Original Antique Finnish Winter War Ski Trooper Model M/28 Mosin-Nagant Rifle Dated 1894 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. The M28 was an upgrade to the Finnish Army M27 and the replacement for the Civil Guard’s M24. With the Finnish Army adopting the M27, the Finnish Civil Guard, Suojeluskunta, or White Guard, took the Army’s M27 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 M28 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 issue markings. The serial number on the left side of the receiver was lined out, and the right side was given a new serial number is marked with serial number 66977. The bolt is matching. There is also an SA inside a rectangle marking, for Suomi Armeija (Finnish Army), which indicates capture during the “Winter War” or “Continuation War” during the WWII Era. It still has the original flip up rear sight, and the correct SY markings on the top of the barrel for Civil Guard use.

The bottom of the receiver tang is dated 1894, legally classifying this as an antique. The marking next to this is C in a Circle, the arsenal marking used on receivers made at the French Châtellerault Arsenal, only seen on those dated 1892-1895. There is also the correct SIG marking on the bottom of the barrel, purchased from SIG in Switzerland.

Condition of the rifle is very good, especially considering the age and amount of service it must have seen. The stock is in good condition, with the expected dents, dings, and other damage from long service. The metalwork is in good shape, with the finish worn to a grayish patina overall. It still retains the original cleaning rod, which is in good shape, still threading properly into the stock. The rifle cycles well, with a crisp dry fire. The bore shows clear lands and grooves, with a bright finish, showing some minor oxidation in the grooves.

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

Specifications:
Year of Manufacture: 1894
Caliber:  Finnish 7.62x53R
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Weight: 9 lbs.(4.1 kg)
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.