The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

Picked this one up a local pawn shop recently for $225 OTD and have a couple questions. First I am not sure if I even know the correct classification for the rifle, looks like a 1938 Tula 91/30 with Finnish stock and, trigger. Also wondering if this is a home refinished stock. I assume someone sanded it down and put a clear coat on it. The bore looks rough to me but it shoots great. No matching numbers on this one.

Do you see an SA in a box anywhere on the barrel? That looks to be a 2 piece Finn stock. Those Are Finn hangers also, Might even be a Fnn sling too.

Longcolt44 wrote:Do you see an SA in a box anywhere on the barrel?

I blew up the first pic and the box SA mark is right where it usually is. Congrats on a very nice finn capture, sling looks finn also. Pretty good price too.

Yes SA is marked on left side of barrel, and it is a two piece stock. Here are additional pics.

I thought so. You stole that one.

That is good news to me. Do you think the stock has been refinished by someone other than a Finnish arsenal? It just looks too new and shinny to be original. I am new to Mosins and have no idea.

It is a nice Finned Tula. Yes I would say that someone refinished the stock, unless it was was just oiled for the picture. Still looks like a good rifle to have.

bunkysdad wrote:It is a nice Finned Tula. Yes I would say that someone refinished the stock, unless it was was just oiled for the picture. Still looks like a good rifle to have.

I thought that was the case with the stock, and no I did not oil it up. Plan on keeping it either way.

Nice Finn capture. Not unsurprisingly, a lot of these are 1938 production. It makes me wonder whether the first waves of Soviet troops committed in the Winter War weren't comparatively new (or at least recently armed) troops.

Oh yeah, I'd keep it too. Nice grab

Its a keep for sure. I have been watching these finn captured 91/30s and have noticed alot of 38s as well. Very nice find.

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The stock is within the range of Finn normal, it closely resembles several of my M39 stocks in both color, and smoothness. The Finns used various oil type finishes on their stocks, and then treated them repeatedly with a wax mix that while it is far older than the cartridge rifle era, it is commonly called Finn Wax. These treatments coupled with a rifles exposure to sun and campfire heat during wartime and peacetime military field operations tended to bake the finish into a darker color. Some of the wartime era finishes also used Potassium Permanganate in the mix, this tends to make for a very dark brown color on a stock. I can clearly see that this stock is a Finn two piece, the color and texture of the finish would in my opinion be normal unless you can clearly see some sort of coating over the top of the wood like shellac, or poly.

The stock is questionable in the photos, but I wouldn't completely rule it as bubba. My M27 and one of my M28's were Finn refinished with their coating, which could be mistaken for bubba without a close/trained eye. The metal has also been reblued by the Finns which furthers the case that the stock finish could be original.

JYD beat me to it. And with nice photographic evidence!

After looking at JYD explanation and pictures it makes sense it could be original. I do not see any real evidence of a bubba job. When they reblued it maybe they cleaned up the stock. It does not look like it had much use after that time. Thanks for everyone's help I am learning a lot.

The stock was refinished by the Finn's, even built entirely by them from the look of it.

Junk Yard Dog wrote:The stock was refinished by the Finn's, even built entirely by them from the look of it.

Another thing to look at is if it were sanded bubba normally does a good job of rounding areas that are supposed to be crisp corners. Like where the hand crasps are. Hold the rifle next to another one and compare countours.

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An older stock will have these edges well worn from decades of handling, only the new postwar stocks, or the newly made Finnish ones that escaped issue will have sharp edges. The fingergroove takes a lot of wear.

I have several M91/30s that went straight from the crate to the rack at Cabela's to me that do not have sharp edges on the finger grooves. These have the post-war refurb shellac over them as well.