Q:Mosin-Nagant rear sight question

[Ol' Bob]

I picked up a Finnish M39 a few months ago and love it, but I don't know what type of range the rear sight has printed on it. It ranges from 12 to 20. Are there any MN buffs that know exactly what they translate in to in metric or standard?

[Lazarou]

Finland hasn't used Imperial units since 1887 so the numbers have to be metric if the sight is original.
As far as I know the rear sight of the m39 ranged from 1.5 to 10 (150 - 1000 meters), so 12 to 20 sounds a bit illogical.

I suggest you ask someone at Gunboards.com
http://www.gunboards.com/forums/

[Pai Mei]

I would guess arshins, which are an obsolete Russian imperial unit (about 28 in), used on the early mosins, like the m1891. 12~20 would be about 930~1550 yards.

[Randomrokottaja]

Rear sights in finnish mosin-nagant rifles have metric. M28-30 and M39 have later finnish made rear sights ranged from 150m up to 1000m.

Older versions like the original captured m/91 rifles + it's finnish versions and finnish made m/27, m/28 etc. have the original mosin-nagant rear sights which have afterwards printed metric markings on the right side of the rear sight. Left side has the originally printed range markings in arshins.

One arshin equals 0.71m.

"so 12 to 20 sounds a bit illogical."

And not only a bit.

[Lazarou]

So that m39 was possibly retrofitted with old Russian parts during overhaul?

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/213/finnsight7vj.th.jpg (http://img198.imageshack.us/my.php?image=finnsight7vj.jpg)
A remarked Finn rear sight for meters from Russian arshin (pic from mosinnagant.net)

[Ol' Bob]

Finland hasn't used Imperial units since 1887 so the numbers have to be metric if the sight is original.
As far as I know the rear sight of the m39 ranged from 1.5 to 10 (150 - 1000 meters), so 12 to 20 sounds a bit illogical.

I suggest you ask someone at Gunboards.com
http://www.gunboards.com/forums/

Ya it has 1.5-10 on the oposite side though, but on the side facing the bolt it has the 12-20 deal, I guess they were trying to confuse the living **** out of their troops. It's stamped 1941, is that when Finland and Russia were at war or is that after I'm a little hazy on dates.

[Randomrokottaja]

Ya it has 1.5-10 on the oposite side though, but on the side facing the bolt it has the 12-20 deal, I guess they were trying to confuse the living **** out of their troops. It's stamped 1941, is that when Finland and Russia were at war or is that after I'm a little hazy on dates.

You mean the side used while rear sight tangent is turned upwards? It gives you more elevation for ranges over 1000m, but i wouldn't trust them too much. That 1.5 - 10 on the opposite side is however in metric and the only essential one. Don't care about the side facing the bolt.

"It's stamped 1941, is that when Finland and Russia were at war or is that after I'm a little hazy on dates."

Yes, 1941-44.

"A remarked Finn rear sight for meters from Russian arshin (pic from mosinnagant.net)"

Yes. That is the original MN rear sight (weak construction) used in m/91 + derivatives, m/27, m/27rv and m/28 -rifles. Pretty crappy when compared to finnish made rear sight used with m/28-30 and m/39 -rifles.