The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

How many own Tika M39's???

These things are a lot more rare then it says on other websites. I never see them much anywhere.

Anyone have one??? Post up a few photos if you do.....(in my book....if you don't have photos, you don't own one)

Dolk

Tikkakoski
7.62 x 54r Cal.
1897 Izhevsk receiver

Pics, taken at home a few minutes ago, and those pulled from the Burns' site when I first bought the rifle. This acquisition was towards the end (before the sale to Classic) when she started putting up quite a few "premium" rifles. I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing for an instant, then I pounced on this one. Her pics do the rifle justice. Mine are just to verify that I have it.

There was one on gunbroker a few months ago.

I've been kind of wishing classic would auction them off. With my luck I'll miss them being released.

Had, a 91/30 potbelly , and a M91, but never even seen a M39. Tikka must have been a smaller operation than the other two.

No M39, But a 91/30 (M30) and a few M91's.

Saw two on Gunbroker this week. One sold for big coin. The other had a buy it now price over $1k if I remember correctly.

steelbuttplate wrote:Had, a 91/30 potbelly , and a M91, but never even seen a M39. Tikka must have been a smaller operation than the other two.

Tikka was made post war (WWII). It was made from extra M91 barrels left over from the war....hence the 1942 date on the barrels.

Well lets see, the question was how many Tikka M39's do you own wasn't it? Oh no how many of you own Tikka M39's. I can't actually remember how many I own as the book moved out to the safe again. A couple at least I would say without looking. Being an old fart has some advantages. When I first started the going price on them was 125 as they had dull and dry looking stocks with square joints which no one liked. I bought 3 in one trip to Curt's Guns in New York many years ago and he had another but I ran out of money. I think there are more out there than you think as they were around a bunch years ago and I would say they are all ensconced in long time collectors safes never seeing the light of day. They seem to sometimes give a look of being very fragile with that dry look to the stocks. Many people tended to just coat them with something and a great deal of them being sold these days have real old finishes on them from many years before. It was a different time back then and people did what they thought best and now we judge them harshly because of it. I bought one at an auction about 2 years ago for 365 out the door and it is indeed coated with something that now has no smell and looks dull so I of course have left it be. When taking the rifle out of the stock it was obviously coated on the external surfaces and not inside. It also had bad headspace and pin protrusion setting that made it very hard to cycle but after some work it was fine. Really a pink one as I remember too.

It is not hard to get philosophical about all the stuff that was plentiful when I started and all the stuff I stupidly sold that I wish I had kept. Tikka M39's are among the things I sold a couple of for what I thought were fine profits to feed the hobby. By todays prices I gave them away!!! Oh well life goes on as they say! Bill

So, a total of two on the forums so far?

They were always sold at a much higher price then the "other " M39's at the time. They were recognized as "harder to find" even back 5 years or more. Doesn't surprise me that they are harder to find because of the original asking prices (which I though was way out of line).

Now for the story how I got mine:

Walked into the local gun store here and was looking at the meager offerings on the used rifle rack. Very few (maybe 10 at most) rifles and even less Milsurps. As I knew the guy who owned the store and he knew I watched that rack he said, "want to look at a piece of junk I took in with some other rifles from a woman today?" Well of coarse I did. Out came this M39 stock, then a barreled action, then a cigar box of parts. He said the old lady told him it was her husbands that passed away. He had it apart after buying it and he was getting "ready to put a nice finish on that dry old stock". It was complete but just disassembled ..... right down to the bolt and every part. The shop owner didn't want to put it back together and take the responsibility of it miss-firing or something so he told me he would sell it to me as "parts". $175 (right around $200 out the door for me with taxes). I remember thinking..."don't show any emotions". Normally I don't buy firearms made after WWII ( My collection is WWII or older back to the Rev war and beyond and is the reason I don't have any of the year numbered M39's), but for this price, it was coming home with me. I took it home, screwed it back together and took it to the range the next day. Great rifle. Very very accurate barrels.

