Hello, about that bayonet being hard to get on and off...The Russian regulations were to have them mounted on rifle at all times..There were no scabards issued..
Yeah, don't try to force your bayonet on to the rifle. You will probably not be able to get it off again. It is a super tight fit and the darn thing is not exactly easy to grab and wrestle off. On my Mosin, I used a small Swiss file to remove metal from the inside edges of the bayonet collar. I got it to the point where it fits rigidly on the muzzle and enables me to twist it to lock it on and unlock/twist off without a lot of effort.
My Mosin was made in 1943 as well. I bought it a few weeks ago and cleaned it all up last week. Here are some pictures:
I took it out to the range to test fire it on Sunday. After 20 rounds, my shoulder was getting a bit tender. It got a little black and blue by that evening. I suppose next time I will wear more than a golf shirt or maybe invest in one of those rubber stock covers when I shoot it again. Nevertheless, it's a wonderful rifle and I am really happy with it. I am waiting for 440 round spam cans to go on sale again at the local department store. I plan to do a lot of shooting this summer.