Ok. It's not a stalking rifle. It's a 1940 Finnish rework of a Model 1891 Mosin Nagant in 7,62x54R. I was stopping in to have a second look at a long barreled Marlin 30-30 and saw this dusty rifle standing in the corner. The dovetailed forend gave it away as a Finn and the salesman proudly mis-identified it as a (common) Russian 91-30 and gave it to me for $125 US. It looked as tho it had been stored in a chicken coop.
When I got it home I found that the filth was largely dried preservative covered with dust. The finish is about 85% and the bore fine. A little wood oil put the shine back into the Arctic Birch stock. As a collector of Finnish Military rifles who has seen the supplies of Finns dry up and the prices escalate (!), I can't tell you how pleased I was to stumble onto this gun for a decades-old price. Thanks for tolerating my glee.~Muir
(PS: The Marlin had been sold! Always been lucky like that....)
When I got it home I found that the filth was largely dried preservative covered with dust. The finish is about 85% and the bore fine. A little wood oil put the shine back into the Arctic Birch stock. As a collector of Finnish Military rifles who has seen the supplies of Finns dry up and the prices escalate (!), I can't tell you how pleased I was to stumble onto this gun for a decades-old price. Thanks for tolerating my glee.~Muir
(PS: The Marlin had been sold! Always been lucky like that....)