A new toy.

I just bought a Finnish M39. For those who Don't know the M39 is a Russian Mosin Nagant that was captured by the Fins during the Winter War. They actually captured so many rifles (and other stores) that they stopped production of their own rifles and switched to refurbishing Nagants. The re-arsenaled rifles were then pressed into service against their former owners. Most of these guns had little, if any thing, changed in their configuration beondhavinf the hammer in sickle ground off the receiver. Later the Fins decided to update and upgrade their captured stock of rifles with beefier stocks, heavier barrels and improved sights. The result was the M39: A national match Mosin Nagant. Mine was (re)built by Sako in 1942.

I've had the rifle a couple of weeks and tried a variety of surplus 7.62x54R in it. I haven't "out it on paper" yet, but it seems fairly accurate. I can regularly hit clays at 100 yds. with it. The fatter, heavier stock makes it fairly pleasant to shoot. (That isn't saying much - I like to volley-fire my SMLE No.4 Mk1* 'till the hand guards start to smoke.) It also points more naturally than a standard m1891 Nagant rifle.

In the same vain: Last Sunday I had the opportunity to shoot two other interesting Mosin-Nagant rifles. The first was and original, non-import marked, Czarist rifle. The sights were marked in arshiens; meaning that rifle left Russia before the commies took over. The other was and M44 that a friend of mine affixed a PU scope to. It need some more coming, but I think it would make a handy brush gun.