Best Rifle buy of my life.

[Zap_Branigan]

First off. I do not have any pictures up yet but I will shortly. This is also a bit of a read so if you want to skip to the bottom for a summary go ahead.
I went up to virginia to visit some family, and my uncle took me shooting as a christmas present. Anyway at the range/gun store I saw a mosin on the wall and went over to examine it. It appeared to be a Finn mosin of some sort, and I asked the guy behind the counter what he was selling it for to which he replied, "75 bucks"
Well I said thanks and walked out and went home to look at some of the markings on 7.62x54r.net, and consulted a friend who is a big Mil-Surp collector and he told me to stop asking questions and buy that rifle NOW.
So I went back and bought the rifle and got home to find out that I had just bought a Finn M24 Rifle for 75 bucks. From what I have been told this rifle is easily worth 400 bucks if not more. It has the original Civil guard insignia and then the SA stamps. It also has the Bohler-Stahl marking under the barrel and the shims that free float the barrel. I will have pictures up shortly, stand by! I cannot wait to see how this baby shoots!
Summary: I just bought a Finn m24 mosin for 75 bucks, its worth at least 400.

 

[cleardiddion]

Good, no...ABSOULTELY FREAKING FANTASTIC JOB!
I have to say I'm rather jealous at the fact that I can't find something like that but I'm happy for you Zap!

 

[Zap_Branigan]

I have yet to find anything listed on gunbroker so I am trying to find a clear indication of how much the thing is worth, just for referance of course, theres no way I am going to sell it, it feels like the gun gods meant for me to find it But all I can find is speculation on what people would pay if hypotheticly there was one for sale. but yeah Awesome.

EDIT: I am also told this rifle is practicly guarenteed to have seen combat since the finns were desperate to push the russians back in the winter war, and since it was a civil guard rifle, it should have saw action. Either way an awesome rifle.

 

[spiroxlii]

Zap, to be really honest with you, that Finn M24 is probably one of the worst rifles ever produced in the history of man. There are so many problems and safety issues with it that I would feel bad if I didn't warn you.

Every other day, it will have excessive headspace. On the days in between, the barrel will rust and pit for no apparent reason. Cosmoline will ooze out of the receiver no matter how many times you take it apart and clean it. It's just a mess.

But I tell you what... since you're a fellow member of THR, I will do the good and responsible thing by offering to take the rifle off your hands free of charge. You just pay shipping and handling.

 

[jrfoxx]

Nice find, you bastidge! Excellent job keeping your eyes open and doing your homework. It REALLY payed off for you! Thats proof right there that spending all your free time on gunboards/sites like this ISN'T a waste of time (in spite of what friends/wives/husbands/etc may try to tell us )

 

[Cosmoline]

Kudos, that's a great find. But we need photographic proof!

 

[qajaq59]

Good move Zap. Now clean it and shoot it a LOT............

 

[Zap_Branigan]

I just got finished rubbing some white crayon into the proof marks to make them stand out during picture taking, now I just need to find my camera! Pictures soon!

 

[Vaarok]

A good M/24 is about $400. I got mine for $90 at an auction, but it'd been so heavily sanded and polyurethaned the barrel bands and handguards were no joke shimmed with zipties, and the metal had been bead-blasted and painted with cold-blue.

You done good.

 

[Zap_Branigan]

this looks like it is in excellent condition, the rifling looks sharper than anything I have seen before in a surplus rifle. The finish is quite worn, but the real question is HOW DOES SHE SHOOT. I intend to answer this question ASAP. Also I suppose I should go get the headspace checked, or would I be able to "eyeball" it? I suppose its better to be safe than sorry though.

 

[cracked butt]

So I went back and bought the rifle and got home to find out that I had just bought a Finn M24 Rifle for 75 bucks. From what I have been told this rifle is easily worth 400 bucks if not more. It has the original Civil guard insignia and then the SA stamps. It also has the Bohler-Stahl marking under the barrel and the shims that free float the barrel. I will have pictures up shortly, stand by! I cannot wait to see how this baby shoots!
Summary: I just bought a Finn m24 mosin for 75 bucks, its worth at least 400.

I bet that you are still giggling like a little girl over it, I would be

I just scored a really good one this week as well. Picked up a pristine 1944Husqvarna M38 that looks like it might not have been fired yet. From the information that I've gathered from collectors boards, there were only about 1800 of them made that year and examples from years of much higher production have sold recently on gunbroker for almost twice what I paid for it.


That;s the nice thing about milsurps- well known items such as US made rifles will almost always be overpirced, but the more obscure variations of common types of foreign rifles will often be grossly underpriced because the seller doesn't have the knowledge of what he's selling. The downside is that an uninformed buyer might buy the item for bubba purposes.

 

[AtticusThraxx]

friggin picture dude, your killing us!

 

[3rdpig]

I had a similar deal when I ordered a Yugo Mauser and got a German K98 capture in the box instead, with the Yugo crest on it but will all the original German markings still under the wood.

Good score, it happens to all of us at least once.

 

[target1911]

it happens to all of us at least once.

tap tap tap tapping my fingers on the desk still waiting my turn..........tap tap tap Tap Tap Tap Tap TAP TAP TAP