
Text: Tuco Photos: Tuco-Fred S
The nation of Poland began manufacturing
their clone of the Soviet Model 1944 Carbine ( M44
) in 1950, and according to Terence Lapin, author
of The Mosin Nagant Rifle, production of this
carbine ran until at least 1962. It is assumed
the Poles manufactured these carbines on Soviet machinery
that was relocated into Poland. One reason
for this assumption is that Soviet M44 production
ceased in 1948 and the machines used to manufacture
these carbines was no longer needed. The
theory is that the Soviets took a year, 1949, to
relocate the tooling and the Poles to undertake production.

A striking blonde
stock Polish M44
While the Polish M44 Carbines look
much like their Soviet and Eastern European cousins,
they are easy to identify by their proofs. On
the barrel shank of the Polish M44's there will be
an 11 in an oval and in many cases a OW with
a 3 under it that appears in a diamond. The
11 is either the Eastern European country code of
Poland ( all the nations in the Eastern Bloc were
given a number ) or is for the factory Radom (known
as Factory 11). The OW 3 is thought to
be a factory code of some sort. The OW
in a diamond is also a common proof marking that
is seen on the stocks of these carbines.

The OW in a diamond
from a Polish stock. These are not seen on
all stocks but they do seem to appear on most.
As is the case with
many Polish manufactured small arms, the M44
Carbines are very well manufactured rifles. The
metal and the wood found on the Polish M44's are
of the highest quality. The overall quality
of the Polish M44 is second to none and in many regards
rivals the Finnish made Mosin Nagants in overall
quality. In the opinion of many shooters and
collectors these carbines are possibly the standard
of all the Mosin Nagants, and are without a doubt
the finest M44 carbine ever manufactured.
These fine carbines
employ the post war or later production features
of the Soviet M44 Carbine. They have the double "guards" on
the bayonet lug and the front sight's base also show
the later Soviet improvements. The rear sights
are the same configuration as the Soviet model. The
stocks are a hard wood of some type and there has
never been a reported case of a Polish M44 in a laminate
stock. The wood color can range from a blonde
to a dirty dark brown, with the wood grain of these
stocks in most cases quite striking. Most
of the initial imports all seemed to have the blonde
tinted wood while later imports seem to be more dark
in color. Date does not seem to have any bearing
on the stock finish as the author has one 1954 example
that has blonde wood and another 1954 that is much
darker in color.

Barrel shank marking
from a 1953 dated Polish carbine.
There are known examples
that have a large diamond painted on the butt stock. In
many cases there is a letter in this large diamond
but the meaning is unknown. It has been suggested
these were a trainer or a Police carbine. Both
are guesses and there is no proof either way.
These carbines were
issued with a green canvas sling that looks much
like the later Soviet model. These will have
Polish markings on them and in some cases have the
11 in an oval stamping. The oilier that was
issued with the carbines are a double topped square
model that are marked Pt ( cleaning solvent ) and
Sm ( lube).

Polish M44 Oilier
The issue and use
of these carbines is not 100% clear. As is the case
with many Mosin Nagants from the Eastern European
nations, there seems to be a bit of mystery and rumor
associated with these carbines. One such rumor
that appears to be totally incorrect is the notion
the M44's were manufactured in Poland for export
to North Korea. It is unclear where this rumor
was born but it does seem to have no factual evidence
to back it up. It does seem clear that these
carbines did see use in the Polish Army. It
is unknown if they were ever an "issue" weapon
but they were used in training at least until the
1980's. This is backed up by known photos
of Polish troops using these carbine in training
maneuvers.
It is feasible that
the various police units in Poland also issued these
carbines in some capacity. The author was in
contact with a Pole that claimed these were widely
used by Polish police units; however, the Polish
national that made these claims died in a car crash
before any proof could be furnished. Due to
this tragic death, there is no way of knowing if
this was based in fact. Others have reported
these were a reserve weapon placed in storage to
be issued to emergency troops in case of a invasion
from the West. This theory also holds water
as this was a common occurrence in the thinking of
the Soviet Bloc nations.
However these carbines
were issued it is certain that many saw little to
no use in actual duty in Poland. This is clear
as the condition of these carbines is excellent in
most cases. In fact most of the M44's
from Poland will have 90% ( or better ) blue, near
perfect wood, and have fine bores as well.
The Polish clone of the Soviet
Model 1944 Carbine has become one of the more popular
Mosin Nagants in the United States. In many
cases these carbines are in "unisued" new
mint condition. Overall they are very accurate
shooters and again the condition is a real selling
point, as one would be hard pressed to find a carbine
that is better in overall quality. While
most of their history is still unclear, they are
a nice addition to the Mosin collection. They
also fit very well into the "Cold War" collections
that seem to be gaining in popularity. The
Polish Mosin Nagant Model 1944 Carbine is a nice
example of a post WW2 carbine that holds a special
place in the hearts of many of its owners. These
Polish carbine may well be the finest Mosin Nagant
ever produced.
|