XL, thanks so much for the tip! I've been in the process of changing jobs again lately and have been a bit distracted -- perhaps an opportunity will come by to grab up one of these M-Ns.
Far from being an obsolete weapon, the TKIV 85, using the Mosin Nagant action, is still in use by Finland's defense forces as a sniper rifle today - perhaps the oldest military weapon still in use!
The Finns are quite tricky when it comes to using old Mosin Nagant iron for modern service. Back in WW 2, they modified the rifle to produce the M 39, one of the more accurate military rifles around at the time:
One of the very interesting things the Finns did to get modern, sniper-grade accuracy out of the TKIV 85 was to bed the barreled action in a barrel block. The action and the rest of the barrel floats freely.
A target-type trigger and revised cocking piece is also used to replace the older military assemblies for these functions. Talk about getting one's money's worth!
Again, thanks for the heads up, XL, I shall see what can be arranged!
