FINNISH LAHTI MODEL 39, 20MM ANTI-TANK RIFLE WITH AMMO & TRANSIT CHEST

FINNISH LAHTI MODEL 39, 20MM ANTI-TANK RIFLE WITH AMMO & TRANSIT CHEST

03-1682
Cal. 20mm
S# 1731

Bbl. 55″. Originally derived from the earlier Lahti aircraft cannon of 1937 & modified as a ground weapon. Aside from the sheer size, one of the most recognizable features is the ski-equipped bipod. Another interesting and recognizable feature is the 26″ ventilated, wooden barrel shroud. The Lahti Model 39 is a gas operated, self-loading design. The recoil spring is so massive that it would be impossible to retract in a strait line, like a traditional rifle, so it was designed w/ a crank mechanism to charge it. It takes 2 complete, clockwise revolutions to fully retract the bolt & operating spring, but it is done w/ ease due to the mechanical advantage. When the operator is ready to fire it, a lever on the front of the pistol grip is depressed, dropping the bolt & chambering the round to be fired. Upon firing, the empty casing would be violently discharged from below the gun, making contact w/ a hard rubber roller mounted in front of the the trigger guard before hitting the ground. The bolt is returned to its rearward position, so the chamber can remain empty & start cooling before firing the next round.

It is rumored that though these were designed to fire only a single shot per function of the trigger, it wasn’t uncommon for a malfunction to operate as a fully automatic, surprising the shooter w/ a burst of fire. Though these guns were a little late for the Winter War of 1939/40, a few were said to have been deployed though there seems to be no official record of their performance. Ski style bipod has 2 positions, the other w/ stakes to grip the ground when deployed on a harder surface than snow. The overall length is 86″ w/ 55″ of it being barrel alone. Threaded muzzle, sporting the factory 10 chamber muzzle brake measuring over 5″ in length itself. It includes the original steel muzzle brake cover that snaps in place to help keep debris out of the barrel. The sights consist of a protected post front blade and the rear sights are a tangent sight , elevation adjustable from 200 meters to 1400 meters. The enormous mag-well is located on top of the action and feeds down, w/ the ejection port below the action in front of the trigger guard. (It is VERY important to NEVER have a body part in the way of the ejection path due to the size & velocity of the empty casings being ejected). When not being fed ammo, the mag-well has a dust cover that locks closed w/ the mag release to keep the action free from debris.

All exposed metal surfaces have a nice deep blued finish. Many small parts match the serial number on the receiver though the barrel has a different number which isn’t uncommon. Manufactured at the Finnish State Rifle Factory “VKT”, it is marked “20pst.kiv/39” with “SA” marking above SN on left side of receiver. Barrel is “VKT” marked and numbered 1755. MAGS: 10 steel factory 10 rd. UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: Original transit chest w/ 4 magazine boxes, holding 2 magazines each, 1 spare parts box & 1 shooters box, each containing the vast majority of their original parts & tools. 2 wooden mag loaders, 2 owners manuals translated to English, a copy of the book “Know your AntiTank Rifles by E.J. Hoffschmidt, & over 90 rounds of loaded ammunition in individual cardboard sleeves. NATIONAL FIREARMS ACT DESTRUCTIVE DEVICE REQUIRING BATF TRANSFER BEFORE TAKING POSSESSION. FULLY TRANSFERABLE.

PROVENANCE: Lifelong Collection of Terrance McCarty.

STATUS: CURIO CLASS III