M39, boolits at 50 meters, moose test with boolits...

[Finn45]

Oh yeah, I was going to bench and sight in my m39 just for fun and to shoot our moose test if time allows. 311041 and new Lee x39 boolits printed around 1,5 inches at 50 meters. They were mainly for the fouling of the barrel and the 314299 was going to be the main course. I shot three shots and was going to move the sights (2x scout scope). Oops, it's shooting good, I'll shoot two more to get five shot group (fliers waiting for me for sure)...:

http://pyssymiehet.com/shooting/5shotsm39.jpg

Dang this thing shoots, Must shoot some more just for bragging... After nine shots I needed to take another pic; tenth is going to be the screaming flyer...:

http://pyssymiehet.com/shooting/9shotsm39.jpg

Hot damn, maybe this is not sooo good, but for me it's excellent... I almost went and ironed my socks before shooting the tenth shot. It was a flyer, well, kind of, 21,5 millimeters, 0.85" c-c:

http://pyssymiehet.com/shooting/10shotsm39.jpg

.311 dia, N120 1,5 grams, 23.15 grains. Metric data, low, high, average, ES, Sd, shot count:

http://pyssymiehet.com/shooting/10scorem39.jpg

After this just fast fine scope tuning at 100 meters (2+2shots, one click between) and waiting fore the moose test... This test is not difficult if we are talking about the shooting skills, but waiting, the audience, the cost of the tries and fear to fail makes it difficult... I passed with my first try after watching guys to fail even after all five tries... It's three shots to steady moose target in 20 seconds and three separate shots to moving moose target, distance 75 meters. All hits to vital area (pretty big area in fact) are acceptable and one miss means failing it. This was fun with m39 and scout scope although velocity is not making it any easier. But the velocity is quite near to my Marlin velocity, so...

[Finn45]

Here's one 2.3 meg video about moose test run. Target comes first from the right, then from the left and once again from the right. Shooter is allowed to lift his rifle and aim when he sees "antlers":

http://pyssymiehet.com/shooting/moosetest.avi

[Jumptrap]

Reijo,

I am glad you posted this evidence. I have touted the M39 for a long time and your results mirror mine. I have shot groups like that at 100 yards using...er, the exact same bullet! I don't know of ANY WW 2 era military bolt rifle that can out shoot these rifles.....there is a certain magic in an accurate rifle. The best thing, is the fact that every one of the 39's i have seen shoot this way..it isn't just a coincidence.

[Bret4207]

I've been looking for an M39 for some time, but none are to be found locally. If one should happen to come my way, after seeing these photo's, I'm grabbing it.

[Jumptrap]

I've been looking for an M39 for some time, but none are to be found locally. If one should happen to come my way, after seeing these photo's, I'm grabbing it.

I've got a spare if you want it. I paid $200 for it and you can have it for that. One is enough for anybody!

[Finn45]

Tpr. Bret, hopefully You'll find one if You want one. These are getting scarce in here too, army is selling only overhauled pieces and only to the members of reservists organization and only to those who can prove that they use these rifles for traditional military shooting. So they are not available to anyone anymore. Gun shops are selling CIP tested ones but prices are on the top and quality is not even near like in army originals.

Mark, my friend... without You I haven't ever really had this one. Your "silk purse out of a cows ear" or something like that gave me the final nudge to actually get this piece of my own history. And we have discussed about this too, but I still like to say big thanks to You in public, all the information and the actual tooling to survive through the beginners problems and such... Big Thanks. And if it's not clear already these bullets were from the same actual mold which Mark used.

Same kind of groups at hundred yards? There You just cranked some pressure on my engine for sure, hehe...

What else comes to mind... Hmm, being something like Finnish-American hard core lever action man I was very surprised how fast this m39 is to shoot. Almost ugly looking cam is very natural to crank and I'm pretty sure that I can shoot this one faster (aimed shots) than I can do with my Finnbear. Modern cam style, bent downwards and positioned rear, feels almost effeminate after blasting few magazines at rapid fire out of this m39. Just can't say it better...

[NVcurmudgeon]

I see that your M39 is shooting with the traditional and magical Finnish accuracy. It is pleasing to note that you also use my favorite boolit. My .30/06 Springfield and .303 No. 4 Enfield shoot very well with Lyman 314299, (same as 311299) and a friend of mine used boolits from my mould to shoot some 25 mm groups at 90 m with his Brno 7.62 X 39 Brno carbine. That Lyman design seems to deliver great accuracy in any .30, .303, or 7.62
rifle.

