.TRZ stock rework stamp, I was going to dismiss the Yugoslav connection, but the sling is compelling if it came like that. I really like the oil finish on that one, and the pattern of wear.
Congrats!
Pat
Congrats!
Pat
Joined
·
9,164 Posts
That's how it came. The dog collar on the back seems backward to me, but that's how it was on when I got the rifle, so I put it back that way when I reinstalled it.
Joined
·
9,164 Posts
Yep, another reason I didn't think this one could be Yugo. Here's the sight on my '46 1.TRZ:
Joined
·
9,092 Posts
Bingo.
Quite a nice example you have there, too.
It makes me wonder if some in Yugoslav possession simply received a coat or two of oil, and nothing else. We lack any documentation on 1.TRZ, but based on the evidence of the rifles and carbines, it appears likely that it indicated some kind of stock repair or rebuild.
Pat
Quite a nice example you have there, too.
It makes me wonder if some in Yugoslav possession simply received a coat or two of oil, and nothing else. We lack any documentation on 1.TRZ, but based on the evidence of the rifles and carbines, it appears likely that it indicated some kind of stock repair or rebuild.
Pat
Joined
·
9,164 Posts
Mine is in a wartime (no liner rear/half liner front) Izhevsk stock with no visible rework other than sanding and oil finish. Serials neatly scrubbed and restamped w/prefixes. Very nicely finished, and like this one, superb trigger. I paid the exact same amount for each, and I'm honestly not sure which I like better.
1 - 20 of 28 Posts
