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Finland

Pistols

Used by the Finnish Army in the Winter War

 

 

 

 

 


 

9,00 mm LAHTI PISTOL MODEL L-35

The L-35 Lahti Pistol
(Picture source: "Talvisodan Historia 1", p.167)

The L-35 was designed by Aimo Lahti who has also designed the famous submachine gun SUOMI M-31.

It was designed in 1935 and it became the official pistol for the Finnish armed forces. The L-35 was originally planned in both 7.65 mm and 9.00 mm caliber, but the former remained a prototype.

The Lahti pistol gave a good service in the Winter War, when it was found to be reliable even in very low temperatures.

At first look, the Lahti pistol does have a lot of resemblance to the Luger, but actually the mechanism is quite different. The L-35 fires from a closed breech, the bolt being unlocked after a brief rearward travel and going on to complete the usual cycle. The mechanism incorporates a bolt accelerator-, a curved arm which is designed to increase the rearward velocity of the bolt.

The L-35 was also used by the Swedish army, where it was called the M-40, and it was manufactured by Husqvarna in Sweden. The Finnish manufacturer was Valtion Kivääritehdas VKT (State Rifle Factory) .

 

CHARACTERISTICS OF MODEL L-35 LAHTI PISTOL

Caliber:
System of operation:
Overall length:
Barrel length:
Weight:
Rifling:
Feed device:
Sights:
Muzzle velocity:
9.00 mm Parabellum
Recoil, semiautomatic
239 mm ( 9.41 in )
119 mm ( 4.69 in )
1.25 kg ( 2.76 pounds )
6 groove, r / hand
8-round box magazine
Fixed
Approx. 335 m/s ( 1100 f.p.s. )

 

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7.65 mm and 9.00 mm M /23 PARABELLUM ( PO8 ) LUGER PISTOL

The M/23 Parabellum
(Picture source: "Talvisodan Historia 4", p.286)

The Luger is one of the best known pistols in the world. It was first adopted as a service pistol by Switzerland in year 1900, and this model was chambered for the bottlenecked 7.65 mm Luger cartridge.
The 9 mm Parabellum cartridge appeared in 1902 and was adopted by the German Navy in 1904. In 1908, it was adopted by the German Army ( P08 ) and remained as the standard service pistol until 1938.

When the Winter War started in 1939, there were well over 10 000 Luger pistols in Finland. The M /23 Parabellum service pistol was the most widely used handgun in the Finnish combat units throughout World War II. The total numbers reduced by about half during the wars (1939 - 1944) , due to wear and losses.

There were at least 35 variations of the Luger in existence.

The Luger is a fine-hanging pistol, very pleasant to shoot and it introduced an exceptionally fine cartridge, the 9.00 mm Parabellum. It also has a few disadvantages, being prone to stoppages if mud or sand gets into the action.

 

CHARACTERISTICS OF M/23 PARABELLUM LUGER PISTOL

Caliber:
System of operation:
Length overall:
Barrel length:
Weight:
Feed device:
Sights,  Front:
Rear:
7.65 mm x 21 mm Parabellum
Recoil, semiautomatic
210 mm ( 8.27 in )
96 mm ( 3.78 in )
890 g ( 1.96 lb. )
8-round box magazine
Blade
"V" notch
9.00 mm Parabellum
Recoil, semiautomatic
222 mm ( 8.75 in )
103 mm ( 4.06 in )
875 g ( 1.93 lb. )
8-round box magazine
Blade
"V" notch

 

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7.62 mm Model 1895 NAGANT REVOLVER

The Nagant revolver, model 1895

The M/95 Revolver was produced in both single-action and double-action version and is somewhat unusual in that the cylinder moves forward before the hammer falls, and the forward end of the chamber aligned for fire telescope the barrel.

The cartridge, which outwardly resembles a blank cartridge, has its bullet seated below the cartridge case mouth. The purpose of these design feature is to prevent gas leakage at the joint between the cylinder and barrel.

The first Nagant revolvers came to Finland before World War I, as a service pistol of the Imperial Russian Army. In 1918 considerable numbers fell to Finnish hands and these guns were used in the War of independence by both sides.

After the war large numbers of these guns were retained by private citizens. Only a few hundred M/95 revolvers were returned to state depots. During Winter War, the Nagants in store were taken into service due to the serious shortage of pistols.

 

CHARACTERISTICS OF M/95 NAGANT REVOLVER

Caliber:
System of operation:
Length overall:
Barrel length:
Weight:
Feed device:
Sights: Front:
Rear:
Muzzle velocity:
7.62 mm Nagant
Double-action revolver
244 mm ( 9.06 in )
144 mm ( 4.33 in )
770 g ( 1.65 lb. )
7-round cylinder
Blade
"U" notch
272 m/s ( 892 f.p.s. )

 

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