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Very interesting thread.

A couple things more;

Some 100,000+ Japanese Arisakas were obtained from Great Britain {where they had been used for training purposes} c.1916 by the Czarist authorities. IIRC, they were issued to units on the Northern Front, which I take it would have been somewhere west of Petrograd. Interestingly, the cartridge for this rifle; 6.5x50 semi-rim served as the basis for what might be called the first assault rifle shooting the first "intermediate" cartridge, the Federov Avtomat M1916. {Remember, the Russky's had firsthand experience on the receiving end of this round in the 1905 war with Japan}. Federov chose the cartridge because it was in the logistics system and stressed gun components less than the 7.62x54R, and a lighter weapon could be built around it. The M1916 was manufactured for about 5 years and remained in limited service with Soviet armies till WW2, some even being issued...against the Finns in the Winter War!! There is an interesting picture in Ezell's book on the Kalashnikov of several Soviet soldiers holding M1916's during the Winter War.

Canadian Ross rifles were also obtained and in highly modified condition, served for many years with some Soviet target shooting teams.

Primary arms issued during the Winter War were the M91 series and both Army and Civil Guard {SAKO} modifications; M91 & M91/24, M1927, M28 and M28-30. The famous Simo Hayha has been cited as using an open-sighted M28 for many of his 500 sniper kills. M39 Ukko Pekka was not issued in large numbers until the Continuation War and even then, from the reading I have done on the subject, it was actually outnumbered in service by the many, many tens of thousands of M91-30 rifles captured from the Russians. The 91-30 even received a complete echelon of maintenance in the Finnish army.

Enough M95 Winchesters were captured by the Germans in WW2 to be listed among their Fremdgeräte lists. It was given its own designation but the precise model escapes me. 955r?? Anyway, exactly what units in German service was issued these weapons I do not know but if memory serves me, some Naval units received some.

Do any of you Finns have a copy of Palokangas' excellent Small Arms of Finland? Maybe there is a section in it regarding the 95? I have the portions on the Mosin-Nagants & Kalashnikovs, but not any of the other weapons.

A fellow on the Swede Forum had a 9.3x53R built a few years ago. He lives in Colorado and has since ceased posting. However, he did a fair amount of handloading with the 9.3x53R and made some interesting comparisons between it and the 9.3x57 which is its "twin brother of a different mother".

There are many thousands of Mosin-Nagants in this country now, and I used to have an extensive collection of them. The Finn modifications especially the 28-30 are amazingly accurate rifles. I killed a bear with a M39 Ukko Pekka. A good memory except for the packing out part. Getting the bear out of the mountains was easy. Lugging Pystykorva up and down the mountain was something else!!!

My Dad was fond of a funny play on English words that he learned reading the news of the Winter War. He used to chuckle and say; "Remember, a Russian horse will never cross the 'Finnish' line..."

PS: For those confused, the 9.3x57R mentioned in previous posts on this thread is NOT the 9.3x57R/.360. Repeat, NOT.

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What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

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