SAKO M39 1945
- Junk Yard Dog
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SAKO M39 1945
1945 SAKO, took me a couple of years to find this year, but the wait was worth it. Wartime stock with SAKO markings, SAKO marked cocking piece, near 100% bluing remaining on the metal, and a nice dark stain on the wood. The bore is 100%, I am sure the rifle was issued but not for long by the looks of things. It's got the typical M39 trigger job, and Finn matched bolt. The rifle has a bit of extra history not visable at first glance. It's got a 1935 Tula receiver with unscrubbed markings, obviously unscrubbed or I would have no idea who made it or what year Being a Soviet era M91/30 receiver it's got to be off a Winter War, or Continuation War capture rifle. I suppose it could have been captured by the Germans and sent to the Finn's, either way, it's got a grim past. Some poor bastard probably died to provide that receiver.
Unlike most of my other Finn rifles this one has no shims at all, being a Finn rifle had it needed them it would have gotten them I suppose so I am not worried about that.
Most of the above is from my records, probably from the original post, The rifle is a sub MOA shooter at 100 yards with Hungarian light ball, because of the date it wasn't cheap, but it lives up the the M39 reputation. With Dolk it's stripes, with me it's dark stocks, they remind me of my US milsurps.
I have this in my file from when I range tested the rifle.
The date does make this rifle somewhat special, it's one of 6500 M39's put together by SAKO in 1945 mostly from parts that had already been made. Information seems to be a bit hard to come by concerning post war Finn rifle production, the next one I have coming is one of the "48" marked ones. 1948, inspector #48, I was bored and stamping M39's with my favorite number 48, nobody seems to know, it's rare, that much seems to be agreed on.
Now, for the rest of the update, I got the rifle down to the range tonight, making it the first rifle I have fired in 2009. The ice was cracking under me in spots, and I thought I had 20 minutes of light left, turns out I had 15, but that was enough. four groups of five shots each, 15 rounds of Hungarian light ball, five rounds of Yugo. First group 1", second group 1/2", third group 3/4", Fourth group 3/4". It was the Yugo stuff that closed it up to 1/2", three of the holes in that group were connected to each other. I then took a mixed bag of 20 rounds, and fired them as fast as I could load, and fire the weapon. The bolt works as smooth as a hot knife through butter, another hallmark of these rifles, just a little over a minute to fire them off , all 20 into a three inch circle, turned the center of the target into swiss cheese, the high visibility targets are working out well. I don't use the stripper clips often, the Izhevsk clips I used tonight worked without difficulty. I don't usually just blast away, but I had too many loose rounds floating around on my desktop, the rifle handles pretty good under rapid fire, I was able to acquire a site picture very quickly between the M39's large front sight blade, and the high visibility target. I like the new targets, unfortunately I can't make them myself, I have to pay wallyworld for them. 1/2" group, I guess that means the rifle didn't have any need of shims, or any other adjustments for that matter. The sights are dead on at 100 yards no matter what ammo I was using, I aimed dead center of target, and that's exactly were the rounds hit. Absolute magic, dam thing outshoots almost everything I own including US milsurps, and expensive sporters, and it's not the only M39 I have that does that. I am starting to wonder just what sort of armorers SAKO, Tikka, and VKT were using during the war that they could consistently take ancient leftover parts, add a few new ones and turn out rifles capable of the same performance as a high end modern Remchester, and do it with leftover commie surplus ammo. Sorry if the rifle still looks a little greasy, I only wiped it down a bit for the pics.
Unlike most of my other Finn rifles this one has no shims at all, being a Finn rifle had it needed them it would have gotten them I suppose so I am not worried about that.
Most of the above is from my records, probably from the original post, The rifle is a sub MOA shooter at 100 yards with Hungarian light ball, because of the date it wasn't cheap, but it lives up the the M39 reputation. With Dolk it's stripes, with me it's dark stocks, they remind me of my US milsurps.
I have this in my file from when I range tested the rifle.
The date does make this rifle somewhat special, it's one of 6500 M39's put together by SAKO in 1945 mostly from parts that had already been made. Information seems to be a bit hard to come by concerning post war Finn rifle production, the next one I have coming is one of the "48" marked ones. 1948, inspector #48, I was bored and stamping M39's with my favorite number 48, nobody seems to know, it's rare, that much seems to be agreed on.
