This Finnish M24 Civil Guard rifle, known as the Lotta rifle, is built on an 1895-dated receiver and is chambered in 7.62x54R. It carries serial S878xx. The barrel is a German-made stepped M24 barrel, and the numbers stamped on the bolt and barrel match. The bore is frosted but the rifling is strong, and the muzzle reads 1+ on a .30 caliber muzzle gauge. The rifle retains almost all of its blued finish, the stock is solid, and it comes with its cleaning rod.
Finland never made Mosin Nagant receivers, so the Civil Guard rebuilt existing Russian, American and French made rifles with new barrels as the M24. Barrel contracts went in 1923 to the Swiss firm SIG of Neuhausen and in 1924 to a German consortium led by Venus Waffenfabrik, whose barrels are marked Böhler-Stahl below the wood line. From mid 1925 the barrels were made heavier than the M91 barrel to improve accuracy, with a step near the muzzle so the standard M1891 bayonet could still be fitted. All M24 barrels are undated and carry the Civil Guard crest, an S in a shield topped with three fir sprigs. Upwards of 10,000 of the rifles were paid for with funds raised by the women's auxiliary Lotta Svärd, which gave the type its name, and production of about 27,000 ended in 1928 when the Civil Guard adopted the M28.
Specifications
Country of origin: Finland
Model: M24 Civil Guard rifle, Lotta rifle
Action: Bolt action
Caliber: 7.62x54R
Receiver: Dated 1895
Classification: Antique
Serial: S878xx
Barrel: German-made stepped M24 barrel
Matching: Bolt and barrel stamped numbers match
Bore: Frosted, strong rifling
Muzzle: Reads 1+ on a .30 caliber muzzle gauge
Finish: Retains almost all of its bluing
Stock: Solid
Included: Cleaning rod
