Japanese Single-Shot Trainer, Russian Civil War Allied Intervention

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When Russia defaulted on the M91 contracts with Remington and New England Westinghouse due to the Russian Revolutions of 1917 the United States government purchased the remaining rifles to help keep the firms solvent.  During the Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War from 1918 to 1920 the United States sent a number of these rifles to Vladivostok, Siberia to arm the Czechoslovak Legions.  Subsequently, the Japanese, who had the largest numbers of troops in the area, absconded with many of them.  These were frequently converted to single shot and used as training rifles.  This example is a 1918 Remington which has not been heavily modified and in fact retains many matching parts, albeit matching in an unusual manner.  The serial number on the barrel is 47264, but the numbers on the bolt body and cocking knob are 46274, with the 7 overstamped with a 6.  The most likely explanation is that the 6 and 7 were mixed up during the stamping but only half the mistake was realised and the 7 was corrected to a 6, but the 6 was not corrected to a 7.   Considering the late production and the fact that the contract had already been defaulted on it is not surprising that sloppiness such as this was tolerated.  While faint, the buttplate is numbered correctly and matches.

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The stock has been sanded, but it is not certain if this was done by the Japanese or at a later time.  The marks on the butt are still clear with a number of 440 and a "kanji" for Hosei University which still exists in Tokyo.  The original Remington stock cartouche can be seen under the second "4".  The trigger guard/magazine assembly has been replaced with a crudely stamped one which effectively renders the rifle a single shot.  It is not numbered and is the only missing part in an otherwise fully matching Remington M91.

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