M24
(Finland)
Finland
Mosin Nagant
| General Specifications |
Finnish Model M24 General Description: |
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Weight
-- Weight -- 9 1/2 lbs. (4.3 kg)
Length (over all) -- 51 1/2" (130.8 cm)
Barrel Length -- 31 1/2" (80 cm)
Stock Length -- 47 1/2 (120.7 cm)
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- Produced
-- 1924-1928.
- Estimated
Production -- 26,000 - 27,000.
- Nicknamed
"Lotta's rifle" by the troops that carried it.
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One of the earliest Finnish arsenal rebuilding programs was undertaken
by the Finnish Civil Guard, Suojeluskunta, to refurbish worn out
Russian M91 rifles into the M24. The rifles had been acquired by
capture from Russia at the time of the Finnish independence in 1918 or
purchased from other countries. Many of the M91 rifles had been in
continuous use for 30 years or more.
The
Finnish Civil Guard, “Suojeluskunta”, sought bids from companies in
Switzerland and Germany to produce the replacement barrels. The initial
contract for production of the barrels was awarded in 1923 to the Swiss
firm Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft of Neuhausen am Rheinfalls,
SIG. An additional contract to a German arms consortium made up of
Venus Waffenfabrik and Romrwerke AG was awarded in 1924. The SIG
barrels were marked "Schweiz-Industrie Gesellschaft Neuhausen" on the
right of the chamber just above the stock. The German barrels
bear the mark "Bohler-Stahl" on the underside of the chamber.
The
initial order of 3,000 Swiss SIG barrels were dimensionally identical
to those on the M91. The remainder of the SIG barrels and the German
manufactured barrels are heavier. The diameter of the barrel was
increased by approximately 1mm to improve accuracy. These were produced
with a "stepped barrel" near the muzzle to accommodate the standard
bayonet. The M24 barrels are undated and have the Finnish Civil Guard
crest, an S topped with three fir sprigs in a shield, on top of the
chamber.
Included
at this time were changes made to deepen the barrel channel in the
forestock; a deeper handguard inlet; and also an improved trigger with
a coil spring added to take up trigger slack and improve trigger pull.
These design changes were instituted in mid 1925. Many rifles were also
fitted with a cross bolt through the forestock just behind the nose cap
to retain the front barrel band. This was done so the barrel band could
be left loose thereby eliminating a pressure point on the barrel and
increasing accuracy. Eventually the Finns did away with this
modification in favor of using small wood screws to secure the loosened
barrel bands.
Assembly
of the M24 was done at Suojeluskuntain Ase-ja Konepaja Osakeyhtiö, the
Finnish Civil Guard workshop that eventually would become known as
SAKO. Funds for the refurbishment of the M24 rifles was raised by the
civil guard women’s auxiliary known as the Lotta Svard. The M24 was
nicknamed “Lottakivaari” or “Lotta’s rifle” by troops that carried it
into battle in at least three wars.
Production
ceased in 1928, but the M24 remained in service until the guard was
disbanded in October of 1944. The arms were then turned over to the
regular army. Due to the low numbers of the M24 manufactured and the
high loss and attrition rates during the Winter War, the Continuation
War and the Lapland War the M24 rifle is highly sought after by
collectors.
General
Features:
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M24 receiver right side: |
SAKO workshop stamp: |
Konovalov style rear sight: |
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SIG barrel mark: |
Bohler-Stahl barrel mark: |
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(right side of chamber) |
(below, hidden under stock) |
Blade style front sight: |
Russian pre-war sling slot: |
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Photos
courtesy of JumperWire, Administrator, russian-mosin-nagant-forum.com
Article
written by gwilly, Wiki Contributor, russian-mosin-nagant-forum.com
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