M39 B barrel rifle help

[desdem12]

The magazine was made by Remington and repurposed from a Remington m91. The HV is a finn mark for a modification to the magazine. So it is a finn modified Remington m91 magazine reused on the m39.

[Schaafman]

desdesm12, Wow... seriously? it looks like every part of this rifle has had a crazy life!

[desdem12]

Nothing was ever wasted by the finns. They bought rifles and parts or captured rifles and parts and used them all in making their own style of mosins.

[Schaafman]

Dear All,

I slugged my barrel today with a .38spl bullet head i dug out of the apple tree at the bottom of my garden (remnants of summer potshots), anyway i cleaned it up and formed it into an overbored ball and then rammed it down my barrel with lots of lube and an aluminium dowel - the results have really confused me again.

Groover Dia: 0.3075"
Land Dia: 0.275"

These measurements were taken with digital verniers, then my super precise Mitutoyo analogue verniers and then a digital C-micrometer, all three measuring devices corroborate the meausrements.

This appears very tight for a B-Barrl 'D' marked finn nagant? its bang on what you'd expect a commercial hunting 0.308 rifle to measure in at!

ADVICE NEEDED! Has anyone else experienced this?

James

[jonnyboy091373]

The D stamp just means the throat of the rifle was made larger so when a .311 bullet is shot from the gun, it has a chance to get squeezed into the. 308 bore. You are lucky to have a .308 bore because it makes reloading much easier due to bullet choice. But it is safe to shoot. 311 bullets in your rifle.

[Schaafman]

Jonnyboy,

Okay many thanks for clearing this up - I kind of don't want to force .311 bullets down the bore, its so pretty, sharp and clean! I will stick to some .308 scenars instead.

best

James

[TopperT]

The M39 has a bore of .310 and is a 1 in 9.5" twist. I should say that I regularly shoot .311 bullets and find their accuracy to be tops. MilSup ammo (Russian) is also very good although corrosive. There is also lots of non-corrosive ammo out there.....well at least over here in the "colonies" there is some...... Its a great looking rifle. ENJOY!

[Schaafman]

TopperT

Why does my M39 slug in at 0.3075" groove dia? I'm really worried about all of this, as I handload i really don't want to mess it up and get catastrophic overpressure if i use the wrong head.

James

[jonnyboy091373]

It wouldn't cause any dangerous over pressure if you use surplus ammo or. 311 bullets unless you were loading beyond the maximum safe powder load. The difference between. 311 and .308 is .03 that is really quite a small difference really when you look at it. Do what works best for you and your rifle, but I can 99.9% assure you even using a .312 bullet would be ok.
Try different bullets and powders loads and see what yours likes best, and stick with that.

[desdem12]

The D mark was put there to show that the throat was reamed out larger to accept the D-166 bullet, larger grain bullet somewhere around 203 or 206 I forget now. If you are loading .308 bullets and getting good results then I would continue. The M39 was made to take the ammo that was around and you can shoot surplus .311 ammo out of it. If your barrel was finnish made you should be safe with either bullet and I would use what ever makes you happy. I have some of each .308 and.311 loaded up and I will try them this spring in different rifles.

[Bugelson]

A member on another historic firearm forum, said that he did see a handful of Finn Nagants in use in the late 60s by the West German border police, when he was stationed there. Im grasping at straws because no one has been able to corroborate this claim, but it would make sense as the rifle has all the correct German proof marks, im thinking that perhaps the "196" stamp denotes a police regiment?

James,

that makes no sense at all. Finnish Mosins were never used by West or East German officials of any kind.

[Schaafman]

I don't claim to have any knowledge at all in these matters, this is not my opinion, but that of someone on another forum. This is my first MN and I am confused by the German Suhl proof marks and the german eagle nitro proof marks on barrel and receiver. Do you have any views on it?

Best

James

A member on another historic firearm forum, said that he did see a handful of Finn Nagants in use in the late 60s by the West German border police, when he was stationed there. Im grasping at straws because no one has been able to corroborate this claim, but it would make sense as the rifle has all the correct German proof marks, im thinking that perhaps the "196" stamp denotes a police regiment?

James,

that makes no sense at all. Finnish Mosins were never used by West or East German officials of any kind.

[Junk Yard Dog]

I don't claim to have any knowledge at all in these matters, this is not my opinion, but that of someone on another forum. This is my first MN and I am confused by the German Suhl proof marks and the german eagle nitro proof marks on barrel and receiver. Do you have any views on it?

Best

James

A member on another historic firearm forum, said that he did see a handful of Finn Nagants in use in the late 60s by the West German border police, when he was stationed there. Im grasping at straws because no one has been able to corroborate this claim, but it would make sense as the rifle has all the correct German proof marks, im thinking that perhaps the "196" stamp denotes a police regiment?

James,

that makes no sense at all. Finnish Mosins were never used by West or East German officials of any kind.

Germany is one of the countries who currently require any firearm sold within it's boarders to have been proof tested and so marked. Germany's importers buy their milsurps on the world market same as importers here in the US do, they got some of the same horde of Finn M39's same as we did in the US. Another member in the UK a year or so ago posted a pic of some milsurp he had acquired by way of Germany and it had these proof markings on it. German law, current day, just a surplus M39 that landed in Germany after the Finn's sold it and before you got it.

[Schaafman]

Ahh okay, well that kind of makes much more sense, I'm not 100 clued up with importation laws specific to different countries, a lots of the firearms that knock are here in the UK have no unifying marks unless they are imported from new or made here, all milsurps in the UK are just left as is! I have a very nice K98 peppered in Nazi markings. I appreciate your clarification on the matter.

Best

James

that makes no sense at all. Finnish Mosins were never used by West or East German officials of any kind.[/quote][/quote]Germany is one of the countries who currently require any firearm sold within it's boarders to have been proof tested and so marked. Germany's importers buy their milsurps on the world market same as importers here in the US do, they got some of the same horde of Finn M39's same as we did in the US. Another member in the UK a year or so ago posted a pic of some milsurp he had acquired by way of Germany and it had these proof markings on it. German law, current day, just a surplus M39 that landed in Germany after the Finn's sold it and before you got it.[/quote]

[TopperT]

We can share loads..... .I and am using BL-C 2 powder as well as IMR 4895/ 148 & 150 grn heads all fly well and group tight. Still working up loads but I am getting 1 " dia groups at 50 yards. Now to go to 100 and beyond....right now we have a foot of snow on the range and I got tired slipping in the shit today so stayed in close at 50. Will report on results. Can you get reloading stuff easily?:grumpy:

[Junk Yard Dog]

In the US importers are required to add the import mark with ID as to what country made it, what caliber, who imported it, and sometimes a new serial number. This is engraved on the side of the receiver, but original markings are not removed. I have a German K98k filled with waffenampts, all with their little swastikas intact. This was a captured weapon brought home by an American GI after WW2, but ones imported later still had their original markings also. It's when you get to the Russian captured and refurbished German K98k's that you start to see defaced markings. Even with them it was only on some rifles, not all.