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There is a long explanation on this at
http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinMO.htm
MO is known to be the Russian abbreviation for "Ministerstvo Oborony", or Ministry of Defense. The Defense Ministry was established on March 15th, 1953 in a merger of the Military and Naval Ministries (Voennoe Ministerstvo, Voenno-Morskoe Ministerstvo, "BM" and "BMM"). The numbers are thought to represent dates because of their placement and the fact that they are always larger than the previous date. However, all the known dates are between 1942 and 1953 when there was no MO except for the last nine and a half months of 1953. There are a few known firearms with double dates that lack the MO mark, but they are the rare exception. Likewise, few MO marked firearms without a second date have been reported. There is an obvious relationship between the date and MO marks yet just as obvious a conflict with the establishment of the MO and the dates.
Based on information from sources in the former Soviet Union the MO marked firearms were used by the Defense Ministry Militarized Security force, or "Voenizirovannaya Ohrana MO", abbreviated VOHR MO. Those are not per se troops, but security guards employed by the MO. They wore military uniforms with special insignia of position (not rank insignia) and were separate from the army. These units were used to guard various MO facilities. |
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