well, i was doing the full breakdown of my new m39 last night.  when i removed the stock and handguards, i noticed the barrel was coated in what looked like dark axle grease?  It wasn't cosmoline, but heavy grease.  barrel is 100% blue and looks new.  Is this grease normal? Pics later today,

Thank you

Normal for M39s.

Normal for Finnish rifles.  It is to prevent rust underneath the handguards.

so should i remove it and replace with lubriplate or something? or just remove and wipe down with break free?

I would just remove it and keep it clean/dry. It should be fine. If you're worried about it, or keep it in a very humid environment, you could keep a light coat on it.

This, unless, ofcourse you are about to take it to the woods daily in any weather. Remember that those rifles were made for war and then later used by conscripts. The users were not take of the wood from the rifle, hence the arsenal greace.

too late!  

Did you find any pine needles in there?  Several of us have found them in Finnish rifles.  Love my M39's.

It worked for 70 years.... in storage...

Once you put 400 rounds downrange in one sitting on a hot afternoon that grease will liquify and make a horrendous mess.

Strip it and oil it liberally with CLP or something similiar. Done...

No it won't.  It does not melt like the waxy cosmoine, but if it is not what I am taking about and cosmoline or a storage grease it probably will however.  On some Finnish M91's the handguards are not meant to be easily removed (and therefore the action as well), they used a black grease to preserve the metal stuck underneath the wood.  They used this stuff on other rifle types too.  Either way, removing it won't remove hardly any of its collector's value and you can then oil it like you would any other blued surface and be GTG.  I have kept it on a few of my rifles and removed it from the ones I shoot and disassemble often because it can be messy and annoying when you take the rifle apart if it is left on.

Yep. it was the thick black stuff.  It came right off with some clp powder blast.  I rubbed tons of CLP break free on it and put her back together.  my barrel has very faint "ribbed" concentric circles the length of the barrel.  Really pretty barrel and receiver.  looks new.  will try to get pics when i get some time

thanks for the input