Original Item: Only One Available. These are so very rare, a real pre-1899 Antique Russian Mosin-Nagant Rifle, originally referred to as the "Three Line Infantry Rifle, Model of 1891." This example was almost certainly one of 190,000 or so Mosin-Nagant M1891 Full Length Rifles left behind in Imperial Russian depots when the country gained its independence in 1917-1918. The rifle was quickly adopted as the standard weapon of the fledgling country, and quickly the need arose to overhaul these to meet Finnish Army standards. This resulted in the first of many upgraded Finnish Mosin-Nagant rifles, the M/91. Due to the large number of rifles already present, until close to the WWII era all Finnish Mosin-Nagant rifles were built on the original Russian receivers.

The M/28 was an upgrade to the Finnish Army M/27 and the replacement for the Civil Guard's M24. With the Finnish Army adopting the M/27, the Finnish Civil Guard, Suojeluskunta, or White Guard, took the Army's M/27 and made some minor design changes, resulting in the M28. The rifle's acceptance was finalized in 1928. Regardless of the barrel manufacture, all M28s were assembled in the Sako factory, Sujeluskuntien Ase-Ja Konepaja Osakeyhtio. Due to the limited numbers manufactured, loss, Finnish conversions, and the attrition rates during the Winter War, the Continuation War, and the Lapland War, the M/28 is one of the more rare variants of Finnish rifles.

Reportedly this is the rifle used by the well known Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä, nicknamed "White Death.". Famed for its use by Finnish Ski Troopers, this rare example has all of the correct issue markings. The serial number on the left side of the receiver was lined out, and the right side of the barrel was marked with new serial number S102099, which matches that marked on the bolt.

The top of the barrel is marked with the correct SY marking, indicating use by the Finnish Suojeluskunta (Civil Guard), also known as the "White Guard". This indicates use during the "Winter War" or "Continuation War" during the WWII Era. Of note is that there are not any SA inside a rectangle markings, for Suomi Armeija (Finnish Army). These are seen on many of these rifles, as the Civil Guard was disbanded at the end of the "Continuation War" as required by the Soviet Union. All Civil Guard arms were then turned over to the regular army, and marked as such, however it looks like this one may have never been remarked. There is also a partial import marking from Marathon Arms of Weth Ct. on the barrel near the muzzle, as these were imported in bulk and marked, regardless of antique status.

More importantly, the bottom of the receiver tang is dated with 9 5 surrounding an "Arrow", indicating 1895 production by Sestroretsk Arsenal, legally classifying this as a pre-1899 antique firearm. The industrial city of Sestroretsk (Сестроре́цк) is located on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, the Sestra River and the Sestroretskiy Lake 34 kilometers northwest of St. Petersburg, Russia. Sestroretsk was founded by Peter the Great in 1714 due to the construction of this arms factory, today known as the "Sestroretsk Toolmaking Factory". This is one of many Imperial Russian receivers that saw service for well over half a century.

The barrel is the correct shorter 27 inch version, which is thicker than the original Russian specification for greater accuracy. Under the stock it is marked with the correct marking from SIG in Switzerland:

Schweiz Industrie-Gessellschaft
Neuhausen

The rear sight is an adapted Russian sight, which is numbered 3 to 8 1/2 on the right side with m indicating hundreds of "meters". However flip up rear sight ladder still has markings up to 3200 арши́ны (arshíny) an archaic measurement used by Russia through the first world war roughly equal to 71.12 cm. The ranges on the left side of the base go from 4 - 12, and have not been crossed out (12 x 100 arshíny = 8 1/2 x 100m). Later M/28s would use a Finnish designed rear sight.

The stock on the rifle is the correct is actually not the usual two piece design we see, as there is no finger joint below the lower barrel band, though it does have the cross bolt to reinforce against recoil. The stock also still has both of the Russian-style "Slot" sling attachments, which would usually be replaced with regular swivels, however there is much variation in the Finnish modified examples. The magazine housing is also marked with the "Bow and Arrow" marking of Izhevsk Arsenal, a Czarist marking which was discontinued following the Russian revolution and subsequent civil war. We also noticed a Ⓒ, on the right side of the bolt indicating original manufacture at Châtellerault Arsenal in France, only seen on those dated 1892-1895, when Russia contracted out to speed production.

