Finland, why are these variants more desirable? or are they

[Shooter5]

Globally, most military troops have an empty chamber in a weapon unless and until they are actually under live fire conditions. That is likely why the safety on the MN is what it is: it probably wasn't used much if any. You will like the M39. The carbine version of the MN was for support troops, artillery, etc. They likely never used them much in combat but still needed a weapon if called upon. The majority of Soviet infantry doctrine revolved around the automatic weapons, organic artillery such as mortars, and for close-in; the PPSh. These weapons and tactics with a combined arms approach - maneuver warfare with armor, heavy artillery and rockets, plus air power when available - is what wins battles. The bolt action rifle sounds cool but its effects on the battlefield historically speaking, were minor.
See the German experience: they also had the squad and platoon firepower mainly depend on the machine gun. Their bolt action 98k was not the decisive arm of battle. Once they encountered the massive firepower of the PPSh during close in engagements, the Germans being smart did not reinvent the wheel (if it works, use it!). They used the PPSh concept themselves. They also developed the assault rifle concept; hence, the StG series.

[pelago]

''most military troops have an empty chamber in a weapon unless and until they are actually under live fire''
**
i am just not so sure about what you say! I never saw that and have the worn out boots to show it
I never went anywhere with an empty chamber, carried the 45 locked and cocked with safety on, the m14 locked and loaded with safety on, same with M16 and shotgun
the most horrible sound i ever heard was late at night on a moonless night at dodge city and I heard the safety click from a NVA ambush team
my fireteam, my squad, my platoon always was locked and loaded

[Shooter5]

''most military troops have an empty chamber in a weapon unless and until they are actually under live fire''
**
i am just not so sure about what you say!

… meant to say:
Most armies globally usually do not have chambered rounds unless in or around direct combat. The US is a little different that way; in the 20th century, we have tended to lock and load for most combat troops - support units are a different matter.
An example of non-chambered weapons is the militaries that use the AK47; its safety tends to be cumbersome to quickly use when coming under fire or when needed to get quickly into action so it tends to be more efficient to just simply rack a round from the mag when ready to fire. There are many variations of this depending on era, circumstances, type of troops, location during conflict etc.
Recall that many soldiers around the world tend to be less trained or proficient in safe and competent handling. It doesn't take too many negligent discharges for commanders to simply order weapons to be carried without chambered rounds.
Currently, even in combat zones, oddly enough, some US forces operate under strange restrictions for rounds chambered/magazines in or out - at least from the perspective of a grunt. Consider sidearms, since the US military of all branches has often fielded poorly trained soldiers when it comes to the pistol both in terms of marksmanship and proficient handling skills, units that have the M9 pistol have a wide array of carry rules. Some of common styles are: mag out completely unloaded (sad but true), loaded mag in with empty chamber and on safe, or loaded mag with chambered round on safe. Some unique units can operate an M9 with a loaded mag and chambered round without the safety on as long as the hammer is down. However, those units also tend to use a pistol model other than the M9.

[Art]

The Russians/Soviets built carbine versions for two reasons. The first was horse cavalry which actually continued in service through WWII!! The second was to shorten the rifle and make it more practical not just for rear echelon troops but the regular infantry. M44 carbines were widely issued to front line units in the last year of the war. Finally, postwar carbines, many converted from long rifles (the Model 30/59) were used for police work both in the Soviet Union and the satellite countries.

On the round in the chamber issue. When I carried an M14 on a regular basis in Korea SOP was a full magazine and an empty chamber. This SOP was universally ignored. All pistols were carried with an empty chamber. When I worked the Atlanta Olympics the Georgia National Guard MPs ran into a problem with the civilian authorities when it was discovered that not only were the Guard's pistols carried without a round in the chamber they were carried without a magazine in the weapon. This led to quite a dust up I must say. Finally a compromise was reached in which the Nat. Guard guys carried an M9 pistol with an empty chamber but a magazine in the weapon. One night before the Olympics actually began a Nat. Guard soldier was hit by a stray round from "the hood." He was not seriously injured but I understand you could hear slides being racked all over the place. With an Mosin operating the bolt is undoubtedly quicker than operating the safety!!!

[madsenshooter]

I wonder if the Finns used any of their accuracy tricks on the Japanese rifles and carbines they used.

[JBinIll]

"Finland, why are these variants more desirable? or are they"

Keep in mind,like the Swede Mausers,they weren't that expensive when they first came onto the market.They just didn't come into the country in as big a quantity as the Russian and East Bloc ones.Once collectors picked up on this fact and shooters discovered that they shot rather well the prices started climbing.At the start you could buy near mint Swede M38s and Finn M39s for around $135.I've got one each I paid that kind of price for,now not so minty ones are running 2 to 3 times that.

[pelago]

you are correct, and i did pay more than 135.00 for a sako. but wth
interesting side bar on this topic is that the TV Show "life below zero" has a a part of it a following story about a Alaskan family where the wife of the alaskan, a Unuit Eskimo is the hunter of the clan (so to speak) she even has the tribal tatoos on her face. Little bitty thing in reality, but most of the time she is in BELOW ZERO clothing, but the woman can shoot and her two rifles of choice are both Russian, one is a M39 sniper version with a scope and the other is a Finnish Mosin Nagant. I watched her drop a carribou at over 200 yards trotting and she did it offhand, and i watched her sight in the scoped rifle at over 200 yards at a target drawn in the snow and she hit dead center on 2nd shot where first shot was 12" high
there are some other shows that are of the same venue one is "Yukon Men" where the rifle of choice seems to be the AR platform and i watched a man drop a running wolf at 200 yards with one shot on the AR with iron sights, impressive

[JBinIll]

When you say M39 sniper version are you referring to the Soviet M91/30 sniper rifle?

I've watched several of those shows about subsistence hunters in Alaska,many of them do use military bolt rifles in one form or another with good success.Simple,built rugged,accurate enough to get the job done for the game they shoot.Cheap compared to commercial rifles and built to withstand a lot of abuse,which I imagine they get and easy to disassemble and repair with a minimum of tools.

[pelago]

When you say M39 sniper version are you referring to the Soviet M91/30 sniper rifle?
yes i was, sorry about that i have one also, and it is pretty accurate but i really do not like the vernier dial, no clicks, and at 600 yards hard to remember what is on it, doubt if it was used for that many long shots and in reality you only get one

[Guamsst]

They are more desirable because they are less common, they have more variations and they are generally of much higher quality.

Oddly enough, I have been trying to get some cheap Russian rifles for friends but keep running into nice Finns for between $100 and $175. I am not complaining, but I do find it odd. Heck, I bought 3 Nagants for $300 a while back and was excited that one was a Finn. But then I realised that a second one was a Finn. A lfew minutes later on when I had time to look more closely I realised the 3rd was a strict 91/30 Finn.

Probability of finding 5 Finns for under $600 in 6 months? Pretty low. I sell them at $300-$350 a piece and they move fairly quickly.