Kholodovskii: The Greatest Mosin Nagant in History (at Least on Paper...)
Bolt Action Rifles
•
20m
The Kholodovskii Mosin was the result of a Russian ordnance project begun in 1912 to improve the M91 Mosin Nagant rifle. Lieutenant-General Nikolai Kholodovskii and the Tula Arsenal were to cooperate to develop rifle that was lighter, more accurate, and more shooter-friendly than the M91. This would include features like new aluminum parts, a fluted barrel, free-floating handguard (sort of), a magazine hold-open, improved safety, and more - it was really quite an ambitious project and a rifle that sounded great on paper. The reality would turn out to be rather different, however, as Kholodovskii and the Tula Arsenal staff ended over problems and delays and the rifle showed little benefit in troop trials. Eventually by 1916 the whole project was abandoned, with only a few hundred made.
This video was only possible because of the excellent article researched and written by Matt Martin on the Kholodovskii. It was originally published on MosinNagant.net, which is now defunct, and unfortunately many of the image links are dead as well. The article can be found copied on various other sites, including GunBoards.
Many thanks to the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels for access to this very rare piece! Check them out here:
https://www.klm-mra.be/D7t/
Up Next in Bolt Action Rifles
-
VG45K: Rheinmetall's 8mm Kurz Volksge...
As the end of World War Two loomed close, the German arms industry turned to a number of Volkssturm rifle designs. These were the crudest and simplest rifles that could be made to work with minimal time, labor, and raw materials. Most were bolt action rifles chambered for 8x57mm, like the Walther...
-
The Original Shorty Mosin: The Model ...
The creation of a short and handy Mosin Nagant carbine to complement the standard M891 was prompted by the Russo-Japanese War. Lots of Russian troops with roles other than infantry - machine gun and artillery crews in particular - were unnecessarily burdened with full length rifles, and the Model...
-
Contracts & Bankruptcy: The Hopkins &...
When World War One began, German armies roared through Belgium, occupying all but a small corner of the nation. Belgium still had an army to defend that last bit of territory, but it no longer had any of its manufacturing base. The Belgian State Arsenal was evacuated, but took several years to re...