I collect the M39’s and they’re the best of the series by far. As to why you’d get one...
300 yards, unscoped, 12 in metal target, 50 year old surplus combloc ammo...hit it 5 out of 5 all day long. More energy at 500 yards than a .45 point blank.
Plus, they’re like doritos...you can’t have just one... :-)
I owned a Sako-marked M1939 and then sold it (grrrrr).
For me, it was a freedom weapon. The Russkies invaded Finland and were killed by the tens of thousands by Finns using the same battle rifle but much improved. Might say the M39 has good karma.
I later bought a nice M1891/30 sniper with the original scope, all numbers matching. Learned later it was probably imported from Ukraine, another country seeking freedom from the Russian yoke. Still have it.
Then there’s my Chicom Type 53 carbine, an M1944 copy. A gift from my classmate when we were in Vietnam. He was infantry and I was a `real helicopter pilot’. Guess which of us saw more neat souvenirs.
If the current crop of Mosin Nagants comprise a cheap and effective `peoples’ rifle’, then let it be the one peeping from behind `every blade of grass’.
See 13.