Inspector´s marks! Help to build reference section!

[L61R]

Hey all you great people!

I hope you are all settling in here at the new SCC and that you are enjoying the new forum and the new site with information about our favourite brand.

I have been pondering on the inspector´s marks for a while and I think it would be of general interest if we could sample as many as possible in a thread here for reference. Then I can post it on the main site for future use.

To do this I will need help from you good guys!

Take a pic, no flash please, and upload it to this thread. And to make it even more useful, include which action it´s from and at least part of the serial number.

I know that a few of the inspector´s names are listed in Arma Fennica but I don´t have that book here with me now, so I have to check later on.

If you have any other ideas and thoughts about this little project, just hit enter after you have typed in your post!

Cheers!

Jim

 

[stonecreek]

Jim,

Just to be clear, the inspector's mark is the symbol located just to the right of the crowned lion's head which follows the serial number, correct?

 

[L61R]

Yup, that´s right! Should have been more clear from the start so thanks a lot for the help!!

Jim

 

[L61R]

Here´s an example of how you can do it! Both barrel and action. But I prefer if you can get a little closer than I did!

It will be interesting to see how many we can sample! Not too many I believe.
Not sure but I don´t think there were very many inspectors.

Jim

 

[stonecreek]

Here's a whole potload, courtesy of Rodger at SakoSource.com. He gave me permission to reproduce these from his website of Sakos for sale (some of them may be previously sold items.)

It appears to me that there were only three common marks, which I interpret as: "PV" (or "RV", take your choice), "JTV", and "MV" (or perhaps "NV"). The photo of the early Riihimaki shows some inspector marks, but they are difficult to decipher.

Hope this helps.

 

[stonecreek]

Here's a "PV" (or "RV") which somehow failed to upload on the previous post.

The inspector mark on the action seems to have been dropped somewhere about the same time that the A-series began.

 

[L-46]

Jim,
You are correct, the 'Inspectors' are named in Arma Fennica,
NT~ Niilo Talvenheimo
MV~ Matti Vartia
RA~ Ralf Ahlgren

As you know the very early L46 rifles had no inspection marks till about 45xx-5xxx. The first record I can see, is with NT stamped on either the barrel or action and later on both.
There are dozens of variations of NT's stamp, and most appear to be hand stamped until some time in the fifties. His early stamps are so varied it is possible to think they are a different person.NT's stamp appears to run into the early production of the L461.
By the time MV is stamped on the actions and barrels, they are roll stamped and appear much more consistent. It would be quite possible to have a rifle around this time with an action stamped MV and a barrel stamped NT
It will be interesting to see how long the 'Inspectors' stamp lasts into the A series rifles, as i only have one rifle, an A1 at 159xxx and it is stamped the same as the rifle pictured above.
Below is a pic of my second run L469, which should have an inspectors mark on the action.

L-46

 

[L61R]

Thanks guys!

I have checked some more of the pics I have on my laptop and I haven´t found any other than the four mentioned here.

It´s kind of mindboggling that all Sako´s of such a long time were checked by so few! So I hope all memebers will check their Sakos to see if we can round up a few more.

And we need to find out who the RV is/was.

By the way. SAko started to mark their rifles with inspectors marks and proof marks in 1948.

Jim

 

[deergoose]

there's an SA, guys.

I may have a name written down somewhere.....will try to find and update the thread.

DeerGoose

 

[Ports]

AII 335026 RV
Recently acquired, the only thing that remains is the action.

(Found the second number on http://www.gunauction.com/buy/91795...o-aii-mannlicher-stock-nice-in-caliber-308win)

 

[FastBK]

Here's a "PV" (or "RV") which somehow failed to upload on the previous post.

The inspector mark on the action seems to have been dropped somewhere about the same time that the A-series began.

View attachment 6067

Hopefully you see this the round about way. I was unable to copy the link on my phone.