I posted this on Gunboards but wanted to share it here as well. This is still a rough draft and I have not corrected all the issues in spelling and grammar (which I will before I post on Mosin Nagant.net) I will also add photos when it is put on the main site.
The Mosin Nagant Model 1891 In Finland
Brent Snodgrass
No rifle has been as important to Finland as was the Mosin Nagant Model 1891. While other Finnish models might come to mind to collectors when they think of Finland, the Mosin Nagant M91 has no peer in regards to its importance to the Finnish nation. It was the M91 that set into motion the Finnish line of rifles that so many of us collect today and the M91 saw more issue in Finland than any other version of the Mosin Nagant rifle. If not for the M91 the history of Finnish firearms would have taken a far different course than it did. In this article I will explain the history of the M91 as was seen in Finland. In a later article I will cover in details some of the less common versions of M91’s in Finland such as the M91rv, the M91 P-Series Dragoon, the Finnish converted Dragoon, M91’s with stock discs in place, the no date no maker version, and other rarities. While these less common versions might be mentioned in this article it will just be done in passing not in any detail.
The History
Starting in the 1300’s and ending with the Swedish Russian War of 1808-1809 Finland had been under Swedish control. At the end of the Swedish Russian War Finland became a Grand Duchy of Imperial Russia and this change began the introduction of Russian arms to Finland. This period of Russian domination was to end on December 6, 1917 as Finland took advantage of the turmoil in Russia to declare their independence. The Finnish Civil War soon broke out and was to run from January 17th to May 15th 1918, this War pitting the Finnish Whites (non Bolshevik) against the Finnish Reds (pro Bolshevik). While there were over 70,000 Russian troops still inside of Finland their involvement in the Finnish Civil War was minor as only an estimated 7,000-10,000 soldiers from these garrisons took part in the fighting. It is interesting that the Germans also played a role in the Finnish Civil War as the 10,000 plus man Baltic Sea Division committed troops to the White side. These German soldiers were to play key roles in battles in and around Finnish areas such as Hanko, Lahti, Hämeelinna, Hyvinkää, and Riihimäki. The Germans were under the command of Gustav Adolf Joachim Rüdiger Graf von der Goltz who would also play a part in the fighting that would lead to the independence of the Baltic States. In the end the Whites were able to vanquish the Reds and the modern nation of Finland had its start.
One of the first issues to face the new nation was the founding and arming of their armed forces. Finland was to have two main “branches” of defense forces, these being the Finnish Army and the Civil Guard (Suojeluskunta). While there was mixed command in these forces it is important to note these were independence organizations who both undertook arms design and development. In their depots the Finns had a great mix of small arms that included but were not limited to various Mauser rifles (German and Swedish), Japanese Arisaka rifles and carbines, Austrian M95 rifles and carbines, and even small numbers of British Enfields and Swiss Vetterlis. Even with all these arms the largest stock pile was the Mosin Nagant M91 as over 190,000 such rifles were in Finnish control. As the Finns had inherited so many of the M91’s it was an easy decision for Finland to adapt these rifles as the standard issue arm. After the M91 was accepted as the standard arm Finland began to purchase M91 rifles from other nations to add to their stocks. These purchases began in the 1920’s and would continue into the 1940’s with most of the purchases coming from nations who captured or were issued Russian M91’s in World War One.
Finnish Purchases Of The M91 Rifle:
1926 39,900 from Italy
1928 13,000 from Albania
1928 2,000 from France
1936 4,600 from Hungary
1936 2,900 from Poland
1936 10,900 from Czechoslovakia
1939 56,500 from Yugoslavia
1940 300 from Hungary
1941 12,300 from Bulgaria
There were also over 30,000 M91’s bought or traded for by Transbaltica OY from 1928 to 1934. These rifles came from a number of sources. Transbaltica also sold many of the Japanese rifles in Finland to Estonia and Latvia in the late 1920’s. These purchases and trades gave Finland over 173,000 M91’s to add to their inventory.
The information of trades and purchases based on information from Sotilaskasiaseet Suomessa 1918-1991 Vol1-3-Markku Palokangas: Vammalan Kirijapaino Oy and is also shown on the fine the Finnish Jaeger Platoon website done by my good friend Jarkko Vihavainen.
