Guess what showed up today!!!

A Finnish Mosin Nagant M39 "B" barrel in Excellent /Select Grade from a place near and dear to most everyone on this forum.

Been contemplating getting one since they first got them, and I decided to jump in last Friday.

I ordered the most expensive one they had so I would get a really beautiful, pristine rifle, figuring that was a guarantee if I paid a bit more! The description even says "Shows very light use with very little noticeable wear. Allow for light storage or handling wear."

SO IT MUST BE NEARLY LIKE NEW!!!....................right? That would be awesome! Sign me UP!


And Now for the Pix!








I am so disapointed.

There are a few more gouges and plenty of dings, but you get the picture. There is even some pitting on the magazine. Most of the metal is VG I have to admit. Only the receiver and bolt match, not the mag or anything else. (I know...Finn's usually don't.)

Anyone else buy one of these? Can I expect a better one if I send it back?
Hell, should I waste my time sending it back or should I just sell it?
Am I just whining?
Am I just expecting too much from a sight-unseen website like......



Better not say it.

From Aim? Look at gunsnammo.com.

That doesn't look too bad.

Every Finn rifle is a rebuilt parts junker as far as I know.

I've got one with a 1897 dated receiver.  It's blued over some ancient looking pitting.

I'd say those are storage dings.  These things were piled up in stacks on pallets.  They've just recently become expensive.

Call AIM and ask.

Dennis Jenkins

You really don't think that 12 gouges, 2 fairly big scratches, and a bunch of dents isn't too bad?

Really!?!?

Maybe I AM being to particular, but if this is the BEST they've got, then I would hate to see the shooter grade. They must look like 50 miles of Alabama freeway! Make that 100!

Now I have no doubt this one shoots great, and the bore is excellent, but I have to at least call and do a little whining. Maybe they will hook me up.

Paid 329.00 for my M39 , wood 110% , blueing 100% , nice lands and grooves, mirror sharp bore , from gunsnammo. I would call and complain. How was that rifle advertised?

I cut and pasted the exact advertising in the original post. Not much to go on in the wording, but this cost me $359.95 + Shipping! I would call my bore "Very Good" but not mirror bright. That and the fact its a beat up post-war stock on a 1942 rifle make it seem to me I just got spanked.

Back it goes!

I paid $89 for mine and that included shipping.  That was five and a half years ago from Century.

I think that paying a lot for this stuff induces unrealistic expectations.

I'd want something nice for $359 + shipping also.

Dennis Jenkins

Quoted: I cut and pasted the exact advertising in the original post. Not much to go on in the wording, but this cost me $359.95 + Shipping! I would call my bore "Very Good" but not mirror bright. That and the fact its a beat up post-war stock on a 1942 rifle make it seem to me I just got spanked. Back it goes!

No offense but :

Quote;Nef...

I ordered the most expensive one they had so I would get a really beautiful, pristine rifle, figuring that was a guarantee if I paid a bit more! The description even says "Shows very light use with very little noticeable wear. Allow for light storage or handling wear."

Why are you bitching ???????  

Nefarius

Most places will base their grading of firearms off the NRA standards. You have to remember that it can be somewhat subjective. If you read what the NRA gradings are you'll find that "Excellent" is not the top grading. Nor even the second highest. The age of the firearm also comes into play. A fairly new firearm in "Excellent" condition would be expected to be in much better condition than a 100 year old firearm in "Excellent" condition. It's all relative.

Think of it this way. A 90 year old man in "Excellent" condition is still not anywhere near the same shape as an 18 year old in "Excellent" condition.

Just something to keep in mind when aquiring old firearms.

I think you made out pretty good. I doubt that they would be able to replace that rifle with anything better. Rifle looks to be described to me. AIM is a great place to deal with and usually holds true to their descriptions. Terry

you may have been robbed but not too badly for $350 at wholesale guns you would have gotten a 100% gun.

Quoted: You really don't think that 12 gouges, 2 fairly big scratches, and a bunch of dents isn't too bad? Really!?!? Maybe I AM being to particular, but if this is the BEST they've got, then I would hate to see the shooter grade. They must look like 50 miles of Alabama freeway! Make that 100! Now I have no doubt this one shoots great, and the bore is excellent, but I have to at least call and do a little whining. Maybe they will hook me up.

