The Finnish Model Of 1924

Vic Thomas Mosin-Nagant Dot Net

 

 

Model 1924 Civil Guards rifle made by Böhler Stahl. Its modified 1891 pattern bayonet and metal scabbard is below.

 

 

Two model 1924 bayonets of the 1891 pattern in their metal scabbards. These scabbards are of German manufacture from the First World War and were purchased by the Souljeluskunta to supplement their stock. The bayonet scabbard was then painted in the green color of the Civil Guards equipment. The top scabbard still has its simple cloth belt loop attached to the scabbards "frog" button.

 

 

 

 

 

Model 24 bayonet removed from its aluminium construction scabbard

 

 

 

 

A close up view detailing the modifications made to the standard model 1891 bayonet to the modified 1924 pattern. On the left you can see the standard 1891 Cruciform bayonet and its locking ring viewed from the rear. On the right is the modified bayonet for the Finnish m/24 rifle. Note the relief cut made at the top of the bayonet to allow the locking ring to slip over the taller Finnish front sight blade.

 

 

Here in this detail shot you can clearly see the relief cut in the locking ring that allows the bayonet to be mounted on the stepped barrel of this Böhler Stahl m/24 rifle. With this bayonet seated partially on the barrel you can clearly see that without the Finnish modification to the locking ring, a standard 1891 cruciform bayonet could not be used or mounted on the Civil Guard's m/24 rifles. This is true for both the straight and step barreled varieties.

 

The special muzzle cover that was produced for the model 1924 Civil Guards rifle. Constructed of aluminum, it was designed to slip onto the barrel and cover the front sight blade, thus protecting it from damage. The cover was retained by a locking catch that retained the rear of the front sight base when fully seated. The cap was then unscrewed for the cover to be used as a cleaning rod guide to prevent damage to the muzzle's crown. Later caps were produced from a "pot metal" type material and were not as durable or as sturdy. They are easily cracked or broken if a sharp blow its them or if they are dropped. These darker gray covers are not that common and it is assumed that they were not produced in large numbers or they simply were destroyed in their service life as they are not commonly encountered today.

 

 

A close up of the early aluminum construction cover which was of high quality. On this cap you can clearly see the =S= acceptance/property marking as well as the early Souljeluskunta headquarters acceptance marking below it. Most muzzle cover/guides have the single =S= marking stamped upon them either on the cap or on the side of the unit.

 

 

 

A montage of the muzzle cover. On the top is the side view showing the cap installed and the push button release for the locking bar that retained the cover on the rifle by locking onto the front sight base. On the right is the rear view showing the area that covered the rear sight and the barrel extension relief. The locking bar's catch and push button can be seen clearly in this view. On the bottom left is a front view depicting the cover removed for cleaning the rifle. You can clearly see the rod sized hole in the end that allowed the rifles cleaning rod to pass through into the center of the bore and not abrade the muzzles crown or bore causing a loss of accuracy.

 

 

Here is a picture showing the m/24 muzzle cover/ guide in use with the rifles cleaning rod and the issued cleaning field kit. The pouch is of "home production" as was typical with the Civil Guard. The cleaning rod has been inserted through the rod collar and the rod collar handle inserted through the rod collar and the retaining hole in the cleaning rod, thus locking all three together as one unit. This made for a convenient "T" handle on the cleaning rod. The pouch contained essentially a 1891 model cleaning kit with some Finnish additions. The oil bottle was of a small rectangular size and constructed of steel with a brass cap with an oil dripper attached. The seams were lead soldered. The kit also contained two brass rod extensions. One was a fashioned in a spiral "jag" pattern to retain the flannel cleaning strips for cleaning and oiling the bore. The other was a simple rod extension to allow the proper length to be achieved for reaching the end of the barrel of the chamber. It was threaded to allow the jag to be attached or the horse hair cleaning brush. Adding both created a rod long enough to clean the rifles bore properly. It is very uncommon to find the rod extensions properly marked as property of the Civil Guard. This marking is a smal SY or Sk.Y stamped into the brass rod and jag. The author has only encountered a few of these rare sets in my collecting carrer. The combination tool with a rounded handle was again a reissue version of the 1891 patern. These have been observed occasionaly with a "SY" or "Sk.Y" brand or stamp on the flat of the handle. It was used for firing pin protrusion adjustment and removal as wel as for assembly and disassembly of the rifle. Its blade was reversible to allow for either a small or large tipped flat screw driver blade depending on the application needed. The last component of the kit was some simple cloth or flannel strips used to clean the bore and to apply a thin coat of oil afterwards to prevent corrosion. The muzzle cover and all tools were stored in the pouch when not in use. The pouch was either carried in the large pockets of the tunic or the rucksack.

 

 

 

Some typical ammunition pouches used by the civil Guard and in this case more than likely with he m/24 rifle. Both pouches are German in manufacture and made during the First World War. They are in spectacular shape for their age and service life. The bandoleer on the bottom is again a typical Civil Guard issue and home front manufacture. It allowed the Civil Guardsman to carry 90 rounds of ammunition as opposed to the leather cartridge boxes capacity of 30 each. It is almost certain that the bandoleer is of Continuation War vintage but its issue with the m/24's in inventory with the Civil Guard at the onset of the Finnish Continuation War (1941-1944) which would have been very probable.

 

 

Here we can see the typical m/24 issue pouches again. The top two show the property markings of the Civil Guard inside on the interior of the cartridge boxes flap. On the upper left the pouch was placed into service with the SY in 1923. On the upper left the pouch entered into the inventory of the Civil Guard in 1921. The bottom center pouch bears the same type ink stamp marking as the upper right but this time placed on the rear of the pouch. Its former owner has signed his name on the pouch for identification reasons apparently.

 

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