Military marksmen

[MistWolf]

Different missions, different times. And the Mosin Nagant was not obsolete then. Indeed, they are still occasionally used in the sandbox, though less than PSL's and Tabuks. There are times and locations where stealthily closing distance is just not possible. One cannot always be the wolf in the mist. OTOH, it is certainly a good tool to have in the tool box.

By the time of the Winter War, the Mosin Nagant had been made obsolete by the Mauser 98, Springfield 03 and even the SMLE. The US was in the process of replacing the 03A3 with the Garand. Not only was the Mosin obsolete, compared to other weapons, it was clunky.

Obsolete doesn't mean ineffective. The Finns traded away their Mauser 98s for Mosin Nagants because the Finns didn't have the logistics to support the German bolt actions. Their plan was to use the same weapons and munitions as the Soviets.

Yes, it was a different mission and a different time. That doesn't change the fact that some of the deadliest snipers successfully used obsolete weapons. I'm a big fan of using modern arms and the best ammunition. But they are useless without skill and mindset. Something to keep in mind.

 

[JCSC]

Thanks y’all. Lots of good information, conversation and debate here.