no bidders ?

[Junk Yard Dog]

My Finn M38 is a '41 so I would only have looked at it if I had extra cash to get rid of and no specific needed date had come up that week.

[zeebill]

This is a prime reason why I rarely buy online and don't mess with refurbs! Too many what if's and other questions for my butt to wrestle with for $200. Bill

[drabnor]

I turned away one for $150 just yesterday. Bill

Please go ahead and send that $150 m38 my way!

I was going to bid on this one, but forgot that GB time is Eastern and I'm in Pacific.

Stock doesn't look refinished to me, could just be the lighting in the last 2 pics? The bolt at least looks like it matches.

[drabnor]

Well I guess I can spill the beans. I had a few tricks up my sleeve and managed to pick this one up, even though the auction had ended. So we'll get to see if its a molot, or if the stock has been refinished.

Just waiting on shipping now, pics as soon as it shows up...

[Sirex]

Needs more cowbell.

[finloq]

[clayshooter2]

Well, if someone really wants a nice M38 Allan's Armory has a couple for sale right now for around the same price. Plus, with Allan you know you are getting a quality piece that no one has messed with.
http://www.allans-armory.com/aaresult.php?PageId=35

[Dan4good]

Well I guess I can spill the beans. I had a few tricks up my sleeve and managed to pick this one up, even though the auction had ended. So we'll get to see if its a molot, or if the stock has been refinished.

Just waiting on shipping now, pics as soon as it shows up...

how did you snag this after the auction ended i went looking to see if was reposted never saw it or that seller list anything else ???????????

[drabnor]

how did you snag this after the auction ended i went looking to see if was reposted never saw it or that seller list anything else ???????????

I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.

Just kidding!

I emailed the seller and made an offer, he had another listing up...

[davesstuff1]

Price was fair. However add about $75.00 to the price for delivery...

[drabnor]

M38 showed up today. The good news is, it's not a Molot and it is numbers matching. The bad news is, I do think the stock was refinished. So in light of that, I will refrain from discussing this particular rifle any further as I do not want to violate the rules...

[Junk Yard Dog]

Is the M38 a Soviet refurb? Some M38's came in from the Balkans with oil finishes, or no finish on the stock, is it one of these?

[davesstuff1]

Fuzzy Pictures & Poor Presentation...

[drabnor]

Is the M38 a Soviet refurb? Some M38's came in from the Balkans with oil finishes, or no finish on the stock, is it one of these?

It is a refurb. It could be, I'll take some better pictures and post them.

[qz2026]

Get some better pictures. I am not so sure this one was refinished by the pictures I saw. Have to see the rifle in good light.

[drabnor]

I asked the seller if he refinished the stock and he said "rifle is as I got it about 10 years or so ago from AIM"

I know, I know, buy the rifle not the story. I just hope we can reach a consensus one way or the other.

The importer is T6 from Knoxville TN, I have never seen this particular importer, might help to narrow it down?

So without further delay, here are the pictures:

[Marcus]

Wow, nobody here gets it? ....Millman and Drabnor were closest. I knew what it was as soon as I saw the first blurry, fuzzy, photos. Of course, I have an original, all matching example.

[MarksmanTim]

Wow, nobody here gets it? ....Millman and Drabnor were closest. I knew what it was as soon as I saw the first blurry, fuzzy, photos. Of course, I have an original, all matching example.

Nobody gets what? Please enlighten.

[Marcus]

That's a pretty scarce and desirable laminated BEECH - NOT BIRCH - stock that dates from the later part of 1943. This was originally an M38 stock that does not have the dovetailed in toe piece that was adopted in 1944, and was originally made without the wrist crossbolt, which seems to have also been adopted in the earlier part of 1944 for laminated stocks. So at some point, the Soviets added the wrist crossbolt (this is common) and probably added the inletting for the bayonet - unless this stock was originally used on an M43 carbine, in which case the bayonet slot could be original....the bayonet slot looks well done from what I can see in the photos, not like some of the more crudely done ones, so it might be original.

The proper original finish on this stock is a brownish stain on bare oiled wood. These laminated beech stocks seem to have used a different glue than the later birch ones - kind of like the white glue the Germans used on some of their laminated stocks that looks different than the red glue. So when I look at this stock, I don't see a stock that has been ruined by someone stripping the shellac (that it never originally had) and refinished, I see an original stock that was obviously arsenal reworked (crossbolt, little inlaid piece on top front of fore end in the barrel channel, and maybe bayonet slot) but didn't get an incorrect, and often nasty and sloppy looking, coat of refurb shellac.

And of course, it's a 1941 carbine, which is kind of cool because you don't see as many of these ad 1943's. It has the smaller, less offensive, more desirable import mark on the barrel and only importer added number on the receiver, instead of the big, butt-ugly, rough as a cheese grater, federal graffiti vandalism you can see from outer space, that looks like it was applied by autistic monkeys on speed with a hammer and center punch, billboard import mark you see on some rifles.

I'm not sure if that is a refurb mark box on the right side of the barrel shank, but I don't see the ones one often encounters stamped very visibly on the barrel shank and receiver....if there are not post-war refurb marks, this is an added bonus. And it's all number matching...renumbered to be sure, and without the Cyrillic letter prefixes, but still Soviet arseanal matching.

To me, this looks like something a Soviet soldier raping, murdering, and plundering his way across Central Europe would have carried in the immediate post-war years. I really, really like it. I would have grabbed this one up in heartbeat for $200 if I had the opportunity. Drabnor scored on this one.....another really nice rifle for that impressive collection he is assembling.

[qz2026]

It's "TG KNOX TN" - Tennessee Guns International - imported many M-38's and other firearms into the US. I still don't think the stock was refinished at least where heavy sanding was used. If refinished it wasn't done by bubba-at least on this side of the pond. On the left of the butt stock, however is a peculiar red oblong shape that could have been removed paint or remnants of red shellac. What I do see is a hint that this is an artic beech, very close to what the Hungarians used. Note the grain on the bottom of the butt stock and bottom of the fore stock. M-38 in an M-44 stock, matching. The stock shows no refurb mark but the shank does. Balkan? Butt stock from a distance even looks Finnish.