Now, for the rest of the update, I got the rifle down to the range tonight, making it the first rifle I have fired in 2009. The ice was cracking under me in spots, and I thought I had 20 minutes of light left, turns out I had 15, but that was enough. four groups of five shots each, 15 rounds of Hungarian light ball, five rounds of Yugo. First group 1", second group 1/2", third group 3/4", Fourth group 3/4". It was the Yugo stuff that closed it up to 1/2", three of the holes in that group were connected to each other. I then took a mixed bag of 20 rounds, and fired them as fast as I could load, and fire the weapon. The bolt works as smooth as a hot knife through butter, another hallmark of these rifles, just a little over a minute to fire them off , all 20 into a three inch circle, turned the center of the target into swiss cheese, the high visibility targets are working out well. I don't use the stripper clips often, the Izhevsk clips I used tonight worked without difficulty. I don't usually just blast away, but I had too many loose rounds floating around on my desktop, the rifle handles pretty good under rapid fire, I was able to acquire a site picture very quickly between the M39's large front sight blade, and the high visibility target. I like the new targets, unfortunately I can't make them myself, I have to pay wallyworld for them. 1/2" group, I guess that means the rifle didn't have any need of shims, or any other adjustments for that matter. The sights are dead on at 100 yards no matter what ammo I was using, I aimed dead center of target, and that's exactly were the rounds hit. Absolute magic, dam thing outshoots almost everything I own including US milsurps, and expensive sporters, and it's not the only M39 I have that does that. I am starting to wonder just what sort of armorers SAKO, Tikka, and VKT were using during the war that they could consistently take ancient leftover parts, add a few new ones and turn out rifles capable of the same performance as a high end modern Remchester, and do it with leftover commie surplus ammo. Sorry if the rifle still looks a little greasy, I only wiped it down a bit for the pics.
Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it.
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
Theodore Roosevelt
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
Theodore Roosevelt
Re: SAKO M39 1945
Sweeet
The commerce which maybe carried on with the people inhabiting the line you will pursue renders a knowledge of these people important ~Thomas Jefferson~ (to- Lewis and Clark)
- Junk Yard Dog
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Re: SAKO M39 1945
One of the M39's
Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it.
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
Theodore Roosevelt
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
Theodore Roosevelt
Re: SAKO M39 1945
Just curious but is there a family M39 foto? All 17 in one pic, like from the top of one of your sheds? That would win a foto contest for sure.
The commerce which maybe carried on with the people inhabiting the line you will pursue renders a knowledge of these people important ~Thomas Jefferson~ (to- Lewis and Clark)
Re: SAKO M39 1945
Another nice one JYD.
Formerly kyle514
History admires the wise, but elevates the brave. - Edmund Morris
History admires the wise, but elevates the brave. - Edmund Morris
- Junk Yard Dog
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- Location: New York
Re: SAKO M39 1945
I never got around to a M39 family pic, I stopped doing them after blowing out my back hauling seven 91/30's at once out for a family pic . I did have pics of all of them up on the old forum as I got them, but I only have some of the old pics on photobucket today.
Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it.
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
Theodore Roosevelt
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
Theodore Roosevelt
Re: SAKO M39 1945
I can understand that. My back won't let me do too much either. I make it as far as pics in the garage for that safe and then if it is in the other safe, then it might get an outside foto.
The commerce which maybe carried on with the people inhabiting the line you will pursue renders a knowledge of these people important ~Thomas Jefferson~ (to- Lewis and Clark)
- Junk Yard Dog
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- Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2011 12:54 pm
- Location: New York
Re: SAKO M39 1945
When I was collecting M39's they were coming in fast, I held off on group pics because there always seemed to be more on the way. By the time the last 1970 M39 rolled in I was to tired to do group pics, a few M39's have never been posted at all. It's a lot of work dragging large numbers of rifles out for pics at one time, takes me long enough to do just one
Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it.
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
Theodore Roosevelt
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
Theodore Roosevelt
Re: SAKO M39 1945
W O W I am sooooo far behind. Beautiful riifle. I am hooked on the M39.
"GO AND SMELL THE MOSINS"
- Rongo
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Re: SAKO M39 1945
It's hard to get a big bunch of guns together for pictures. You have to get them all out, find a place to display them, lay them out neatly, set the lights & take a lot of pictures. Go through the pictures, verify they turned out to your satisfaction & then put them all back.Junk Yard Dog wrote:When I was collecting M39's they were coming in fast, I held off on group pics because there always seemed to be more on the way. By the time the last 1970 M39 rolled in I was to tired to do group pics, a few M39's have never been posted at all. It's a lot of work dragging large numbers of rifles out for pics at one time, takes me long enough to do just one
But it's worth doing IMHO.
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it". Mark Twain
"Dang that entropy"
"Dang that entropy"
- Junk Yard Dog
- Owner/Founder
- Posts: 48805
- Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2011 12:54 pm
- Location: New York
Re: SAKO M39 1945
One day possibly, at the moment some of the M39's are in cosmoline storage. I still have to dig out the ones that were never posted at all. mostly the later date ones 1967-70.
Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it.
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
Theodore Roosevelt
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
Theodore Roosevelt