The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

Hello everyone. I recently just purchased a mosin at a gun auction for $150, which is a killer deal in my area. I had noticed it had a stock much like a Finnish Mauser and after some research I can confirm it is Finnish, but the markings are throwing me off. It had both the Tikka mark and an SA mark, not the SAt mark and it is a 1942 model. Are the SA and SAt mark interchangeable? Is this common? Also, does anyone know what the bird like mark on the receiver is?

The bird like mark on the receiver is the Russian Imperial Eagle. The original barrel had an identical mark about where the 'SA' mark is. I've never heard of an 'SAt' mark, but FInns are not my specialty.
The wood on your rifle has been refinished, but looks well done. It has lovely grain. Typical jointed stock, U joints instead of V. Ishevsk barrel band and trigger group. The original arsenal marking and date will be on the underside of the tang. Very nice Finn M91 at an excellent price!

BTW, welcome to the forum! You set yourself a high bar to jump over with your first Mosin!

The T is for Tikkakoski who probably refurbished and or rebarrelled it. Tikka is probably a familiar name?

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Helluva deal for the money! The bow and arrow stamps are Ishevsk, which the rifle was originally. The original date is probably on the tang. Check the rarity on the chart, I think it's a keeper.

IIRC the SAT mark was an early mark and only a small handful or known. You have a 1942 Tikka barreled M91 that just has the SA in close relation to the Tikka T. It is too bad someone refinished it, but for the price paid you did not get screwed.

So if I am understanding this correctly, this was most likely a Russian rifle that was rebarreled by Tikka? Also, I don't really plan on selling it but out of curiosity what would you all estimate it at? And finally, on this mosin the bolt is serialized on the actual handle itself rather than on the side of it like i have seen on many mosins. Is this a Finnish thing? Thanks for all of the information, my other mosin was a pretty plain russian one. Nothing special, just a mosin that was made in 1938 and has all matching parts.

The Finns did not make receivers. They reused Russian ones. Finns did make barrels, stocks, and assorted small parts like extractors and I have seen a few Finnish bolt heads. All of the other parts are reused Russian. The Finns would usually make the serial number on the bolt match the one on the barrel. But not always. Pricewise I would not pay more than you did for a refinished one.

I see. I took the gun apart and found that it was from 1914. Interesting thing to think about, that it saw action in two world wars.

Yeah you scored big time.

The number you pictured on the bottom of the barrel is a Finnish assembly number and may be duplicated on the side of the recoil lug if you look closely. Tis a shame it is sanded and refinished so blindingly light in color. The splice in the stock is a wartime one and that is nice to see. The 1914 date on the tang could mean it was a damaged barrel and receiver the Finns inherited after their Civil War to free the country from Russia. They then rebuilt it with a Tikka barrel at a later date after the First World War and maybe during the group of three separate wars they fought during WW2. There is no guarantee with those dates that it fought in either war and then again it could have seen action in both wars, one never knows and assuming that is not a good habit. If it had not been refinished it would be worth maybe $450+ on todays market but because of the light color and sanding maybe max a $250 rifle these days.

Many starting collectors these days would jump on the chance to again assault the stock and try and darken it to maybe it's original unrestored shape but the removed sanded wood will never come back and I prefer to leave something like this rifle alone. It is what it is and nothing can be done to return it to its original form. Many of the M91's I have from that area and time are really great shooters and great fun at the range as a result. My eyes greatly prefer the older M91 rear sights and maybe yours will too. At the price you paid for that you can't go wrong so get with enjoying it at the range. Once you find what kind of ammo that puppy likes I feel you are really gonna begin enjoying it to the fullest! Congrats! Bill

That's a damn good price you paid for it. I agree with Bill that getting up to $250.00 for it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility either.

You got a good price for that rifle. Enjoy it!

The receiver is a 1914 Ishevsk.

The dark places in the low areas and under the band's give you some idea what color the stock was before someone sanded it and applied linseed oil or something like a light varnish. As hard as it is getting these days to find a nice M91 they are bringing some pretty good prices. You got a great deal even on a sanded stock. Zeebill is Correct about leaving it as is. With it having a Tikka barrel it might just be a real good shooting rifle. Congrats on your auction find.

millman wrote:IIRC the SAT mark was an early mark and only a small handful or known. You have a 1942 Tikka barreled M91 that just has the SA in close relation to the Tikka T. It is too bad someone refinished it, but for the price paid you did not get screwed.

Drool time on these SAT Riihimäki's. On the Tikka 91-30's one can find the SA (usually boxed) followed by a T, and the SA T is found on slings and other related items. The T stands for Taistelvälinehallinto (Ordnace Department). Denny