Looking for info on Finnish milsurp

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moontrib

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SW Ontario
Hello all,
I'm looking to pickup a Finnish milsurp, but this is all new to me. I have family history in Finland (grandpa fought for Finland during WWII, father was born there), so I'd like to have something from the motherland. I don't plan to build up a collection (I'm sure that has been said by many to-be collectors), nor do I have the money for that at this point, so I'm looking for just one, that hopefully I'll be able to pass on to the young ones someday. In regards to research the mosinnagantdotnet website in the Finnish area seemed to be a good starting point. Any other recommendations?
The M39 seems to be in high regard, but less common to come across for sale, and higher in price but all dependant on many factors.
Is my best bet to keep an eye on the EE religiously? or check out some local shops, or even a gun show if covid ever allows?
Thanks for any insight
 
I think that the good old M-N M91 would have the most common rifle in use, the M-39 was used later on during the War and was never issued to everyone in service.
 
Personally I like the M30 better than the M39. Were I looking for a single rifle, I would look for one with German or Austrian WWI capture marks, just because.
 
Keep an eye on the EE, online auctions can sometimes be good especially when the auctioneer or consignor don't know jack about Finnish rifles and merely list them as "moisen negants"... Gun shows can be good, it just depends on luck. Your best bet is to put some time in, do the research and be able to know what you're looking at when you have it in your hands before handing over any money. The Mosin section of gunboards forum has some excellent info and a fair chunk of the serious US collectors post there. The most common Finnish rifles in Canada are captured 91/30s, reissued M91s, M39s and M27s in that order. The remaining variations are certainly up here just far less available on the market. Prices on what I listed can range from $250-$2500. If you can find out what unit your Grandfather served with there is a very small chance of finding a rifle with a surviving unit disk marked to that unit, something I know personally I would appreciate most and many collectors would likely help you find.
 
I would suggest a Finn capture M91.
One of the first guns I bought on EE. Not terribly expensive (500ish) but has a great patina and reeks of history.
The trigger breaks cleaner than most of my other milsurps and still shoots/groups well (re-barreled by Tikka in '42).

And make sure you check out the exploits of Simo Häyhä on your internet travels!
 
BlackPowderBurner said:
Keep an eye on the EE, online auctions can sometimes be good especially when the auctioneer or consignor don't know jack about Finnish rifles and merely list them as "moisen negants"... Gun shows can be good, it just depends on luck. Your best bet is to put some time in, do the research and be able to know what you're looking at when you have it in your hands before handing over any money. The Mosin section of gunboards forum has some excellent info and a fair chunk of the serious US collectors post there. The most common Finnish rifles in Canada are captured 91/30s, reissued M91s, M39s and M27s in that order. The remaining variations are certainly up here just far less available on the market. Prices on what I listed can range from $250-$2500. If you can find out what unit your Grandfather served with there is a very small chance of finding a rifle with a surviving unit disk marked to that unit, something I know personally I would appreciate most and many collectors would likely help you find.
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Thank you for the input. I'll keep up the research, and will watch the EE. In regards to online auctions, any sites specifically?
I checked with my dad, and he said my grandpa was in unit 58. I had never even thought of trying to find one from his unit, that it might be possible. That would be very special and quite the goal. Any suggestions as to who I could speak with collector wise, or just best to start a new post and see if anyone responds?
 
Thank you all for the advice. I do prefer the thought of one that would have actually been in use during the time my grandpa was involved, so steering away from the M39 for the time being.
 
moontrib said:
Thank you for the input. I'll keep up the research, and will watch the EE. In regards to online auctions, any sites specifically?
I checked with my dad, and he said my grandpa was in unit 58. I had never even thought of trying to find one from his unit, that it might be possible. That would be very special and quite the goal. Any suggestions as to who I could speak with collector wise, or just best to start a new post and see if anyone responds?
Click to expand...

Unit 58 isn’t really enough info. You’ll need to figure out when he mobilized, what 58 that actually is (artillery, infantry, etc) and hopefully a period picture of him in uniform to get as much info as possible. When you have that info it’d be worthwhile making a thread here and on gunboards. You may end up needing to import the rifle from the states if one can be found. Some units did not have unit disked rifles during the war at all, they were common pre-war, were supposed to be removed during the war and then came back as aluminum in limited numbers after the war.
 
BlackPowderBurner said:
Unit 58 isn’t really enough info. You’ll need to figure out when he mobilized, what 58 that actually is (artillery, infantry, etc) and hopefully a period picture of him in uniform to get as much info as possible. When you have that info it’d be worthwhile making a thread here and on gunboards. You may end up needing to import the rifle from the states if one can be found. Some units did not have unit disked rifles during the war at all, they were common pre-war, were supposed to be removed during the war and then came back as aluminum in limited numbers after the war.
Click to expand...

I'll check with my dad and see what else he knows. We have a picture of him in uniform, a head shot type picture though, not full body. Thanks again for the info and direction to take with this
 
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