My First Finnish M39 - Info/Feedback Appreciated

[gungeek]

Hello everyone. I'm new to Mosin's and recently acquired my first M39. It's 1941 Sako that looks to be completely arsenal refurbished with a post war, 2-piece stock (square finger joints). It didn't come with a sling or any accessories so I need to get a sling, but just need to decide which color leather I want.
The bluing is pretty much 100% and the stock is in great condition with no cartouche stamps and a few light dings. I think it has one round wood plug on the right side of the stock. The tang date is 1914 and the rifle was shimmed with little steel shims I'm guessing to help free float the barrel.
The bolt is really stiff when you go to cock it and is made up of many left over parts. The extractor and the firing pin are blued which is really interesting.

Would anyone here have a look at these pictures and give me your thoughts regarding any markings that I may be missing that have any special significance or help tell the story of this particular firearm? I've been doing a lot of reading, but am still in the process of learning more about the history and general knowledge about M39's (and Mosin's all together). What would you value this rifle at in today's market if you had to put a price on it?
Thanks in advance!!

[BuckeyeSgt]

That's pretty slick. 1914 Izhevsk receiver. Stock is a little different from what I have seen. Are you outside of the USA? I saw a mark that has been on some not found here. I think.

[desdem12]

One of the nicer stocks i have seen. A verey nice Sako. You may have to clean some dried cosmo out of the chamber area to get the bolt to not stick. Sometimes it is hard to see and get out. Also check the extractor channel by the chamber for dried cosmolene. The finns blued some bolts and these may be parts from a blued bolt. A very clean looker. Has it been reblued? The dimple on the reciever is where they ground off the imperial eagle.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Nice post war rebuilt SAKO with unscrubbed tang date, nice. The Finns continued to use the M39 for many years after WW2 and it served as a marksmanship training rifle well into the 1980's. They refurbished wartime rifles and used leftover parts to assemble more of them as needed. The M39 tends to be an exceptional shooter, when you take it apart make sure not to lose any shims that may be in the action, and keep them in their proper places, not every rifle has shims.

[gungeek]

@BuckeyeSgt,

I'm in the USA. Which marking(s) in particular are you talking about?

@desdem12,

I can only guess that this rifle has been been re-blued because it seems to be in unissued condition with nearly 100% bluing on all of the metal, but this is just an educated guess just by looking at it.

I read that the Finns made have cured some stocks with brine. Has anyone else ever heard of that and were they still using birch on the post war stocks? The wood is a little dry and doesn't seem to have any kind of oil or shellac applied to it, and I'd rather leave it alone as to not mess with its original condition.
On the other hand, I definitely don't want it to deteriorate over time. If you were to apply any kind of oil, what would be a safe bet? Maybe I'm just used to dealing with the thick layers of cosmoline that my 91/30's came in.
Also, any idea of the value of a post war Sako arsenal refurb?

[BuckeyeSgt]

It was hard for me to see in the pic. What is the mark to the left of the SA?

[MN Fan]

Wow that's a nice find. I love the stock splice. Clean rifle, crisp markings...its got it all. One of the nicest I've seen.

Your photos are top notch also, very well done!

Congrats

[desdem12]

Both of my M39s arrived dry. I put a coat of lemon oil on them and it helped them out alot. The Finns had a finish of a mixture of things. Someone here will know what it is. It has pine tar and bees wax or something in it. Your stock looks good to me and yes they were using birch. Oil it up and it will look and feel better, although i think it looks good now. A sako m39 would go for anywhere between $350-$550 or there abouts

[Sgt. Rob]

I like it! Nice and clean, looking forward to a range report on it!

Semper Fi, Rob

[desdem12]

I can give you a range report on one of my M39s Rob. I shot it once while sighting in a blackpowder rifle during last years hunt and it was a dead center bullseye. I had run out of time though so i got a perfect 1 shot group from one of them. The other i have not shot as of yet. These are one of if not the best shooters of any milsurp i have shot. I bet i could give ole Pac a run for his money against that a3 even though i am semi blind

[gungeek]

Here's another side shot of the receiver but I can't tell what the markings are next to the SA mark. I'll have a closer look tomorrow and report back. Also a shot of the wood plug in the stock.
I have a box of 20 rounds of Tula ammo (supposedly non-corrosive), but am about to order 880 rounds of either Bulgarian or Russian 148 grain light ball. Not sure which is better so I'll do a little research before I buy.
Hope to get to the range soon. Thanks to everyone for chiming in. I appreciate it greatly.

[Sgt. Rob]

Either Russian or Bulgarian ammo should shoot fine, they may vary a little from rifle to rifle with some prefering one over the other.
Don't know about the new Tula ammo as I have never seen it for sale locally to try it.

Brad! Don't let yourself be a one shot wonder!!!!!!!! Get out and shoot that puppy, it shows promise!

Semper Fi, Rob

[MadisonAV]

Gungeek,

Very nice M39. If you look at the front sight, you'll see two opposing screws. You can adjust left or right by loosening one screw and tightening the other. You will also find a number on top of the sight. It is the height of that particular sight, I believe from the center of the bore in MM. You can pick up original sights of different heights off eBay, GunBroker, or a numberI of other suppliers.

