M39 at Classic and elsewhere.

Jim Colvill · Sep 13, 2015

The interwebs have been hopping since Classic Firearms announced M39s, the ultimate Finnish version of the Mosin rifle, for sale. The first truckload has already been sold but Classic says more are coming. The Mosin Crate also announced he will have M39s available and will be posting up on his site. Apparently these are all from the Pat Burns collection. If you want an M39 now is the time to grab them.

https://www.classicfirearms.com/finnish-m39-mosin-nagant-rifle-762x54r
http://www.themosincrate.com/

BrotherGlacius · Sep 14, 2015

I love my M39, and would highly recommend getting one of these.

Jim Colvill · Sep 14, 2015

http://www.themosincrate.com/#!finnish/cl1

The pics are up so I'm passing this heads-up. 50 M39s up for sale in the $380-400 range. They will go fast.

MrNatural · Sep 14, 2015

Having been through the Finnish Mosin-Nagant mill a bit I can offer a couple of hints from experience.

1. Decide whether you're looking for a good shooter or a pretty safe queen. I wouldn't jump at a "collector's item" unless you've done a heap of homework first. And you don't really have time to burn right now. These will go fast.

The Sako M39's seem to be the most common and tend to have the least collector's appeal. This means a Sako in excellent condition will cost you (often a fair bit) less than other manufacturers. VKT are a close 2nd.

2. Functionally, there is little to choose between different mfgrs. Finnish quality control and uniformity was excellent, even during the war years. For most of us, pick the nicest individual example and let the pointy-headed collectors worry about pedigree and markings.

3. Some postwar stocks have plugs in them. The arctic root wood the Finns used for post-war stocks occasionally had bad knots. The thrifty Finn arsenals simply drilled them out and glued in close-fitting wooden plugs. These are never in critical areas and don't affect function, accuracy, reliability or hardiness. But are a consideration in looks. Check the photos carefully. Ask if you can't tell from the pics.

4. A good bore and nice wood are about all you need for a shooter. I wouldn't worry so much about the metal finish if the price is attractive.

5. Don't forget to break in the barrel properly on new M-39's. It does make a difference.

I'll check this thread next couple days and answer any questions I can.

bolus · Sep 14, 2015

MrNatural said:
Having been through the Finnish Mosin-Nagant mill a bit I can offer a couple of hints from experience.

any suggestions on where to get replacement stocks for these? I've looked in the usual places (numrich, liberty tree, buymilsurp, northridge) and no one seems to stock replacements.

I've like to take a shot at making some replicas.

Jim Colvill · Sep 14, 2015

bolus said:
any suggestions on where to get replacement stocks for these? I've looked in the usual places (numrich, liberty tree, buymilsurp, northridge) and no one seems to stock replacements.

I've like to take a shot at making some replicas.

yeah, those stocks are difficult to come by since total production of the M39 was only around 124,000 (source pg 212 The Mosin-Nagant Rifle by Terence W. Lapin, North Cape Publications)

MrNatural · Sep 15, 2015

bolus said:
any suggestions on where to get replacement stocks for these?

You might try <broken link removed> which is the site of Pat Burns. Pat had a bunch of M-39 parts and may still have stocks. If you don't see it listed, drop Pat an email and inquire.

Otherwise hit potatobroker and eVilbay regularly and wait. When a nice M39 stock shows up jump fast - it won't last long.