My "brood" or, "Lucky I'm not married!"

[berkmberk1]

Cleaned number 2 - 1942 Sako. I'm not sure of the receiver. I finally figured out that it is a 1921 (under the tang). There are three marks on the top of the tang (might be hard to see, they aren't very deep). there is what appears to be a triangle, oriented to the left, with a horizontal line (number? letter?) immediately to the right of it. The only tirangles I have seen in references have an arrow "inside" the triangle. Under this is a number two. Above and to the left is a mark that appears to be a double "o" or a double "0". I'm sorry, but even with glasses and a large magnifier, I find it hard to make these out. Any ideas".

42 sako.jpg

42sako2.jpg

[Sirex]

Look I'm married and I told her what I had and where it was. Then we went through the prices I paid. Then we checked some of the "selling" sites (GunBroker, GunsAmerica and so forth) and got some idea what she can get for this stuff. She decided that as long as the bills were paid and I wasn't chasing loose women or drinking expensive hootch, I could have an allowance to get what I wanted.

LOL, My wife told me she wished I had a mistress, as it wouldn't cost as much.

[berkmberk1]

I've been doing some research on the '41 VKT and ran across a web site "Manowars Hungarian Weapons" and sent him an email with the pic of the receiver marking. Here is his reply -

A "most likely" scenario, as you seem to figured it out anyway:
Probably an M91, mfg in Tula 1908, issued to Russian troops in WW1.
Captured by Hungarian troops on the Eastern front during 1914-15.
Used as-is or went into storage in Hungary.
Due to shortage of weapons it was re-chambered to 8x50R around 1916-17 in Budapest and re-issued on the Russian or Italian front.
Assume it remained in the Hungarian territory of the Monarchy after the war.
It was traded or sold to Finland in 1936, part of the 4600 gun shipment.
Disassembled and the M39 was built on the receiver in 1941.
Remained in Finland after WW2.
Sold on the surplus market to US importers circa 1995-2000

Not a definitive history of this rifle or receiver, yet its plausible/probable making this one a little more special to me.

[berkmberk1]

I'm cleaning the last of the trio. The '44 VKT was/is really greased up underneath. I found a Tula star and what looks like "35" underneath. Both the barrel and receiver have matching series of numbers on the bottom side. From what I've read, these seem to be "tracking numbers". The finish on all the parts is new blue black.

I think Finnish rifles are really cool due to the fact that as essentially "rebuilds", each one has a distinctive personality.

[desdem12]