Lots of Mosin-Nagant rifles, and we’re guessing also Swedish Mausers. Plus, of course, the two Chauchats and a Maxim 1910. Thanks to Dave for the photo!
Vintage Saturday: Spare a Rifle?
General Purpose MGs
Finland’s Prototype Belt-Fed GPMG: L41 Sampo
During the 1930s, there was interest in Finland in replacing the Maxim heavy machine gun with something handier and more mobile. There were experiments with large drum magazines for the LS-26 light machine gun, but […]
Commentary
Beretta M38A vs Suomi kp/31 (w/ John Keene)
If you had to pick one, would you take an early Beretta 38A (with bayonet), or a Finnish kp/31 Suomi? Both have semiauto selectors, although the Beretta’s its easier to use. The Suomi has a […]
Commentary
Historical Comparison: Finland’s Winter War vs Russian Invasion of Ukraine
I have been reading about the Winter War in past few months as part of my work on a book about Finnish small arms, and I have been really struck by the similarity in images […]
They guys fixing the spare Sokolov mount wheel are both in Suojeluskunta (Civil Guard). Judging from the very early uniforms we’re looking at the first half of the 1920ies. That means Arisakas and Winchester M1895’s would be more likely than Mauser 1896s. But mostly Mosins, of course…
Hi Richard,
they don’ t fix a Sokholov mount, but that they are fixing a bent barrel.To me it seems that they put a warped barrel into a barrel adjustment fixture.
I guess this is a staged photograph, because normally you put the barrel into the fixture pointing slightly upwards and peep through the bore. When the reflection of the light source on the inner walls of the rifling isn’t prefect, you apply force by the knurled Wheel and the attached ‘hook’ together with the two adjustable points of support on the bar on both sides to the ‘hook’, until the reflection looks right. Since no one is looking, I guess it’s a fake. Or a seriously warped barrel they prepare for ‘fine tuning’.
A job that needs a lot I experience, a delicate hand and is very strenuous on the eyes, nowadays computers and optics do the job (albeit not that good).
The German word for the machine is “Laufrichtmaschine”, like the one in this auction: http://www.egun.de/market/item.php?id=4581234#img (see lower right corner of the picture for the characteristic wheel…)
Jep, saw a machine like that in action at the Krieghoff-Factory. But that one was hanging from the ceiling tog get it on eye-height. They still do it by (experienced) hand and eye.
Very good information, Michael — thank you.
They’re wearing the m/22 pattern uniform, and apparently they’re conscript-level members of the organization.
So yeah, mid 20s seems like a good bet. The more comfortable m/27 pattern would be slowly rolled out at the end of the decade.
http://forum.uniforminsignia.org/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=8404&sid=3bf48032e9d65669be28c3eab2fe3171#p28358
I assume this could be Finland… Every gun counts, and so does every bullet. Do the Finns run out of ammo before the Soviets run out of cannon fodder? I hope not.
Suojeluskunta insignia on their sleeves?
One of many “dream armories” for the avid collector!
If I see good Maxim has smooth water-jacket so this is early model (Maxim 1905 or early Maxim 1910).
This is an old newspaper photo. If you blow it up, you can see the newsprint dot matrix. Neat photo…
I got an aligning press almost like the shoown, Mine is made by Henrich Krieghoff
Sorry everyone, those are the “Hand Pick” guys from Century. Cool to see what 1000 rifles look like. They take up a lot less space than you would think.