This is a French Gras Mle1866/74 (converted from a Chassepot paper-cartridge rifle) that was aided to Russia in WWI, and sold to the communist Spanish Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. Russia was critically short of rifles in WWI, and France aided their ally some 450,000 Gras rifles, in 1915-16. After surviving WWI and the Russian Civil War, the USSR sold the Republicans 11,821 Gras and Gras-Kropatschek rifles (among other obsolete arms), with 395 rounds each, in 1936.* Stalin made the Republicans pay in gold, and shorted them on ammo.
The import mark shows the rifle was imported from Spain. In the 1950's, Sam Cummings of Interarms imported many rifles from Spain, used in the SCW; the most famous are the "Made in USSR" Mosin-Nagant M91/30's. This Gras has a "Made in France" import mark, and looks the part of a rifle used in multiple wars. In addition, most Gras are not marked with a "Made in France" marking, being imported at some other time from France.
(Notably, a number of various Carcanos are marked "Made in Italy." Since nearly all of these are in impeccable condition, they certainly did not see the SCW. They were probably imported by Interarms in the same timeframe.)
This Gras has a mismatched bolt, but the stock, barrel and receiver match. The bore is shiny with excellent rifling. The stock has many handling marks, though no cracks.
*. I quote Arms for Spain by Gerald Howson, St. Martins Press, 1998.
The import mark shows the rifle was imported from Spain. In the 1950's, Sam Cummings of Interarms imported many rifles from Spain, used in the SCW; the most famous are the "Made in USSR" Mosin-Nagant M91/30's. This Gras has a "Made in France" import mark, and looks the part of a rifle used in multiple wars. In addition, most Gras are not marked with a "Made in France" marking, being imported at some other time from France.
(Notably, a number of various Carcanos are marked "Made in Italy." Since nearly all of these are in impeccable condition, they certainly did not see the SCW. They were probably imported by Interarms in the same timeframe.)
This Gras has a mismatched bolt, but the stock, barrel and receiver match. The bore is shiny with excellent rifling. The stock has many handling marks, though no cracks.
*. I quote Arms for Spain by Gerald Howson, St. Martins Press, 1998.