Small Finnish M39 project

[Dentite]

Hey gang,

I had posted some photos of this rifle and had some questions and I recieved some great info from some of the members.

Had to do a bit of work on the stock. When I got it the buttplate was all messed up (I'm not sure if it's original but it's been on there for a while because at least one dent in the buttplate matches up with a dent in the wood). A large crack on the butt had been previously repaired but was failing resulting in the buttplate screw being loose:


Cracks around wrist:


Also some white paint or something on the stock:


The stock was undermilled for the side stock mount:


A chunk was taken out of the front of the comb (more than just a dent):


Stock repair:


The other screw hole wasn't much better and because I did some beating on the buttplate to help it fit better a new hole was required in a slightly different position:


Look at the overhang on the bottom:


New hole for buttlplate screw:


Comb repair...used part of a birch dowel for the repair.


Shaped:


Repaired crack, reshaped buttplate and fitted the sling mount to the stock:


This arsenal repair had started to fail so I repaired it with epoxy:


The cracks around the wrist were also repaired with epoxy. Stripped, light sanding (plenty of character left intact) and finished with Tung Oil "finish".





I love the worn patina of the metal...so much more interesting to look at compared to the near perfect arsenal refurb 91/30 I have.

Thanks for looking.

 

[hang fire]

That M-39 has a lot of character, most likely saw rough service in the 1941-44 Continuation War against the Soviets.

Might have missed it, but what barrel maker, when made and how is the bore?

I really like my Sako barreled M-39, more accurate than i can ever do it justice.

 

[fireman 9731]

You did a fantastic job. Thats a beautiful rifle.

 

[Dentite]

Thanks guys.

Hang fire: It's an 1897 receiver with a 1944 Sako barrel. The bore is less than impressive...dark and some minor corrosion. I haven't shot it for a group yet...I neeed to. I did shoot 15-20 rounds before tearing it down. I hear the dark bores can still shoot suprisingly well so I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I paid $180 which I thought was fair considering it had a few things that needed attention, the bore wasn't great, etc.

 

[7mmsavage]

Student of Candyman are you? That looks like great work, I love old stocks with lots of character like that.

 

[wrench]

You did a great job. Great old warhorse of a rifle. You might be surprised at how well it will shoot.
Give us a range report when you get it on paper.

 

[BrocLuno]

Nice - ain't it fun to fix the old wood and keep it looking old

 

[carbine85]

That's a real nice repair job you did. Is the stock marked or match the rifle? I didn't see anything in the pictures.

 

[1KPerDay]

Really nice job. Good to see there are still people around who know how to do things.

 

[Dentite]

Thanks for the nice words guys...when I get a group on paper I'll report back.

carbine85: If you mean does the stock have a serial number that matches the rest of the gun, I'm not sure. I didn't see any numbers anywhere inside or outside of the stock when I had it apart.

 

[Ian]

Nice - looks very cool! I have an M39 with a big crack in the stock that I need to give this sort of treatment...