I always wondered if it was appropriate to be "happy" the old guy died before he was able to slop urethane on that stock or not. So I just say it was "fortunate" it was never touched.

Dolk

I know others have them. They probably just haven't seen the thread, yet.

As stated, I acquired mine from Burns just over a year ago. What I paid is, to me, irrelevant. To paraphrase a wise man: I buy history. I buy something because I want it, and if I want it badly enough, I pay a lot for it.

djbuck1 wrote:To paraphrase a wise man: I buy history. I buy something because I want it, and if I want it badly enough, I pay a lot for it.

Usually can't go wrong with that. Also, prices "WILL" increase and finally cover the price you did pay. but I'd bet it is probably already at that point anyway.

What I meant by "too much for" me back then was.......My collection is WWII and older (and I try to stay to that), .......a post war rifle is not normally in my wheel house. Probably wouldn't be even if a lot lower priced. So...."too much" for me. Not for others though.

Oh, I remember paying $60 for a Russian Refurb way back then. I wondered if I was paying too much for it then. Wish I had bought the entire truck load now.
That rifle will probably be worth $4000 by the time I get to Zeebill's age!

The least amount of money that I ever paid for an M91/30 refurb was $75. This was, however, so atypical even by then that I keep it as The Stuff of Legend: The Mosin that I bought for less than $100.

Dolk I want your puppy! That is one sweet looking dog, I hope you spoil the heck out of him! I got to the book and I have 2 left and one that is in the back row of the safe that maybe a Tikka but I can't see it and the entry is all screwed around in the book by some oil I got sloppy with while cataloging that safe. I know I have had maybe 6 to 8 others over the years.

I think you will find that a lot of older collectors have Tikka M39"s and this forum tends to be younger collectors so that may be why there are not a lot of people chiming in that they have one or more. I know many older collectors who do not publicize what they have or how many of them because they have no safes and guns laying all over the house. They do not even have computers nor do they try to keep up on modern devices usually. Some of the best collections I have ever seen are owned by people that no one online even knows about. They make an occasional trip to a shop and maybe one or two gunshows a year. Many of the collectors online make no reference to how many rifles they have or how many of each model of rifle they have either. The reason may be just as simple as that is the way they are or they just don't want people to know about what they have. Many times after knowing a fellow collector and trading with the via mail for many years I will get an invite to visit and once there I am blown away by what is there and how little security there is to protect them. They are older and a gentler generation and do not realize what goes on today and the amount of crime till it is too late. Even if they do it is usually too late when things happen. Vic Thomas a very savvy well know collector has had a robbery and lost some impossible to replace weapons and I know for sure he has many safety precautions in place. I have been robbed while I was in the hospital and lost stuff that I inherited and never will be able to replace so I have never been without a security system of some type since then.

I am rambling sorry! I still like your puppy Dolk! 2 possibly 3 is my present count. Bill

Can't have my dog!!!!

That is Casey .....SHE is a great and real quite dog. Rilley our boy dog is a chow hound and "not so quite". But he is a little bit of a goof ball, so we like him. Both are rescue Beagles.

Casey on the right and Riley on the left. Rileys litter brother was last years rabbit hunting dog national champion......I'm not so hopeful for Riley!!!

dolk wrote:Can't have my dog!!!!

That is Casey .....SHE is a great and real quite dog. Riley our boy dog is a chow hound and "not so quite". But he is a little bit of a goof ball, so we like him. Both are rescue Beagles.

Casey on the right and Riley on the left. Rileys litter brother was last years rabbit hunting dog national champion......I'm not so hopeful for Riley!!!
]

Good looking puppies!!!

I love the way Riley's tail is wagging and blurred in the picture! Neat pups! Bill

A little late to the party but here is mine... I acquired it a few months ago... 1940 w/ hang tag...

Tikka M39 is a hard one to find.

I never planned to get this many M39s. I still need a Tikka.

I have sold off most of my M39s, but have kept a few. Here are some really old pictures of my M39.

Pahtu.