Fin Capture M38

[Catch22]

Thought I'd share a story about my most recent find. I'm normally the guy jealous of those deal finders, but finally got to be "that guy" for a change.

While at Bass Pro doing some looking around, I found a rack of old milsurps just outside the Fine Gun Room. While perusing through them, I find this M38. After a bit of looking at it and some research, I figured out it wasn't just an M38, but also a Fin capture.

I originally started to walk away from it, but the wife actually talked me into buying it. $119.99 was what it was marked at.

I'm sure there are several Mosin aficionados on here and I'd love to hear any input or anything you guys see of note. What I'm finding is a matching bolt and receiver with "D" and [SA] marks. The butt plate is mismatched, as is the front hand guard ring. The magazine floorplate appears scrubbed. The rifling looked good, but I'm going to have to do some cleaning to see how shiny it is, but no pitting that I could see in the store. If you catch something I'm missing, please let me know.

All in all, I think it's a nice specimen and the price was definitely right. The guy said they hadn't had those guns on the rack for more than an hour. They were part of the estate of a Korean War vet that had recently passed that they were selling. I hate that the family got the raw end of them not knowing the market value of this piece, but at the same time I'm glad I could find such a steal.

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[Anzac15]

Outstanding find! Now I'M jealous! Just don't go overboard cleaning it..it looks great from here!

[Catch22]

I don't plan on doing much cleaning at all. I'll tear it down and remove old oil and any grime, then get some new oil on it. Clean out the bore good and make sure the rifling is as good as I think it is and see if it's dull or bright. Maybe do a light cleaning on the wood and oil the exterior. Just standard maintenance. No refinishing or any of that stuff, for sure.

[WarPig1976]

Does it have a import mark? It's not refurbed which is nice and certainly does have the been there done that look. How do you sleep at night?...

[Catch22]

No import mark. I couldn't find any signs of a refurb mark, either.

Its hard sleeping.

[WarPig1976]

If they could only talk...

[Catch22]

I hear that. I'd love to hear some of the stories any of these old guns could tell.

I finally got home from work and am getting to get a closer look. It's not counterbored. The chamber is full of Hoppe's Foaming cleaner to see how the whole bore looks.

There are a slew of stamps and marks that I'm not familiar with and aren't on 7.62x54r.net. Digging and researching is half the fun, though!