A 19th-century design still standard-issue in 1941, the Mosin-Nagant remained the backbone rifle of the Red Army throughout the war, its long barrel and heavy cartridge making it a favourite base for sniper variants. Vasily Zaitsev and other Soviet snipers used scoped Mosins to devastating effect amid Stalingrad's ruins.
Mosin-Nagant Dragoon Rifle Model 1891. Caliber 7.62x54mmR. From the collections of Armémuseum (Swedish Army Museum), Stockholm, Sweden.Armémuseum (The Swedish Army Museum) · CC0 · sourceUnknown authorUnknown author or not provided · Public domain · sourceThe 7.62 TKIV 85, short for 7.62 Tarkkuuskivääri 85 (7.62 sniper rifle 85), with a Zeiss Diavari ZA 1.5–6×42 telescopic sight mounted on display during Finnish Defence Forces 2013 Flag day in Ekenäs harbour.MKFI · Public domain · source