Finn M-27 -- To Buy or Not?

Stopped by a local pawn shop yesterday to see what they had, hadn't been there in quite some time. Not much to choose from except a couple of Mosin 91's....or so I thought.

Asked to see one that looked a bit different, turned out to be a Finn M27, dated 1931. Bluing pretty much gone on receiver with light rust freckling here & there. Non-matching parts and cleaning rod missing, but front & rear sights intact Overall finish on stock and metal looked tired but original.

Biggest problem was the bore. Did not have a proper bore light with me but it was so dark that I could not detect any rifling. Could see light looking through it but either grease, crud or rust was all inside the barrel making it too dark to properly inspect. My only clue was looking down the muzzle, it was all brown and to my dismay, it appeared to be light rust.

He was asking $495 for it, but when I showed more interest in it, he said I could have it for $200 OTD! Was very tempted but that bore concerned me (don't need a non-shootable wall-hanger!) Asked if I could return next week with a better light and perhaps a bore-snake to pull through it, and he said sure. So now my question is; what is the value of a Finn M27 like this? Is it worth $200 even with a crappy bore, non-matching parts & cleaning rod missing?

Appreciate any & all comments! Thanks, --728shooter

In my opinion, if you are planning on enjoying and shooting the rifle, the bad bore condition would steer me away. As far as value goes, I have no idea. For me, on all my shooter rifles, bore condition is everything

If the bore is good, that's a good price. I wouldn't buy it if the bore was bad however.

Things to consider, the Finns took good care of their rifles. That would indicate this bore might be clogged with grease rather than rust or that whoever owned it after the Finns did not take care of it. I wouldn't give up hope the bore is fine.

I've had good luck with M-27's. Bought a bunch in the 80's for $45.00 each, every one was a tack driver.
Sold them all a few years ago for $500 to $650. In Canada there was a time when Retailers had to pay $25.00 to register rifles.
Many just crushed the receivers to avoid paying the fee. I have bought many Ross, Lee Enfield, and Mosin barrels for $5.00 each.
Sadly those Surplus stores are disappearing here in Canada.

dont give up on a bore that looks bad until you clean it real good. Take it home soak it real good it might be dark an still shoot great.Then For 200 that is a good parts gun. I could triple that amount buy selling off all the parts an pieces.

One of my best buys was a Martini-Henry with a bore that looked as you have described. I recommend the following course.

1) Go to the shop. Take the cleaning gear with you AND THE CASH.
2) Agree the price with the storekeeper for the rifle in its present condition before you start!
3) Clean rifle in store.
4) Decide on the spot - keep or not.
5) If it's a keeper, pay cash at once to prevent backpedalling by seller. You have a bargain.
6) If not, you have only wasted the time spent in cleaning, not your money.

This sequence is devised so that you don't trap yourself by revealing a brilliant bore and then having the storekeeper decide it is now worth more, thanks to your unpaid efforts!

In the case of the M-H, the bore was superb. The blackness was a combination of decades-old storage grease and dust.

BTW, I am often surprised that sellers do not take the trouble to clean out bores themselves.

Good luck!
Patrick

Mosins will not have shiny bores. For 200 I'd have snapped it up. It may have been shot with corrosive ammo and not cleaned properly. They tend to shoot just fine even if ugly. Soak, clean, then shoot ten round and clean again. Usually gets the fouling right out.

Well, I went back to that shop today and lo-and-behold, the rifle was not there. Asked the clerk if he knew what happened to it, he went to speak to the guy in the back room and I heard him say it was sold yesterday! So one day short, another one's folly.... I guess it was not meant to be, for me at least. May the new owner enjoy his find (just wish I could have seen what that bore looked like!)

Thanks to all for their input.

--728shooter