Mosin-Nagant M/28-30

Origins

When Finland became independent in 1917, its new army inherited large stocks of the Russian Mosin-Nagant M1891 rifle, left behind by the Imperial Russian Army or bought abroad in the years that followed. Many of these rifles were worn out, and the Finns set about rebuilding them. The Suojeluskunta, or Civil Guard, was a large volunteer militia that trained part-time and had its own arms organization, separate from the army. Its members took shooting seriously, and the Guard wanted a better rifle than the old Russian pattern. In 1921 the Guard set up its own arms factory, which later became the famous company SAKO. After the M/24 rifle, the Guard adopted the M/28 in 1928 and an improved version, the M/28-30, in 1930.

Design & Construction

The M/28-30 used a Russian Mosin-Nagant receiver and bolt, which could be of Tsarist or even American wartime manufacture. Almost everything else was new. The barrel was heavier than the Russian one and made to a high standard, and the rifle was a little shorter than the M1891. The most visible change was the front sight. It sat on a tall base between two protective wings, which to Finnish eyes looked like the pointed ears of a spitz dog, so the rifle was nicknamed "Pystykorva", meaning "prick-ear". The rear sight was redesigned, and the magazine was modified to feed the rimmed cartridge more smoothly. It fired the same round as the Russian rifles, which the Finns called the 7.62x53R.

Combat Use

The Civil Guard went to war with the army in the Winter War of 1939-40, and many of its members carried the M/28-30. Its most famous user was Simo Häyhä, a farmer and Civil Guard marksman who served as a sniper on the Kollaa front. Häyhä used his M/28-30 with iron sights rather than a telescopic sight. A scope would have forced him to raise his head higher, its lens could flash in the sun, and it could fog or frost over in the extreme cold. Estimates of how many Soviet soldiers he killed vary widely between sources. Totals of around 500 are often quoted, but they are hard to confirm, and some of his kills are said to have been made with a Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun. He was badly wounded in the face in March 1940, shortly before the war ended, and survived. The M/28-30 served again in the Continuation War of 1941-44, alongside the Degtyaryov DP-27 machine guns and Mosin rifles the Finns had captured.

Legacy

In 1939 the army and the Civil Guard agreed on a single new rifle, the M/39. It was built on the same principles, with Mosin-Nagant actions and new heavy barrels, and it became the main Finnish rifle of the Continuation War. Its Finnish nickname was "Ukko-Pekka", after President Pehr Evind Svinhufvud. The M/28-30 is still regarded as one of the most accurate Mosin-Nagant rifles ever made. Because of Häyhä and its smaller production, it is now one of the most sought-after Finnish military rifles among collectors, and it is often compared with the Soviet Mosin Nagant 1891/30 Sniper Rifle used against the Finns.