If you want a collectors grade rifle you not pay anywhere near $350.

If you want a rifle that it the best out of most mil surp reworked parts guns you will pay around $350.

You arent buying a museum quality collector grade rifle.  You have to remember that.

Most M39's come this way.  They have been stored for a long time and these are just normal storage marks for most milsurps.  Take it out and shoot it.  I own two and they are very accurate.  Not that many Finnish riflews were made copared to countries lie Russia, Germany and the US so these can be considered uncommon and are only going up in value.

Keep it and shoot it.

That would be before they lost their FFL.  Only sell antiques now.  Some of them are pretty beat up.

Dennis Jenkins

Quoted: you may have been robbed but not too badly for $350 at wholesale guns you would have gotten a 100% gun.

not really they have a 1970 no maker up there right now for $350 and it looks dent/ding free from the photos they have listed, albeit they arn't closeup shots but it looks perfect to me. i actually prefer the no maker/sneaks over the B barrels as there were far fewer made.

Quoted: not really they have a 1970 no maker up there right now for $350 and it looks dent/ding free from the photos they have listed, albeit they arn't closeup shots but it looks perfect to me. i actually prefer the no maker/sneaks over the B barrels as there were far fewer made.

If I was a retailer I would pick out the best rifle of the bunch and use that as my advertising.  Who wouldnt.  So always think, my rifle is going to look worse then the one pictured.  If you dont, you are falling for their advertising, which is exactly what they want.

not with WGA their pics are the pics of the actual rifles for sale.

Rifles are dated by the date on the receiver, not the barrel.  Many Finnish rifles were rebuilt on old receivers.  Nothing wrong with that.  The barrel on a Finn M39 could be dated in the 70's, but the receiver could qualify as an antique so the rifle retains it's antique status accordine to the BATF.  

The proper way to check the receiver date on any Mosin Nagant variation is to remove the stock and look at the underside of the tang.  If the rifle has a round receiver, it is definitely not an antique.  Rifles with hex receivers were made into the early 30's.  These are the only ones that may be antique.

Your M39 looks in good condition and these rifles have done nothing but gone up in value, so just take it to the range and put her through her paces.

Umm... to me it doesn't look too bad.
If you have an octagonal reciever look on the top of it at the front. If you can see either the Romanov crest or the spot where it was ground off you have a pre 1917 reciever.
I have a pre 1917 Sako M39 and it is a hell of a shooter. It has the rounded stock joints and the barrel os dated 1943. It is in very nice shape including various wood dings and even a split in the forward upper handguard.

The rifle looks to be in very good condition to me. They are old rifles. Keep it ans shoot it... Wardawg

OK OK OK....you guys are right. I am keeping it.

I had better, beacause I decided to sand it down totally, make it nice and sleek! took off about 15 handfulls of sawdust in the process...took about 2 hours!

I filled the side sling mount hole with sawdust and wood glue. Kinda rough but it works.

Then I stained it in golden oak and put 4 coats of polyurethane. Nice and shiny!

I took off the front sights and tossed 'em, same with the rear. How could you hit anything with that old crap? I took a blow torch and bent the handle down and slightly back, then blued it. Now I can put my NC star 8x scope and mount on. Anyone know the best place on a receiver to drill and tap the mounts? I'll do that tomorrow!

Once I got going I figured fuck it! So I filled the cleaning rod hole with bondo (tossed the rod) and shaved off the bayonet lug with a dremel.  

Last but not least I used a grinder to grind all that writing off of the receiver and barrel (you know...date, serial #, the "B" and that stupid "SA" in a box)  so it is nice and smooth, then I re-blued that.

I'm thinking about shortening the barrel about 8 inches, and that means I have to cut the stock.....

I suppose I can do that later tho!
he-he-he, just kidding! I am keeping it tho!

In my mind,
New guns are 100%
Like new is 97%
Exc is 92%
I would say that gun =s Exc and those look like shipping dings, those come over here in containers on pallets with wood slabs in between the layers of rifles.   I saw them at the importer (TG)

Quoted: he-he-he, just kidding! I am keeping it tho!

You're evil...my heart skipped a beat.