In the 1920’s the Finns began to upgrade and repair the various M91’s in their possession as many of these rifles were in poor condition or did not meet Finnish requirements. By far the most common issue with the M91’s was the condition of the barrels but the sighting system used on the rear sight was also a problem as they were calibrated in the Russian measurement of arshens. These were issues the Finns would have to address to insure the rifles issued to their forces would be suitable for service. The solution of the measurements was easy to correct as the Finns simply added numbers to the right side of the rear sighs that showed distance in hundreds of meters. The Finns in 1926 also added a notch to the sight base filing a 150 meter setting. The front sight was also in many cases replaced with a taller stacked post that was a great improvement over the Russian model. While these were somewhat uncomplicated solutions to the issue of accuracy the mediocre barrels would need a more dramatic resolution.
The First Finnish M91’s
The first attempt of correcting the poor barrel condition was to begin production of a Finnish made barrel to replace the older Russian versions. The barrels were produced by Suomen Ampumataruikehdas in Riihimäki with the production beginning in 1922 and ending in 1924. As this was the first attempt by Finland in such a venture the production encountered a number of problems as only approximately 200 barrels were created. It is interesting that these rifles were produced for the Finnish Army but the barrels were made at a facility that would become the property of the Civil Guard. The barrels are marked SAT Riihimäki and are one of the most uncommon military rifles in the world. Low production numbers as well as losses due to issue have made the SAT M91’s possibly the most sought after of all Finnish small arms. There are very few examples of these left in the world with a select few being in known private or museum collections in Finland and the USA. For the Finnish collector there is no more prized rifle than the SAT as it is truly the rarest of the rare. Those lucky enough to own one of these has the envy of all fellow collectors.
P-Series M91’s And 1920’s Tikka Production
The next attempts at improving the M91’s took two directions, as one was an attempt to improve barrels by relining while the other was new production of barrels. Both of these undertaking created interesting and uncommon versions of the M91 rifle.
In the early years of independence the Finns sent armory officials to a number of nations to do research on arms production and improvements. Officials were sent to Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, and elsewhere to increase their knowledge to assist in Finnish arms production. On one such fact finding tour Finnish Colonel A.E. Saloranta became aware of an Italian process that would become known as the Salerno method which was a procedure of relining old worn out barrels. This process was undertaken at Arm Depot Number One (AV1) in Helsinki and approximately 13,000 older Russian barrels were reworked. In this technique the older barrels were reamed out and a new barrel liner was added. This work was done at AV1 from 1925 and 1927. The barrels produced will be marked P-26 or P-27 and also have an S in most cases above the serial number. Finnish researcher Markku Palokangas makes reference to barrels marked P-25 but no known examples have been located. As testing and production did not begin until late 1925 it does seem unlikely any P-25 barrels were produced so it is unknown what Mr. Palokangas is basing his information on. As he is the foremost world authority on the Finnish Mosin Nagant one has to give his information credence but it does seem P25 marked M91 barrels do not exist.
It is interesting to note that the relined barrels were met with great controversy in Finland as the fitting of these barrels to rifles was halted twice. The first stoppage was in 1928 and a second blockage took place in 1930. These stoppages took place as the Finnish Arms Committee deemed over 85% of these barrels were unfit or unsafe for use. This cloud over the relined barrels was in place until 1938 when further investigation showed these barrels to be acceptable for use. As such from 1938 to 1940 8,000 of these barrels were fitted to older receivers. These 8,000 later fitted barrels making up the bulk of the relined barrel production of just over 10,000. There were also 1,490 relined barrels produced on an experimental basis for the M91 Dragoon Rifle with these shorter M91 barrels being very rare to encounter today. Limited relining was also undertaken on barrels for the 1905 and 1910 Russian Maxims with less than 600 being produced. The work on the Dragoons and Maxims was done in or around 1926-1927.
Even though the barrels were later found to be fit for service the humiliation caused by their rejection in the late 1920’s and early 1930 was to always stick to Colonel Saloranta. Although he was cleared of any wrong doing and was reimbursed in the 1950’s he was never fully able to regain his wrongly tarnished reputation. It is a sad footnote to Finnish arms history and adds to the claims that Aimo Lahti, the most famous of all Finnish gun makers, was not the most personable of people as many suspect Lahti was to blame for the stoppages due to a dispute he had with Saloranta.
