Join the Kickstarter for “Forged in Snow: Finnish Small Arms 1917-2025” here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/forged-in-snow?ref=desl1o
Finland’s final iteration of Mosin Nagant sniper was adopted in the 1980s to replace a mix-and-match assortment of m/39-43, m/27-66, and m/28-76 rifles. The two options were a Mosin system using a new bedding block (developed by Border Guard officer E. Toro) or a purpose-made new rifle made by Valmet (the Model 86). The Valmet was clearly the better rifle, but the Mosin option was acceptably good and much cheaper – so that’s what was adopted. The parts for the conversions were made by Valmet and assembled at Asevarikko 1.
Two different models were made. One was a military specific type, and the other was a dual-use rifle for competition shooting as well as potential military use. The competition rifles had a lighter barrel profile to meet the international competition weight limit and were fitted with competition aperture sights in addition to mounts for scopes.
Thanks to Frozen Trigger in Finland for giving me access to these examples to film for you!
The Mosin is clearly the rifle which will not die.
It’s actually rather frightening to contemplate what the Finns might have done with a better bolt-action rifle system to begin working their magic on…
I mean, OK: Doing what the Finns did here with the Mosin was basically running a game with the “difficulty” setting maxed out… The Mosin has very few positive points to it, in terms of design, and yet… Finland turned them into very effective weapons for their needs, and kept right on innovating right up until they’d wrung the last final ounce of utility of of them all.
Looked at in terms of “system”, it’s a remarkable achievement, one that ought to be analyzed for all the salient learning points for all to marvel at.
Finland: Turning Russian sow’s ears into silver-mounted silk purses since 6 December 1917.
This is probably the world’s oldest military rifle still in use because some of the receivers might be manufactured during the 1890s
With this nice stock, scope, action polishing, bedding block and accessories, I wonder how much was saved on using an existing Mosin action instead of buying a completely new rifle?
Given that the labor seems likely to have been Finnish Army guys whose workloads were lessening due to the nature of modern small arms like the RK series, maybe not all that much…? I mean, if you’re going to have to pay them wages anyway, might as well have them doing nice things for you, right?
Ian, do a video on the Spasov M1944 Trigun