SA Marked Finnish Mosin Nagants
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The Finnish SA property mark stands for Suomen Armeija, or Finnish Army, and is one of the most recognizable marks on Mosin Nagants. It came into use in late 1942 and replaced the "Puolustuslaitos" mark for obvious reasons. Although it is common, it is by no means universal on Finnish built Mosin Nagants and it's location, size, and orientation varies greatly. It is nearly always on the barrel shank and the most common location is the left rear at the woodline. In later production it is usually found on the forward top of the barrel shank. This page illustrates the SA mark, or lack thereof, on 57 different Finnish Mosin Nagants from all eras, models, and makers. Civil Guard rifles are included because they were incorporated into the Army stocks during the Continuation War and most received the SA mark as they came back through the depots for repair or storage. It must be understood that this sample is relatively small and "firm conclusions" cannot be drawn from it. The purpose is to give an overview showing typical placement of the SA mark on Finnish built rifles along with a few atypical examples. For Finnish marks on purchased or captured Mosin Nagants, see the Finnish Marked Russian and Soviet Mosin Nagants page.
M24, originally Civil Guard rifles Size and location is inconsistent among these.
P-Series The small sample of two rifles show consistency.
1920s Tikka M91 It is relatively uncommon to find two SA marks on one rifle such as the 2nd and 3rd ones here.
M27 These are relatively consistent with the majority in the "typical" location. M28, originally Civil Guard rifles These are relatively inconsistent in regards to size and placement.
M28/30, originally Civil Guard rifles With the small sample it is difficult to determine what is "typical" although M28/30s often follow patterns established with M28s.
M39 The VKT and B barrels seem to be consistent with more variation in the Sako, Sk.Y, and post-war rifles. 1940s M91 Although the VKT, VKT/B, and B are each different, they are relatively consistent within the variations. Tikka, on the other hand, varies in placement. M91/30 The three 1944 Tikkas are essentially identical in placement of the SA mark with the small "T" for Taisteluvälinehallinto, or "Ordnance Department".
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