Mossber 44US WWII trainer

[sakorick]

Background and discussion. The 44US target trainer was designed exclusively for the War Department and intended solely for the use of US Armed Forces. Initially, the No. 4 receiver peep sight was rejected by the Ordnance Corps and the first contract of 14,500 rifles were made in early 1943 with the Lyman 57MS(Mossberg/Stevens) receiver sight and the plain S-122 front sight with globe. Unit cost on these rifles was $16.65 each. Harold Mossberg designed the new S-100 receiver sight which replaced the Lyman for the remainder of production (57,128 rifles) at a cost of $14.65 each. Total production of the 44US was 71,628 rifles through March, 1945. Mossberg was assigned a block of serial numbers from 100,001 to 180,000. You rarely see an example today with the front sight cover as the little locking tabs were prone to fail after repeated removal/installation. The stocks were nearly all Beech stained with walnut stain and finished with raw linseed oil. My SN 100,035 is the lowest SN on record and was manufactured during the first day of production. It was an incomplete CMP rifle and came with no sights. For $65 dollars, one of my better buys for sure! There is also a dark spot on the right side of the stock where the Ordnance crossed cannons cartouche was stamped. The S-122 front sight is very hard to find especially with the little brass insert intact. I installed a Lyman 17A until I can find an original sight. Oh, I almost forgot, this rifle shoots dime groups at 50 yards with Golden Eagle Target ammo. Regards, Rick.

[22hornet]

Rick, I remember you posting about another Mossberg trainer a while ago. Do you have a collection of these?

[sakorick]

Rick, I remember you posting about another Mossberg trainer a while ago. Do you have a collection of these?

Yes. There were three. I have a lend lease to UK 42MB, three 44US and three 144US target/trainers. They are all very accurate and fun to shoot. They are just starting to go up in value as the US property marked rifles always commands a premium. There were only about 3500 of the 144US rifles made so be on the lookout for one as they are scarce. Regards, Rick.

[gitano]

Glad to see your posts, Rick. We were beginning to worry that you might have been 'tornadoed'.

Paul

[sakorick]

Glad to see your posts, Rick. We were beginning to worry that you might have been 'tornadoed'.

Paul

As you know, I have a very safe hide out for those storms. Lucky for us the worst storms have all tracked south of the river, however, we've had our share of rain!:frown Regards, Rick.