This extremely rare carbine belongs to a Mosin Nagant collector who wishes to remain anonymous, but was kind enough to take these pictures and allow them to be used on 7.62x54r.net.  Although the M38 carbine was adopted in 1938, production did not begin until 1939 at Izhevsk and examples from this year are relatively uncommon.  Besides being a very early production M38, this one was also captured by Finland during the Winter War or Continuation War as evident by the [SA] mark on the left side of the barrel shank just forward of the receiver.  Finnish records from the period number captured carbines in the hundreds which is very low compared to the number of rifles captured.

The primary difference between the M38 and the M91/30 infantry rifle is the shorter barrel and shorter rear sight base and leaf which is only graduated to 1,000  meters, rather than 2,000 meters.  The earliest production M38 stocks had the rear barrel band shoulder approximately the same distance forward of the rear sight base as the M91/30.  However, the stocks themselves were not only different in overall length, but different in length from the buttplate to the rear barrel band shoulder.  Before long the stock was redesigned so that the two models shared common dimensions from the buttplate to the rear barrel band shoulder.  The only differences then were in the length of the fore end and the handguard.  This would certainly have simplified production allowing both stocks to be made with the same patterns.  These early stocks are seldom seen and this already uncommon rifle is still in it's original early stock.  The receiver also has the higher degree of machining and finish that is found on pre-war Mosins.

The sling slot escutcheons are the same style as used on M91s and M91/30s until approximately 1943.  As seen here the buttplate number matches the barrel and also has the alpha prefix.  This is a good indication that the stock is original to this carbine.

Overall this is an excellent example of an early production M38 made even more desirable by it's service on both sides of the Soviet/Finnish combat during the WWII era.   The owner has every right to be proud of it and deserves a "thank you" for sharing it.