The top M27 is a 1928 Tikka.
It happens to be my favorite rifle in my Finn collection. Why? Well, I'm a sucker for walnut stocks and this M27 has one. It also has a front band that predates the popsicle stock version that is on my two later models.
I believe it is an early Russian walnut stock. It had been modified to accept the earliest of Russian trigger guards that had spots for a couple of fingers. When the Finns used it on this M28 they plugged the gap with a different colored wood.
The Finns had to hollow out Russian stocks further to accept the larger diameter M27 barrels. That hollowing combined with the fact that only one screw held the front barrel band in place led to the first major problem with the M27. In bayonet drills where the bayonet was twisted, the stock would break behind the front band. This stock has an arsenal repair behind the front band to fix the damage the drills did to this stock. You can't see the repair from the outside of the stock.
The second M28 is a 1934 Tikka.
The popsicle sticks on the front band were designed to solve the problem with the stock breaking under bayonet drill stress..
This rifle also has an interesting stock. This rifle was assembled at Finn armory AV3 under contract from AV2. They assembled M27s using nut wood (hickory) stocks. These stocks were obtained from Germany to help out with the lagging production of M-27s. The armory and stock number are stamped into the stock.
The third rifle is a 1932 VKT.
It is the only one of the three that has a Finnish ash stock. It is also in nearly perfect condition. It's bolt is Finn matched.
Let me know if you would like to see additional images af any of these three rifles.
good stuff guys.
