I am a collector of American, German, and British milsurps. But, I've had an MN sitting in my closet for at least a decade and until today I'd never shot it. I can't recall where I got it. Someone may have paid me to take it off their hands! I say that jokingly, because I think the MN is about the ugliest rifle ever made. This one particularly so, because someone had apparently bleached the stock and applied several coats of glossy polyurethane. Well, I've been bored, so I dug it out and knocked the dust off of it. I stripped all the poly off, applied a light coat of my own alcohol-based stain to what I guess is birch. A couple of coats of BLO, and wax later, and a good cleaning of the metal and bore, and I shot it today.
A few observations and questions: 1)I have learned that apparently this is a "Finnish Capture." I am surprised that a "capture" rifle is all matching. I'm guessing the Finns cared about that? It does not appear to be force-matched. 2)The metal is in like-new condition. It may have been refinished at some point, but the stampings are very crisp. So, it was not polished, yet it has a very nice sheen. 3)This rifle has the hardest bolt operation I have ever seen, and I have shot a lot of bolt-action rifles. No way can I cycle the bolt with the rifle in the firing position. I weight 215 and work out everyday, so it's not a strength issue. Could it be that the rifle has never been broken in, because it does seem to be getting a little easier to cycle with use (or maybe it's my imagination)? Or, are all MNs just impossible to cycle? 4) I only fired six rounds at 100 yards. I'd read that these rifles are rough on the shoulder, but I was pleasantly surprised. Shooting some old surplus, the recoil didn't seem to be any harder than an 03 Springfield, or a k98. 5) My group had three rounds within about 3"...not bad, but nothing to brag about. The other three rounds strung upward with the last one impacting about 18" above aim point. I couldn't imagine what could cause that. Then, when cleaning after firing, I noticed my sight slide wouldn't lock. I had started at 100 meters and the recoil had pushed that slide up to 300m by the last round! 6) The rifle seems to be built to be as simple as heck to operate. But, I was shocked to see that there is no safety. Did the troops slowly lower the striker on the round, and then cock it by hand when ready to fire? Or, just not load a round into the chamber until in combat? Or, just say the heck with it and not worry about a safety?
Overall, I would not choose this rifle to win a beauty contest. Nor, would it be my choice to win a long range (or even short) match. But, if I had to chose a rifle that appears to be built tough as nails, and would probably work fine when full of dirt, mud, snow, and blood, this would be one of the final choices.