Today the so called P-Series M91’s are outstanding items for the Finnish collector. The overall production totals are low and many of these rifles were lost in war use. While uncommon these still can be found by the modern collector and should be looked at as one of the more desirable versions of the Finnish Mosin Nagant. Those lucky enough to own a Dragoon version of relined barrels are fortunate to own a very unusual variant of the Finnish Mosin.
Tikka
Another effort to correct the issue of poor barrels was underway at the private Finnish firm Tikkakoski. Tikkakosken Rauta- ja Puuteollisuus Oy (Metal and Wood Industry Of Tikkakoski Limited) more commonly known today as Tikka was founded in 1893 and its first work with the Finnish military was the production of 200 Maxim barrels in 1920. Tikka was contracted for and produced 10,000 M91 barrels from 1925-1927 with the barrels being fitted to rifles at AV1. The production of 1925 was quite limited as testing was not underway until December and there are known 1926 barrels with serial numbers as low as 100. There are some in Finland that debate if any production was underway in 1925 as there are no known examples of such barrels. Official records seem to state barrels were made in 1925 but it is not clear if this was undertaken or not. The barrels produced in 1926 will have the date either on the top of the barrel shank or underneath the shank (not able to be seen unless the rifle is removed from the stock). It is not known when the location of the date stamp was changed and it is hard to state which is the more common to encounter. All the barrels made in 1927 will be stamped with the date on the top of the barrel shank under the serial number.
Barrel Bore Diameters And Types:
Tikka produced barrels in three different bore diameters and each diameter barrel has its own marking – either A, B, or C.
A bore diameter of .3106”
B bore diameter of .3091”
C bore diameter of .3087”
Tikka also produced barrels in standard form was well as producing a “stepped” barrel. The first 7,000 barrels produced were unstepped while the last 3,000 were a stepped version much as is seen with the Model 1924 Civil Guard rifle. These stepped barrels are all 1927 dated and it seems by far the majority of them have the C bore diameter marking. The last version of barrel is by far the more collectable of the two as the stepped barrels are not common today. Even many larger Finnish collections lack the stepped Tikka 1927 M91 barrel.
As is the case with the P-Series M91’s the early Tikka M91’s are also fine items for the collector. They are one of the first rifles produced in Finland, have low production numbers, and played a crucial role in Finnish history. While officially these were made for the Finnish Army it is not uncommon to see the Tikka’s with Civil Guard district numbers – this being an S followed by a numbers such as S – 153001 which would be the Helsinki Civil Guard district. Sadly many collectors seem to overlook the early Tikka’s as collector’s items and that is quite a mistake. They are outstanding rifles and should be in any representative Finnish collection.
The Russian M91’s
Not all Russian M91’s were reworked with new barrels as many of these were fit for duty. Still in many cases the Finns did overhaul the rifles to bring them up to Finnish standards. Much of this work concentrated on the triggers, the front and rear sights, the fitting of the rifle in the stock, and many of the rifles were counter-bored to correct issues with the crown of the muzzle. After these rifles were reworked and test fired they were sent to issue to the Finnish Army, to the Civil Guard, or placed in storage depots. Russian rifles that were in poor condition were stripped for spare parts and their receivers were later used for production of Finnish Mosin Nagant models such as the M27, M28, M28/30, M39, and M91/30.
Even with the dismantling of many Russian M91’s they were still the most common issue rifle in Finland throughout the Continuation War which ended in 1944. It is possible the issue of the M39 has eclipsed the M91 by late in the War but that can be debated. The M91 also saw wide use in the Civil Guard as well staring in the 1920’s and not ending until the Civil Guard was banned in 1944. So even late in its life and with the production of the various Finnish models of Mosin Nagant it was still the old Russian workhorse that was the most fielded rifle in Finland.
A great many of the Russian M91’s in Finland were actually made in the USA under contract by Westinghouse and Remington. It is unknown why there seems to be such a high number of the US made rifles with Finnish markings but it is possible these came from the purchases and trades in the 1920’s and 1930’s. There are reports the US made rifles were favored over the Russian made versions by the Finnish soldiers but it is unknown if this is fact or just a lasting myth. There are also rumors that the US Navy sent these rifles to Finland but this is just fantasy not based in fact. I have no idea where these rumors were stared but there is nothing that points to this being the case. Many times the US rifles can be located in their original walnut stocks and will have Civil Guard district numbers as well.
