Why is Tula Preferred Over Izhevsk?
A common question, especially among newer Mosin Nagant collectors, is why Tula rifles seem to be preferred, and even command a premium price, over Izhevsk rifles. With any collectible, whether a firearm or not, scarcity is a driving force of desirability. In recent years the majority of Mosin Nagants imported from the former Soviet Union have been M91/30s, including updated Dragoons, M38s and M44s. Tula M38s and Tula M44s are certainly much scarcer than Izhevsk carbines and the preference is obvious in these cases. With the M91/30s though, the total production at Tula is outnumbered by the 1942 and 1943 Izhevsk production alone. When production numbers for all years are considered, only one in three M91/30s is a Tula. While pre-WWII Tula rifles are actually more common than pre-WWII Izhevsk rifles, this fact is often lost in the sea of WWII Izhevsk rifles on the US collector’s market. Another factor is pure aesthetics. Few will argue that in general Tula had more interesting barrel mar
