Classic American WWI Rifles

Ahh... The classic American rifles of WW1. The m1903, the m1917 the... wait... is that a Mosin-Nagant???
To those of you who are incredulous I say: Sure is! While Mosin-Nagant pattern rifles are most closely associated with Eastern European militaries, some saw a brief stint in U.S. Military service during and immediately after WW1.

Remington and New England Westinghouse had been producing m91 rifles for the Imperial Russian Army. Due to their internal conflicts coming to a head in 1917, many unpaid for rifles were stuck sitting stateside. The U.S. Government stepped in and bought the bulk of the remaining rifles, partly because they were needed for the war effort and partly to keep the companies afloat after losing their initial buyer.

The U.S. kept over 200,000 of the rifles, and they were mostly used for drill and training and to temporarily equip National Guard and other forces. Some did see oversea combat action with U.S. forces deployed to Northern Russia. Here these American made, Russian designed rifles were used to protect American / allied interests in Russia from Bolshevik shenanigans.

This rifle ears the stampings that indicate U.S. Military use. While Remington rifles were typically just marked with a "U.S." and a flaming bomb on the stock, N.E.W. rifle inspectors tended to get a little more stamp-happy. The rifle has numerous eagle-head proof marks, as well as Ordnance Corps flaming bombs on the charger guide and bolt body. The term "unissued" gets used more than it ought, but it is evident that this rifle did not get used very hard as evidenced by the overall condition and (possibly?) original grease still in the magazine assembly.

Even though the U.S. bought hundreds of thousands of rifles, they are somewhat uncommon today. This is due to hard use, neglect, abandonment overseas, and rampant sporterization. They appeal to a wide array of collectors including those of Mosins, U.S. military firearms, and WW1 weaponry.