Anyone who owns an AK47, SKS, or Mosin Nagant is familiar with any number
of these bottles. The focus here is Communist and former Communist countries.
Generally speaking, each bottle design can be found with any model rifle,
though it is possible that a given bottle was intended for a particular rifle.
Most countries have more than one bottle type, but China has a truly astounding
number of designs and color variations. The next most prolific country is
Russia. The reason for China's variety is a mystery to me, but if anyone can
shed light on this please contact
me.
Some of the bottles are of the two spout design - one side containing
oil and the other some type of solvent. Most are of the single spout design,
either metal or plastic, plain or embossed, and probably contained only oil,
though it is possible some contained bore solvent, which might partly explain
the array of colors.
I am uncertain as to the country of origin of many of the bottles, and
have placed them in the country they seem most likely to have originated from.
If you know, or even think, a particular bottle has been misplaced, please
contact me with that information.
It's simply impossible for me to do this alone and I need your help.
Under some of the bottles you will see a country name in
BLUE. That indicates another opinion as to the bottle's origin, but
an unconfirmed one. No doubt there will be a bottle or two that will remain
a mystery, but it is my hope that over time we will be able to identify most
of them.
NOTE:
Not all of the bottles shown here are mine (those that are mine have an asterisk
* after the number. Many have been borrowed from the AK Forum: http://www.theakforum.net
I would like permission to keep them on this site. If you see one of your images
here, and would be willing to give me permission to use it, please let me know
how you would like to be credited. If you would prefer it removed, just let
me know. If you have any bottles that I do not, and would be interested in selling
or trading them, please contact me. Eventually I will have a section for my
duplicates for trade. I have also borrowed some images from old troop at 762x39.net.
I have tried to reach him for permission but the E-mail address listed is no
longer valid. If anyone has a current address for Old Troop would you please
pass it along to me?
1*
2* 3* 4*
5*
1* 2* 3* 4* 5*
6
7*
8*
9* 10*
11*
12* 13* 14* 15 16
17 18* 19* 20* 21*
14*
The bottle at left is something of a mystery. Perhaps one of you may know
something about it. It is 3" across, slightly larger than the 2 1/2"
of the more typical oiler such as #13 above.
It is made of steel which is not galvanized. Some of the original olive
drab paint remains. Instead of a screw cap it has a steel cap with a small
slot in it. I added the cork and brush to show what I believe to be the original
configuration. I would guess this to be a grease container. There is a loop
on either side, presumably for a chain or lanyard.
This bottle may have nothing whatsoever to do with firearms, but I include
it here because it has some of the characteristics of a rifle oiler.
If you know anything about this, please contact
me .
Instead of the usual plain back, this varient
has a sunken panel with a split divider.
Contributed by Chris M.
Tule arsenal
The
interior of the ringed panel on #4 is textured. On #5 it is plain. The basses
differ slightly.
Imperial
Russia period brass twin spout bottle. It is part of the cleaning kit M95 Steyr
Mannlicher Rifle. To see the cleaning kit, click
here.
3* side
1 4* side
2 side
1 5 side
2
The same as #1, but without the brush, and containing a plastic
insert to seal the bottle.
The
star with characters is the badge of the PLA. Inside the star are the characters
"8" over "1". This stands for August 1st (1927), the founding of the Red Army.
The
text is the Maoist slogan "Serve the People", which may date these bottles to
the period of the Cultural Revolution, 1966-1979.
The
caps are cork lined. Contributed by Phil J..
14* 15* 16
13*
16* 17*
IzhMash
?
S
large star
22* small star
23
24* 25*
26* large star 27* small
star 28*
29
side
1 32* side
2 33*
34*
33&34 show slight difference in the tops and the execution
of the characters.
1* 2* 3*
(2
3/8" wide)
These two oil bottles are the largest I have found,
3" wide
compared to the usual 2 1/2" average size for the steel bottles.
1 2* 3
4*
1 2
1a* 1b* 2*
(1b
is the same as 1a, but with phosphate finish)
1* 2* 3*
4* 5*
6*
6* 7* side
1 8 side
2 9*
9 10 11* 12*
side
1 35* side
2 side
1 36* side
2
37* Lid
38* Translucent 39*
Opaque
40*
black
plastic w/ metal top
black
plastic w/ plastic top
VIETNAM
This bottle was purchased from a seller in Vietnam
who said the A & O stood for Alkeline and Oil.
Contributed by Alessandro Sergi
4
3/8" tall with brush in cap.
12*
13*
WWI
Russian Imperial oilers with the Romanoff eagle on one side and CO3 plus arrow
on the back. CO3 is cirillic for Sestroryetsk which is a northern suburb of
St. Petersburg that was a location of Mosin Nagant production from 1892 to 1918.
Both are 2 3/8" wide.
Large
caps
Early
US with cork lined small caps
4
Plain
with embossed cap. Contributed by Alessandro Sergi
Contributed
by Alessandro Sergi
Click on image at right to find
out more about these bottles!
Earlier
paper lined cap.
Cork
lined top indicates an older bottle.
This
is where I really need your help. Any thoughts on what country these come from?
Contact me.
GERMANY
WW2 Mauser
1*
Hungarian AMD
Early
- cork lined top. Contributed by P.J.
This
screw cap was on a twin spout Russian bottle, but the ring impression inside
this cap didn't match the smaller lip of the bottle. This leaves me with no
real connection with a known bottle. This is the only cap I have ever seen with
an embossed number inside a circle.
side
1 1* side
2 side
1 2* side
2
A
Soviet era oil bottle with the hammer and sickle on one side. Slightly smaller
than the usual 2 1/2" wide oil bottle, this one is 2 3/8".
1 2*
It's unusual to find an integral brush in one of these
round oilers. Even more
unique is the fact that the brush is detachable and fits the standard cleaning
rod.
Contributed by Chris M.
#7
has very distinct inset panels and the right vertical leg of the "W"
is straight and without the typical dog-leg at its bottom.
Sestroryetsk
arsenal.
Standard Russian twin spout.
#9
has no sunken panel or center line.
This
bottle is made of two pots soldered together.
Izhevsk arsenal.
#8
- Izhevsk arsenal, plastic bottle with metal cap.
Izhevsk
arsenal, all plastic.
1*
2*
3*
UNMARKED - Bulgaria,
Russia, Romania, etc.
4* 5*
1 2* 3* 4*
Embossing
on # 2 & # 3 is the number 20 within two concentric rectangles. Do you know
what country this is?
No
embossing, but identicle to numberss 2 & 3.
5* 6 7* 8
#5 closure is similar to the
Yugoslavia bottles numbers
1 & 2.
6
7
side
1 30*
side
2
side 1 31* side
2
