Mike, I must respectfully disagree. After finding myself in this business, I did lots of research -- to the point even of translating from Russian. What I found was that the bayonet was intended to stay affixed. Please see, for example,
Bayonets before Bullets: The Imperial Russian Army, 1861-1914.
Bruce W. Menning. Indiana University Press, 1992. This is but one example; the book is pricey, so if you'd rather see a web reference, please try
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayonet as it's pretty well referenced, and here
37 Q. My M91/30 bayonet is numbered to the rifle, but it won't fit on the muzzle, why is that?
A. Soviet military doctrine called for the bayonet to remain fixed to the rifle at all times with the exception of traveling by motor vehicle or when in long term storage. The bayonet will go on, but it will be a very tight fit and will be difficult to remove. This is good for charging infantry, but not collectors. The inside of the bayonet socket can be opened slightly with a large drift punch to make fixing and removal easier.
et cetera
here:
http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinFAQ.htm
Those guys are just plain nuts about Mosins. If all else fails, go to
http://russian-mosin-nagant-forum.com/ and ask. Those guys are absolutely psychotic about the Mosin-Nagant to the point that cosmoline removal may be a sin! Tell them I said hello, then use one of these "
" to taunt 'em a bit. It's a game I like to call "poke the bear". Seriously, they're good guys.
jsmaye, no, this is not correct. This idea began to evolve after WWII with the introduction of intermediate rounds. A typical light ball round flying at around 2700fps to 2900fps will, when sighted in +2" at 100 yards, be 0" at 200 yards, and -10" at 300 yards.
A battle sight setting was not needed. 100 meters was 100 meters, 200 was 200, etc.
It's only after the intermediate rounds were introduced that the battle sight setting came about, as illustrated on this SKS sight:
"П" stands for "Покой" or, translated, "rest".
It's only used if the distance to the target is unknown.
Remember the 10" inch drop at 300 meters of the 7.62x54R at 300 meters? With the 7.62x39, that drop becomes more like a yard -- plenty to cause a miss!
This is why the battle sight setting exists on firearms using intermediate rifle rounds.
If either of you gents is interested, there are LOTS of vids up on YouTube done by more knowledgeable folks than myself who have played with the bayonet mounting fairly recently. To a one, the rifle shoots off with the bayonet off, and dead on with the bayonet on. YouTube is not a gunsmithing guide, but it serves well to post demonstrations!
If you'll notice, the carbines issued without bayonets, the M38 and M59, have taller posts and shoot correctly, not high...
I can provide more evidence if you wish. Let me know.
Regards,
Josh