My first M39 was a 1941 VKT. Be careful, they are addictive, especially when you see what they are capable of doing on the range. I'm up to nine of which only two are duplicates. The post war stock indicates your rifle was last assembled after the Finn Winter War. Because there was no pressure to get rifles back into action, there is a good chance it was reblued at that time.

That is probably not the original stock. It was manufactured at the beginning of the Winter War (1941). The Finns were short on rifles, so there was tremendous pressure to get them to the front. The odds are good your rifle was returned from Winter War action to the armory with a damaged stock. Your post war stock would be the armory replacement.

The first 5,000 1941 Sakos had straight stocks rather than pistol grips. My collection includes two of those.

Have fun. You made a great choice.

Madison

[desdem12]

I do need to get out with a few. I have been so busy moving that i have not been to the range since december. I have been busy buying rifles though and have to get some others to the range too. I was using winchester white box on that day cause i was camping for a month. I still cleaned it good though and it is waiting for another trip. I am thinking that i will take it and the new K31 out for a test against test.
That one is Gungeeks M39 Madison. I did notice the front sight too. That is why i asked if it was reblued too.

[MadisonAV]

Gungeek,

One other thing. If you want an original M39 sling, check out Pat Burns site, Gunsnammo.com. I just ordered 10. With a historic firearm, you'll probably want the sling to be as issued.

Madson

[gungeek]

@MadisonAV,

Wow, sounds you've got quite the collection. I can clearly see the difference in quality and attention to detail when I hold it next to my other Russian 91/30's (not that I love them any less, lol). Thank you for the background/historical info and also on how to adjust the front sight. It's just a matter of time before I get another M39. This one is almost too pretty to shoot...almost.
I will definitely check out Pat Burn's website for a sling.
Also, I got the Tula ammo at one of my local gun shops. It was 20 rounds for $12.50, and I'm sure you can also find it online. The Walmart nearby carries Tula ammo, but not in 7.62x54r.

[MadisonAV]

@MadisonAV,
Also, I got the Tula ammo at one of my local gun shops. It was 20 rounds for $12.50, and I'm sure you can also find it online. The Walmart nearby carries Tula ammo, but not in 7.62x54r.

The majority of ammo out there that will fit your M39 is military surplus ammo from the communist block countries including Russia. You can buy it in 440 round Spam cans online for around 20 cents a round. It is the same ammo that fits your other Mosins.

The alignment marks on your front sight are off a bit. That means it may already be sighted in. So don't touch your sight alignment until you have fired some test shots.

Madison

[Grello]

Love it! Very pretty. I want one! Well found indeed.

[Flyin Brian]

Gungeek,

Very nice M39. If you look at the front sight, you'll see two opposing screws. You can adjust left or right by loosening one screw and tightening the other. You will also find a number on top of the sight. It is the height of that particular sight, I believe from the center of the bore in MM. You can pick up original sights of different heights off eBay, GunBroker, or a numberI of other suppliers.

My first M39 was a 1941 VKT. Be careful, they are addictive, especially when you see what they are capable of doing on the range. I'm up to nine of which only two are duplicates. The post war stock indicates your rifle was last assembled after the Finn Winter War. Because there was no pressure to get rifles back into action, there is a good chance it was reblued at that time.

That is probably not the original stock. It was manufactured at the beginning of the Winter War (1941). The Finns were short on rifles, so there was tremendous pressure to get them to the front. The odds are good your rifle was returned from Winter War action to the armory with a damaged stock. Your post war stock would be the armory replacement.

The first 5,000 1941 Sakos had straight stocks rather than pistol grips. My collection includes two of those.

Have fun. You made a great choice.

Madison

Madison I think you meant to say the Continuation War, since the Winter War ended on 13 MAR 1940.

Also, it was 6,200 Sakos that had straight stocks. They made a total of 7,000 stocks though, and used the remaining 800 as replacements so it is not uncommon to find a few later dated M39s with straight stocks.

[Flyin Brian]

It was hard for me to see in the pic. What is the mark to the left of the SA?

The mark to the left of the [SA] stamp is the pressure proof stamp, it looks like this: 36{S}00 with the "S" in the middle being the SAKO gear wheel.


Gungeek, Your M39 is one of only 2,000 or so that have the infamous "2" stamped on the barrel shank just behind the rear sight. The mark is supposed to denote a barrel that did not pass some kind of accuracy inspection or quality control inspection when they were manufactured. I have never agreed with this explanation, but I don't have any evidence to repute it. I have been keeping track of the M39s that I see with this stamp and so far I have documented 40 rifles in this range of 2,000 that have the mark, and have not seen a single one in the same range without the mark, so it must have been stamped when they were manufactured. Also, the 2 is a very high quality stamping, very similar to the serial number stamps, so it is obviously not a "hand stamp" or depot level stamp like the "D" chamber stamps or the [SA] property stamps that were both applied later after the rifles were already assembled and in the field.

I wouldn't worry about the stamp at all, there are a lot of people who report their "2" stamped SAKO is a great shooter, so for now it remains a mystery with an accepted explanation but someday maybe new information will appear.