Condition of the rifle is very good, especially considering the age and amount of service it must have seen. The stock is in very good condition, showing dents, gouges, and other damage consistent with having seen long service for possibly over 100 years. The metalwork is still in very good shape, with a worn patina on the original Russian components, while the new Swiss barrel is in excellent condition, still showing the original bluing strongly. It still retains the original cleaning rod, which is in good shape, easily removable from the stock. The rifle cycles well, with a crisp dry fire, though we have no way to see if it still feeds. The bolt can easily be removed for a field stripping, and also still has a functional "safety" position on the firing pin holder. We checked the bore, and it is in excellent condition, looking to not have seen much use at all since the barrel was replaced. There is just a bit of wear keeping it from being MINT!

A wonderful piece of Finnish and Firearms history! Ready to research and display!

Specifications:
Year of Manufacture: 1895 - Modified Later
Caliber: 7.62×53mmR Finnish
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Length (overall): 46 3/4" (118.7 cm)
Barrel Length: 27" (68.6 cm)
Stock length: 43 1/4" (109.9 cm)
Action type: Bolt Action
Feed System: 5 Round Internal

During the Winter War of 1939/1940, Finland heroically fought the forces of the Soviet Union in a David-versus-Goliath struggle that lasted about 100 days. Though the Finns eventually lost about 11 percent of their territory to the Soviet Union, they inflicted 323,000 casualties on the Soviets while suffering only 70,000 casualties themselves. Of course, for a small country that was a lot of casualties. As a result of Finland’s tenacity and courage during the Winter War, the reputation of the Finns around the world was enhanced, while the Soviet’s poor performance in combat may have contributed to AH's decision to invade the Soviet Union less than a year and a half later.

Finland’s greatest asset during the Winter War was a large cadre of citizen soldiers who combined their skills as skiers, woodsmen and riflemen to ambush and carry out hit-and-run attacks on the Soviets. The principal weapons for the Finnish raiders were the Suomi submachine gun and the Finnish versions of the Mosin-Nagant rifle, chambered for the Finnish 7.62x53R round, which is virtually identical to the Russian 7.62x54R round used in their version of the Mosin-Nagant.

Originally, Finland had a large number of Soviet Mosin-Nagant M/91 rifles, which were in military arms depots when they achieved their independence from Russia in December 1917. Within a few years, however, the Finns would begin producing Mosin-Nagant rifles at SAKO, Tikka and Valmet, three arms producers that remain famous today for high-quality rifles.

The first large-scale upgrade of Finnish Mosin-Nagant rifles was the M/24 rifle for the Finnish Civil Guard. The Finnish Civil Guard (the Suojeluskunta) fulfilled a function similar to the U.S. National Guard. It was composed of volunteers, many of whom were outdoorsmen, hunters and shooters. They were separate from the Finnish Army, which was composed primarily of conscripts. Civil Guard members trained frequently and realistically. So much stress was put on marksmanship that the Civil Guard actually owned the Sako gun works. Most who have studied the Winter War believe that the Civil Guard was the most important element early in the conflict to slow the Russian advance. Their M/24 rifles used German barrels from Venus Arms, or barrels purchased from SIG in Switzerland. These rifles are often referred to as the “Lotta Rifle” after Lotta Svard, the women’s auxiliary of the Civil Guard, which helped raise the money for the rifle upgrades.

Next, the Finns reworked the M1891 Mosin-Nagant by retaining the receiver and magazine, but using a shorter, heavier barrel, improved sights, an improved bolt and new barrel bands, among other changes. After problems arose with the stock breaking when using the bayonet, the stocks were also modified. An interesting point is that many Finn soldiers didn’t like the bayonet, but preferred to use their traditional puukko knives for close combat. The current bayonet for the Valmet M/76 rifle is actually a knife bayonet of traditional style. A shortened cavalry version, the M/27rv, was also produced in limited numbers. Very similar to the M/27 was the M/28, which had a different barrel band and improved trigger. Initially, M/28 barrels were purchased from SIG, but later they were produced by Tikka and SAKO. All of the rifles, however, were assembled at SAKO. The major criticism of the M/28 was that it retained the Russian “Konovalov” rear sight, which Finnish troops did not like. This is one of the primary reasons for the development of the M/28-30.

IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to most US States and most U.S. territories.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to most addresses within the United States.