The Finnish issued Russian M91 rifles are often one of the easiest and least costly rifles a Finnish collector can acquire. Often sellers do not place any higher value on the Finnish marked rifles which allows the Finnish gun collector to often buy these at the same price of a standard Russian gun. This is a mistake the collector can take advantage of as in most cases the Finnish issue rifles will have much better triggers and sights than their Russian counterparts. They are also less common than the standard Russian rifles which adds to their collector’s status. As these were so important to Finland they should not be ignored by the collector. For those that are collectors in the USA the Remington and Westinghouse rifles are highly sought after.
Tikka And VKT 1940’s Production
When the Soviet Union invaded Finland in 1939 starting the Winter War, the Finns were just about to begin production of the M39 Service Rifle. The M39 was to be the new standard issue rifle to both the Finnish Army and to Civil Guard units replacing the older mixed models that were in service. The invasion stalled this production and the Finns started to manufacture the M91 yet again in 1940. While it is often debated as to why this production was done the simple reason is that it is much easier to produce a known and proven model under adverse conditions than to undergo new production of an "untested" model with all the start up problems that would be associated with it. The M91 had served Finland well in the past and it was about to serve yet again, meeting the USSR who was Finland's greatest threat.
The barrels were produced at the State Rifle Factory (VKT) and Tikka starting in 1940. The rifles themselves were assembled at AV1 and AV3. The production at Tikka was from 1940 to 1944 with the total barrels produced around 45,000. VKT production ran from 1940 to 1942 producing approximately 32,000 barrels. The production of these barrels was halted when inventory and production of the M39 had reached levels that made the M91’s unnecessary. The M91's were sent into service almost immediately and served in all facets in the Finnish Armed Forces. They were indeed used by front line troops as well as being issued to secondary units. These rifles were also used by the "Home Guard" (this is the Civil Guard that served during the Continuation War) and used in training camps during the war. Post war many of these M91's were cut-down to M39 specs and were reissued. One will also encounter post war M91's that have been modified for bayonet training as the M91 stayed in Finnish service long after the dark days of World War Two.
The Finns also improved the stocks and this was done in at least a couple of stages. The first stage was early in the history of the M91 as the Finns replaced the older Russian open slot with an much improved closed sling swivel system. This new feature allowed the use of a sling without the added leather sling loops, also called "Dog Collars" by some collectors. This improvement made the sling attachment much more secure than the older Russian style, and it also prevented the loss of the leather collars (which would mean one could not use the sling). Not all Finnish M91 stocks have these swivels still in place as they could have been lost for a number of reasons. If they are not in place the use of the "Dog Collar" would suffice and it is not uncommon to see rifles still in this older configuration.
During the 1940's production of the M91 rifles the Finns decided to use a two piece stock and not the older Russian one piece. This design had long been established on many Finnish models having first been introduced in 1932. In most cases the buttstocks were newly made, as AV-3 produced 77,000 birch stocks from 1941-1944. These stocks are usually wider and thicker at the wrist than the Russian stocks and many times will bear Finnish stock makers cartouches. There are examples that used a Russian, as well as American, rear stocks that were attached to a new Finnish forestock. Shims were also fitted on many of these stocks to help free float the barrel for better accuracy. It is not uncommon to see these later stocks on M91/24 Civil Guard rifles as the 91/24's were sent into Finnish Army service after the Winter War. The Finns did not keep records of how many 91/24's were in stock at this time as they were lumped in with M91 numbers. The stock needed to be fitted a bit to handle the heavier barrel of the 91/24 but this work was not a difficult alteration.
While the 1940’s made M91’s do not hold the same collector value as the earlier M91’s, they are still impressive rifles. In many cases the condition of these later M91’s is like new or excellent with near perfect bores. They can also be found with hang tags still in place from the depots. These later M91’s are magnificent shooters in many cases being limited in accuracy only by the person doing the shooting.
The B Barrel M91’s
One version of M91 and M39 rifle that causes much confusion are the so called B barrels. There are M91 barrels that have a B proof where normally the manufactures proof would be found. This B marking has been debated time and time again but it is clear the B signifies a barrel blank from Belgium. It is assumed these blanks were made into barrels at VKT and some rare examples have VKT proofs as well as the B marking. Belgium supplied at least 13,000 of these blanks and all were supposed to be for the M91 rifle; however, the Finns did use a number of these blanks for the M39 service rifle. The exact number of these B barrels that were made into M39's is not clear and the serial numbers also run in the same range as the M91. Almost all of the B's were assembled post war regardless of whether they are M91's or M39's with a small number being made in 1944-1945. It is known that 5,000 Tikka M39's were produced post war from M91 rifles but the number of B barrels has never been shown (to my knowledge at least). Both the M39's and the M91's have 1942 dates but that does not mean they were assembled in 1942. It is estimated that there are 4,000-5,000 B M91’s still in existence but this is only an educated guess. There are far more M39 B barrels than M91 B barrels so the M91’s are a good find for the shooter and collector.
