some questions about the Finn M-39

[ShootAndHunt]

Interested in getting a Finn M-39, I am still not very familiar with it, could you guys help me here?

1. About the barrel, Sako is better than SKT, correct? How much difference?

2. About the receiver, there are Tula and Ishevsk, which should be better?

3. About the stock, is Wartime or Post-war style better (by better I mean more comfortable when shouldering)? I cannot try them in the gunstore since I am going to order online, so I have to ask you guys' opinions.

Thanks,

 

[hso]

Look for an unissued M39 and it won't matter about the rest. The Finns were dedicated to accurate dependable rifles and they had no qualms about rejecting less than ideal Mosins.

 

[Cosmoline]

All the receivers are excellent. The Finns checked them for function and strength (you can often see the pings) before using them. As far as which arsenal is better, I don't know of any substantial difference. All had to pass demanding muster in order to get approval. The difference between arsenals is mainly a matter of collector's value since some are quite rare. The stocks are all basically the same except for very early ones which had no pistol grip. The condition varies greatly from very beat up to untreated pristine to soaked in cosmoline. The wartime models are more likely to be covered with the famous dark pine tar based oil finish. Some unissued ones were never treated with anything.

 

[Firehand]

Agree with the above. The Finns were picky about quality, pretty much all of their rifles were quite good whatever the manufacturer.

Got an M39 a while back, and it's a fine rifle. This one was lower priced because of a crack in the butt(from Wholesale Guns & Ammo, gunsnammo.com), but from a functioning standpoint not a thing wrong with it. Get's about 1" groups at 100 yards with Czech or Polish light ball, and I've handled modern sporters with much worse triggers.

 

[ocabj]

The only reason to care about the different variations of the M39 is if you are collecting. Listen to the previous posts regarding getting a shooter.

 

[jagdpanzer347]

You might also checkout 7.62x54r.net and mosinnagant.com for a wealth of information on all things Mosin.
-jagdpanzer

 

[ShootAndHunt]

Thanks a lot for the help!