Finnish P26 value ?

[Nabs]

Hello CGN,

I am requesting assistance in establishing a value on this P26 I recently acquired.

Her receiver is marked:

"P26 / S / 73xx / D / AV1"

The receiver has the Tsarist eagle present and is quite crisp and clear. There is also a capital "T" stamped just underneath the Tsarist eagle.

Bolt is Finn matched to the rifle. She is built off an 1894 Sestroryetsk receiver and barrel and has the barrel sleeve put in by the Finns. She is in a Finnish made pre-war stock with finger joints and "SA" brand on the butt stock. She also has a Finnish M91 cleaning rod. Bore is very good to excellent. Overall condition is very good to excellent. The stock has a few old dents from usage but overall the wood is in beautiful condition.

I read that only 13,450 of these rifles were re-lined and marked as such and 7.62x54r.net lists the rarity as being 8/10. Watching other Finnish rifles on the EE and on sponsoring websites (M27s and M28s primarily) seems to give a good idea as to the potential value. M27 production numbers total ~ 69,000 and seem to be selling at $700 + while M28s total ~ 35,000 and seem to be in the same price range. Would that suggest a P series rifle would be higher than $800 relatively speaking ? Is there actual demand out there for a P series rifle ?

Thoughts and comments are welcome.

Thank you for the help.

 

[purple]

Hmmm, M27s selling at $700. Some yrs ago a fellow at one of John Denner's shows in "Cornhole", ON twisted my arm into buying one from him for $50.

I always thought the MNs were the "Ugly Betty" of all MILSURPS, well maybe better than the various Mannlichers/Arisakas/Carcanos, but how wrong I was. This thing has a like-new Tikka barrel and is extremely accurate with .308 bullets in a variety of handloads.

 

[JP]

I have been dealing in Finn rifles for at least 20 years, here is my opinion on their value:

- P-Series $350.00 to $400.00

- Because of the shooting characteristics and historical association of the M-27 and M-28 (Finn Sniper Simo Haya) and M-39 they command a lot more interest and a much higher price.

 

[Nabs]

I can safely say I have never had any problems with Finnish made rifles, the stock on this P-26 is very well made and robust for instance.

So what do you think on the pricing idea, Purple ? Am I crazy or on the right track ?

 

[Nabs]

- P-Series $350.00 to $400.00

This is quite surprising considering the rarity. Do P-26s often turn up ?

 

[JP]

- Rarity does not always translate in a higher price, demand is the main factor. Yes in Canada P-26 rifles are alot more common than M-27 and M-28 rifles.

- Example, if I list an M-27 or M28 on my site it will sell in a few days. The last P-26 I had lingered on the site for months before selling.

 

[Nabs]

What was the selling price and condition of the P series rifle you had on your website as I am curious for comparison.

I've had a few Finnish M91s and one Finn captured 91.30 and this P-26 is the best condition one I've had. I do have some pre-disassembly pictures, HERE, though I will take some fresh ones after her inspection and clean up for selling.

I am curious to gauge demand for this one, is there anyone out there right now who is interested or a collector of Finn rifles ?

 

[Drachenblut]

I would agree, 400 to 800 dollars, depending on the collector who is interested. Nothing is worth anything, unless someone wants it

 

[Nabs]

Thank you for your thoughts gentlemen, they have helped give me an idea for this P-26 as far as a fair selling price goes. She is really in exceptional condition, the nicest Finn rifle I ever held. You guys are right though, demand and value are two different but interconnected things.

I'll be putting her up on the EE shortly as I have some debt to cover for my school classes.

 

[fugawi]

Nabs, a lot of folks that buy Mosin Nagents are used to the very reasonable $110 to $150 M91/30 sold by Westrifle and the like. When they seen a high priced Mosin Nagent, unless there are a collector, they pass thinking them either overpriced, not worth the money or not what they want to pay.

I have priced out Mosins as a collector for a few years now. I understand that supply and demand is a factor and so are the historical trends in prices asked/prices received.

There has been a M39 on the EE for a while now and it hasn't sold - I think the seller is asking too much. A M28 was on the EE for months considering that these are scarce here and the seller dropped his price to something more realistic and I believe it sold. I have only seen two other M28 for sale in the past three years and both sold- one for $700 and the other reported to me by the seller for $800. M39 come up fairly often on the EE and sell when priced in the $350-450 range depending on year and condition. Higher priced - they sit. M27s - I don't see enough of those selling to get a idea of the range in asking prices but I'd expect them to be higher, more like a M28.

JP makes a good point - if you compare a P series M91 to a M27/M28/M39 - well there is no comparison in handling and shootability - that's why the Finns modified the M91 in the first place. I would expect a P series to be in the $350 to $400 range but only of interest to a Finnish collector.

 

[Nabs]

Hi fugawi, thank you for your input, it is much appreciated. I had the privilege of shooting a friend's M39 and that was one fine rifle in terms of handling and shooting.

I once had a Tikka 1942, beat up to hell, but she held her zero at the range and out shot many of my better condition Mausers. That is the one reason I admire Finnish made or Finnish modified rifles.

 

[fugawi]

Nabs did you ever find out what that 'T' represented? Was that something stamped by the Finns or by the Russians?

Curious to know. Thanks

 

[Nabs]

I posted on Gunboards as well and some people there couldn't figure it out. My friend's best guess was was an early property mark for Russia.

 

[revilo]

I sold my mint M27 a few years ago for around $400, needing cash and figuring it didn't fit in with where my collection was headed. There aren't a lot of guns I regret selling, but that is one of them. Such a difference compared to a run of the mill Mosin, and they just stink of history.

 

[SKScanuck]

I have a M39. I a'int selling it!

And Nab's, nice 5 minute sale! Maybe you should have asked for a bit more LOL.

All good!

 

[Nabs]

Yeah but we will never know...I made my money back and covered some debt and part of a car payment so what is there not to like ? The last thing I would want is for her to sit on the EE in limbo (like two of my other rifles for instance ).

I will also admit my collecting revolves around WW1 firearms and a P-26, as nice as this example is, doesn't quite fit in there.

 

[fugawi]

Yeah but we will never know...I made my money back and covered some debt and part of a car payment so what is there not to like ? The last thing I would want is for her to sit on the EE in limbo (like two of my other rifles for instance ).

I will also admit my collecting revolves around WW1 firearms and a P-26, as nice as this example is, doesn't quite fit in there.

Yeah its tough to keep focus sometimes. I hate to part with any of my milsurps - they are all dear to me. But you made money on it so its all good.

 

[Nabs]

Again, I appreciate everyone's input and effort on helping figure out a value area for this P-26, that is the power of CGN when we all work together .

fugawi, I know what you mean. I remember when I sold one of my 71.84s for a big loss. That hurt because I had put lots of time and effort into making her functional again but the sale funded the purchase of reloading supplies that are currently serving 1/2 of my collection so her sacrifice was not in vain.