Finnish Nagants

     Notes: As Finland was a part of Russia until the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Finns inherited a large number of Mosin-Nagant rifles from the Russians.  As time went on, they continued to produce the Mosin-Nagant, and in fact were still making them as civilian rifles until well after World War 2.  (Older former-military rifles were also common on the war surplus market.)  It is generally agreed by most arms experts that the Finnish-made Mosin-Nagants were superior to their Russian counterparts, especially those produced in the 1920s and later, being built with better materials, better barrels, and in general not in such a cheap manner as Russian Mosin-Nagants. 

     The first Finnish variation of the Mosin-Nagant was domestically-produced version of the M/91; it is essentially identical (for game purposes) as the Russian Mosin-Nagant, except that the sights were graduated in meters, the trigger had a two-stage pull (effectively giving it a set-trigger function), and had sling swivels as standard equipment.  They also produced a domestic version of the M/91 Dragoon, also identical (again, for game purposes) except for having the improvements listed above, except for a side-mounted sling adopted from the German Mauser K98 rifle.  A Cavalry version of the M/91 was also produced, called the M/91rv; this is identical to the standard M/91 except for having the sling swivels and slots of the German K98a.

     The M/24 (sometimes referred to as the M/91/24), was an odd version of the Mosin-Nagant, primarily distinguishable by its Swiss or German-made barrel (complete with the Swiss or German company name stamped on the right side of the barrel).  This barrel has a step rather than a continuous taper.  The M/24 also has a reconditioned action cannibalized from scrapped weapons.  The barrel is also a floating barrel, lending greater accuracy.  Most of these rifles were built for the 7.62mm Nagant cartridge, but a very few were also chambered for the 8mm Mauser cartridge.  Barrel length was 32 inches.  Most of these rifles were issued to Finland’s Civil Guard Infantry units.  An M/24 Carbine was also produced, with a short 24-inch barrel; however, it is estimated that only about 650 of these carbines were actually made, all chambered for 7.62mm Nagant.

     The Army also got a shorter version of the M/24, called the M/27 Short Rifle.  This version used a 27-inch barrel, and had a full-stocked Mannlicher-type stock, and used a fully-adjustable leaf-type rear sight, as well as a protected blade front sight.  Early models were modified M/91 stocks, but soon purpose-designed stocks were devised.  The bolt-handle was also turned down.  Many M/91 rifles were also modified to this standard; these were called the M/27/91-30.  A Cavalry Carbine variant was also produced, generally similar to the standard M/27; however, the Cavalry Carbine used a 24-inch barrel with appropriately-calibrated sights and a side-mounted sling. This Cavalry Carbine is the rarest of the Finnish Nagants; they were made only for elite troops and literally used to death for the most part.

     The M/28 is an M/27 with a different, more durable barrel band and an improved trigger.  The M/28 is the same as the M/27 for game purposes.  The M/28-30 is a vastly upgraded M/28, originally designed before World War 2 for competition sharpshooters, and used during the war by Finland’s best snipers. The barrel is a heavy, high-quality barrel, set in a stock with similarly high quality. The trigger was further improved in quality, with a reduced pull weight and reduced travel. The barrel is inside a steel barrel sleeve, meant to reduce the effects of changing weather on the barrel bedding. The sights are micrometer adjustable. In practice, these rifles were fed by Lapua D46 rounds whenever available, which yielded the best accuracy from 150 meters to 2000 meters. Serial number 60974 was Simo Hayha’s personal rifle during World War 2, and now belongs to his descendants.

     The M/39 Short Rifle is widely regarded as the best version of the Mosin-Nagant rifle ever built; it is a Finnish version of the Russian M/91/30.  It is also, unfortunately, one of the rarest Mosin-Nagants.  Original Finnish Nagants were simply captured Russian weapons; however, the Finns quickly began making their own copies, which were better in quality than the Russian examples.  They remained in service for nearly half a century.  Differences between these Finnish and Russian Nagants include a stock made of better-quality wood and with a higher comb, a slightly larger bore diameter (the Russians never figured out that their ammunition was slightly too large), a wider sling, a different bayonet (similar to a Bowie knife in design), and a different front sight.

     The M91-35 is an M/91 rebarreled with the barrel of the M/27 Cavalry Carbine.  It was designed to replace the White Guard’s M/28s and M/28-30s.  The officers of the White Guard objected strenuously to this projected replacement, as they had poor accuracy and large muzzle flash compared to the M/28, and inferior sights and triggers as well; the project was dropped in short order, and the M/91-30s were changed back into M/91s.  For game purposes, it is the same as the M/27 Cavalry Carbine.

     The M/56 is a post-World War 2 experimental variant of the M/27 and M/28, chambered in 7.62mm Kalashnikov.  Finland started getting AKs in the late 1950s and the design was not proceeded with.

     Twilight 2000 Notes:  M/39s were pulled back out of storage, and put into action as ersatz sniper rifles.  Other versions of the Finnish Nagant were used by civilians (rather enthusiastically) against all comers; these often were equipped with more modern sights and sight mounts, and even bipods.

     Merc 2000 Notes: The price of one of these rifles can fetch a pretty good sum in the West.  (That’s true even in real life.)