A Soviet M44 from the Izhevsk plant, dated 1945, serial CL8731, in 7.62x54R with a 20.5-inch round barrel. The bore rates good with crisp, deep grooves, every number matches apart from the bolt, and an importer's stamp sits on the left of the action. The wood carries the dings and wear of military issue, while the mechanism cycles smoothly and works as it should.

The M44 came into Soviet hands in the closing years of the Second World War, with a bayonet that folds and is fixed to the gun, and it was the final standard-issue Mosin-Nagant short rifle the Soviet Union took into service. For a New Jersey buyer this is a collector and range rifle: the state does not allow centerfire rifles for deer, so 7.62x54R has no hunting role here, and a 1945 Izhevsk with numbers matching on everything but the bolt is bought for its history and for the range.

Key features

• 7.62x54R bolt-action carbine, 20.5-inch barrel
• Izhevsk Arsenal, 1945 production
• Matching numbers except bolt, import marked
• Permanently attached folding bayonet
• Bore good, action smooth and functional

This carbine ships to a licensed New Jersey dealer, who completes the transfer when you show your FPIC.