New member to my harem. Finnish M39

[Calvin]

I just got the Finnish M39 I have been lusting for. Purchased it from www.gunsnammo.com . Pat Burns was very easy to deal with and shipped very promptly. The rifle is a 1967 "no maker" which was never issued. The stock had no finish whatsoever on it and looked as if it had been halfway sanded to 200grit with some 100grit lines still on it. I lightly sanded it with 400 grit to smooth it out, especially the grip areas. However, I did so very lightly and did not get through all of the original sanding lines. I left a lot of them on the butt, albeit toned down some. I then stained it with Minwax Golden Pecan followed by some 0000 steel wool lovin. That color was very close to the original color of the wood. Then it got 10 layers over 4 days of a 1/3 beeswax, BLO, Turpentine mix. All in all it came out beautifully and looks like it was made yesterday. I can't wait to throw some rounds downrange through this pristine barrel!







Sorry that my chaotic shop area is such a bad backdrop.

Special thanks to Punchpunch for purchasing my M96b and giving me a positive recommendation for Pat Burns. Thanks for helping me to get the ball rolling.

-Calvin

 

[shooter521]

Wow, she's a hottie!

 

[Scutter01]

Want to touch the heinie...

 

[22lr]

Thats a very nice looking piece.

 

[Calvin]

Thank you gentlemen. My guess is it's better looking and a better shooter than I am. It's a common theme in my collection.

 

[lovemywoods]

Very nice job on the stock. You must be a patient person to put all those coats down. In the end, it's worth the wait!

 

[Calvin]

Very nice job on the stock. You must be a patient person to put all those coats down. In the end, it's worth the wait!

My only temptation was that I went to a Military Bolt Action Rifle shoot at Hoosier Hills Rifle and Pistol Club on Thursday night. Having that M39 staring me in the face as I gathered my gear was tough, but it was completely broken down and I didn't want to rush it to get it back together. I decided to bust out my trusty K31 instead. The rest was easy since I don't plan on going shooting in the near future.

That shoot was my first firearms competition of any kind, and I have to say those folks over there are wonderful. They were super helpful and understanding about my complete lack of comprehension in regards to the procedures of a competitive shoot. One of the members lent me a shooting mat before I even realized I would need one! I got to shoot a beautiful Krag carbine (I have always wanted a Krag, but the value increased even as my earnings did so). In attending their club meeting following the match, it was apparent that these are genuinely good people trying to run a good club that helps the shooting community at large. If anyone is on the fence about going to one of their classes or events, I highly recommend that you do so.

On a finish note, I made up the 1/3 mix for this project. It works tremendously better than BLO alone does. I am going back through my other milsurps with BLO finishes and adding a few layers of this stuff. The beeswax adds more depth and the turpentine makes it dry very well. The mix gives a bit more luster as well, but not so much as to be too gaudy for a milsurp. Best of all is it was dirt cheap to make and I still have enough ingredients left over to make another 4 batches.

-Calvin

 

[PunchPunch]

Congrats Calvin. That looks great! I'm glad I could help.

The M96b has quickly become a favorite with my teenage sons.