Slings And Bayonets
While the Finns used a number of slings the most common M91 sling is thin brown leather with a square buckle. There is also a black version used on the M39 that is commonly encountered on the M91 as they are thin enough to fit through the sling swivels on the stock. The slings may or may not be SA marked. Too be honest the Finns used any and all slings they had on hand so if one gets picky any Finnish Mosin sling is "correct" on a Finnish rifle. When talking of 1941-44 this is very true as so many new rifles were sent into service that sling production and issue fell behind. There are even Finnish slings made from tractor belts and like makeshift items that were issued to these rifles.
The Finns used the Russian M91 bayonet on both the Finnish and Russian version of the M91 rifle. Unlike the Russians the Finns used a brown leather and metal scabbard with their M91 bayonets, although it is somewhat rare to find this accessory. The most common bayonet scabbard is the metal German WW1 type with the metal Austrian version being far less common to encounter. The leather scabbards seem to be a mix of Finnish and German made with the Finnish version being far more common to locate. It has been reported the Finns also used the standard Soviet M91/30 bayonet on the M91 as many of these would have been captured in the Winter War. These later bayonets will indeed fit the M91 and it makes sense the Finns would make use of whatever they had on hand. The same could more than likely be stated for the Russians, as one can assume they also used M91/30 bayonets on M91's when there was a need.
Last Thoughts
Too often the M91 is overlooked and under appreciated by collectors when in fact there is no rifle that was more import to Finland. It served as the foundation as an issue rifle to their armed forces and was had its components serve as the building block for all future Finnish produced Mosin Nagants. The older M91’s are truly a symbol of the Finnish military and they are also rather uncommon rifles – which makes them a true gem to the collector. I have a 1926 dated Tikka with 4 sets of Civil Guard numbers on it as well as the SA marking. If only that rifle could speak I am sure it could tell some great history. I am proud to have it a part of my collection. The later M91’s are also quite a good rifle for the collection as they have history behind them as well as being excellent picks for the shooter. The Russian and US M91’s that saw Finnish issue also have a large quantity of history behind them and with the improvements done by the Finns often are tremendous shooters. So if you are a Finnish collector do not forget the old M91 as it deserves a special place in anyone’s collection.
Sources
Markku Palokangas: Sotilaskäsiaseet Suomessa 1918 - 1988 osat 1 – 3
Timo Hyytinen: Arma Fennica 2
Many years of personal notes, interviews, and observations of the author
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History of the M91 in Finland
Moderator: Miller Tyme
Thanks. I will let you know when I get it edited and the photos added. I love the old M91's and have been meaning to share this article for a while - I just had not had the time to finish it up. It has been worked on for a while but I finished it this weekend. For some reason we have had a lot of M91 questions come up as of late on Gunboards so I decided to post it a bit early.
Thanks Tuco
A New England Westinghouse M91 with a big SA stamp was the rifle that got me interested in milsurps to begin with.
Wonder why M91's in general seemed to have dried up on the import market? I bought three that were imported from the Balkans in November of 2000 for $39 each. Shortly thereafter there didn't seem to be any more imported by usual sources and accordingly these were the last I was ever tempted to purchase.
Glad you have shared your research with us.
Wonder why M91's in general seemed to have dried up on the import market? I bought three that were imported from the Balkans in November of 2000 for $39 each. Shortly thereafter there didn't seem to be any more imported by usual sources and accordingly these were the last I was ever tempted to purchase.
Glad you have shared your research with us.
I can tell you from doing work as an agent for importers overseas that none of us can locate M91's. The last batch that came in were from Finland last year and it was under 1,500 pieces. Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and other Eastern European nations have none - so they say. It could be many of these are still in Russia but I do not know that as fact. Recall these (but for the Finns) have not been made since 1926 so that is a long time of service life. There might be some more out there but for the past three years or so we have not been able to locate any (at least any real numbers)
