A post in early February encouraged posting photos of our Finn collections. I wanted to wait for a few key purchases to clear. The only Finn missing from this group photo is a 1942 VKT M-91 which is somewhere in the FedEx distribution network. I needed to clean out and reorganize my gun safe, so today us a good photo op.
In my Finn collection, I’m focusing on sequences. I’m very interested in the evolution of Finns from the Russian M-91 to the M-39 - generally regarded as the most advanced and accurate Mosin Nagant used by foot soldiers during war time.
In Finland, this evolution followed two separate, but not totally independent paths – regular army and Civil Guard. That is amazing given that Finland was a new country that didn’t have resources to design and build its own rifle. The following image is my Guard Unit sequence.
It contains the following rifles making up all of the major models in the Guard sequence:
- Finn M-39 SK.Y
- Finn M-28/30
- Finn M-28
- Finn M-24 Lotta
- Russian m-91 Imperial Tula – Guard Unit number on stock
I’m giving some thought to putting together a Guard Sequence showcase article that traces evolution from the M-91 capture to the M-39. Your thoughts would be appreciated.
In parallel to the Civil Guard Unit sequence, the army was performing its own series of upgrades. Here are the rifles currently in my army sequence.
Rifles in this sequence include:
- Finn M-39 1941 VKT
- Finn M-27 1928 Tikka
- Finn M-91 1927 Tikka Stepped
- Russian M-91 1895 Imperial Tula – Temporary stand in as this is a Guard Unit Finn.
I’m missing at least two key rifles in this series, the Finn M-91 P-barrel, and a late M-27 that overcomes some of the shortcomings in the early M-27. The Finn M-91 late date VKT in FedExs hands is also missing from this photo.
What got me started on Finns was the M-39. Not too surprisingly they represent a disproportionally large portion of my collection.
Finns in this sequence include:
- 1968 No Name
- 1942 B Barrel
- 1943 SK.Y
- 1941 VKT
- 1941 VKT
- 1941 Sako Straight Stock
- 1941 Sako Straight Stock
I ended up with two straight stocks as they were available at a price I thought was low. One of the two 1941 VKTs is my primary shooter.
The final sequence is the M-91 sequence. Finn Mosins are often referred to as either ‘Finned’ or ‘Finnish’, the latter being made up of Finn Mosins that have Finnish manufactured or subcontracted barrels. Yet there is a significant variety of combinations and permutations within those definitions. Also, through the window provided by the SA stamp, nearly the entire Russian armory can be seen. This sequence is more like a collection in that the rifles will be difficult to sequence. Here is what I have so far.
Rifles in this sequence include:
- 1942 VKT B Barrel Liege Proof
- 1939 Tula 91-30 Finn Capture
- 1927 Tikka Step Barrel
- 1924-7 M91-24 Lotta
- 1895 Imperial Tula Finn Capture
This is the portion of my collection I referred to as the vortex I was being sucked into a few weeks ago. There are a lot of Finns that fall into this category.
You are a bad, bad, man Martin 
