Something different

Thought I would post a few pics of my recent acquisition, a Valmet M78 in .308. My understanding is that very few of these were imported back in the late seventies and early eighties. I saw this in a LGS and I tried to resist buying it, but the lure was just too strong.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...G_4051XL-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...G_4063XL-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...G_4055XL-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...G_4062XL-1.jpg

The wood looks like commercial grade walnut.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...G_4054XL-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...G_4057XL-1.jpg

It came with a scope mount cover that takes the Valmet 412 scope mount. Mounted on the rifle there is NO discernible movement in the cover/mount/scope.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...G_4060XL-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...G_4084XL-1.jpg

This thing is a beast with a very heavy barrel and it is looong. Shown with a Romanian RPK for comparison.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...G_4081XL-1.jpg

I even came with factory night sights, but they have dimmed out over the last 40+ years.

These things get so brutalized here in Canada as it is the only AK variant you can legally own. It is nice to see one that isn't butchered. Pretty crazy how much people want them here, prices often tend to be around the 5k mark!

AH memories, had one of those before the Government stole out guns back in 1996, well they bought them off us, I actually made a profit but would have rather still had the Valmet. Or perhaps I should have just purchased some
plastic pipe and buried it along with the 200,000 SKS that appear according to Customs records to be missing from the big hand in.