[Jumptrap]

Mark, my friend... without You I haven't ever really had this one. Your "silk purse out of a cows ear" or something like that gave me the final nudge to actually get this piece of my own history. And we have discussed about this too, but I still like to say big thanks to You in public, all the information and the actual tooling to survive through the beginners problems and such... Big Thanks. And if it's not clear already these bullets were from the same actual mold which Mark used.

Same kind of groups at hundred yards? There You just cranked some pressure on my engine for sure, hehe...

Reijo,

No thanks or any of that stuff is needed. I was glad to help you. Like I said before, I can buy a 314299 easily, but not so for you. I'll pick up another, one of these days. What makes me feel good is that after I have bragged something up in public and another man comes along and proves it, well, it seems to add creedance to what was told......rather than being considered hot air. I shot that bullet in my model 39's (and neither look brand new like yours does) over 40 grains of IMR 7828 and punched a similar ragged hole at 100 yards using the issue sights. Explanation? beats the hell out of me! My bifocal weary eyes don't help things at all. Those damned guns will just shoot, pure and simple. Oh yeah, the term is 'Sow's ear'..a female hog. My daddy used to always say that about something made from junk...."made a silk purse from a sow's ear".

[Finn45]

NVCurmudgeon, alright, I'll give this bullet a chance in my .30-06 as well... Haven't check the chambering yet but with a little bit of luck... or then I'll need a 311299.

I know Mark, but thanks anyway 8-)! Thanks for the clearing out the "Sow's ear" as well, I like to be all clear with these terms and words and this one was new for me.

Now I have something else to ponder as You can see after I got my duck season story posted (after few minutes in H, R and OT).

[NVcurmudgeon]

Finn, which diameter of the XXX299 do you have? Mine is the 314299, which works well sized to .314" in the .303 British or .310" in the .30/06.

[Frank46]

Finn45, your groups are not suprising. I shoot the #314299 in my model 27 with 21 grs 4759 and get 2" groups regularly. My bore slugs out at .311 and size the bullets at .313. But since getting cataracts have been searching for a scope setup. Sounds like you have what I'm looking for. I lucked out some years ago and got a deal on yugoslavian made hansen 7.62x54R ammo. First thing was to pull down the powder and bullets. I'm still working on the first hundred cases. I made up a neck sizer from 7/8"x14 threaded rod and have not yet resorted to full length sizing. About 11 years ago a buddy gave me a sweethart deal on federal american eagle 7.62x54R ammo. As you know this was made by norma. Outside of pulling the bullets and powder the cases are still virgin. At that time there was no other boxer primed brass available in that caliber. Why pull the bullets and powder??, this rifle shoots so well with cast that a jacketed bullet will never foul this rifle's barrel. Frank

[Finn45]

This mold is 314299, so I take it as a fat vesion also in the nose section. That's why I wondered if it will chamber in .30-06 Finnbear. Will see. I also made few samples sized to .310" to my friend for his .308, but that might be too much for it. I guess that (with bad luck) almost whole groove-band section hanging back in the powder space is not so good. M39 would have swallowed it even fatter and allowed longer coal easily.

[StarMetal]

Finn

I have the "fat" 314299 and it's chambered in all the 30-06's I've shot it out of with no problems. The latest is a CZ 550 and it loves it by the way too.

Joe

[Finn45]

Joe, That was exactly true with my rifle too. I just checked and when loaded against the rifling, the case mouth is going only .06" past the front band over the nose section. When pushed harder against the rifling the nose engraves pretty well right where it's starts to narrow down.

[StarMetal]

Sounds good Finn, now go shoot it.

Joe

[Petander]

Very good,glad to read these experience-based M39 comments.

It was Finn who sent me the boolits to test in a short barreled 308. They do work in .3115. I´m waiting for a couple of .30 molds to arrive now... no 299 available though. And while at it I also cleaned my sako Finnbear 30-06 from copper.... and found a mint russian M44 which may move to my place, maybe.

M39 is the real thing for us Finns,though. As many of you know, those rifles helped us hold back the largest army in the World, my Grandpa was out there too - and came back. Many didn´t. So from a pure historical standpoint, every Finn should have one of those as well. 8-)

I shoot modern high tech goddammit plastic hi-power rifles at 400 meters regularly with very good results. It´s very easy when you invest enough on quality optics and components. And it gets boring, these days I often go shoot one round at 200,300 and 400 maybe 500m each to verify things, get back home and start tweaking cast stuff.

Cast is just so much more rewarding. I reckon this great board agrees. :D

[Willbird]

The real challange as I see it is to get that kind of accuracy, and replicate the huge orange muzzle flash of russkie spammo hehe


Bill

[C1PNR]

I'd be afraid of cutting loose with that "Flame-Ball" Russki stuff out on our tinder dry Idaho Desert. Just might start one heck of a fire!:shock: