Residual independence. Rearmament of Finnish snipers
May 25, 2020 Finnish weapons manufacturer SAKO and the Finnish Defense Forces signed a "letter of intent" regarding the research and development of a family of rifles to replace the 7.62 TKIV 85 and 7.62 KIV 85 Dragunov.
The weapon, known during the testing phase as the K22, entered service as the M23 in December 2021. And the first deliveries of the new TKIV 23 (from the Finnish Tarkkuuskivääri 2023 - “2023 sniper rifle of the year”) will take place before the end of 2022. From 2023, conscripts will receive weapons, after which it is planned to get rid of most 7.62 TKIV 85 and all 7.62 TKIV 85 Dragunov.
Briefly about 7.62 TKIV 85
This is nothing more than a modernized Mosin rifle, developed, so to speak, in 1984 and using a unique cartridge in caliber 7,62 x 53R mm. No other military firearm in use today is chambered in this caliber. The use of 7.62 TKIV 85 ammunition in 7,62 x 54R mm is provided only in emergency situations when cartridges in the 53R sleeve are not available. The reason for this is the diameter of the bullet: for the Finnish cartridge it is 7,85 mm, for the Soviet cartridge it is 7,92 mm. Some 7,62 x 53R mm cartridges were loaded with a 7,88 mm intermediate bullet.
Cartridge design 7,62 x 53R
Who are SAKO?
In general, for people interested in high-precision weapons, the Finnish company SAKO does not need a special introduction. In 1917, against the backdrop of the Great October Socialist Revolution, no less than the Grand Duchy of Finland announced the Senate's statement "To the People of Finland", in which it announced its intentions to become independent. Four years later, in 4, the SAKO company appeared in the city of Helsinki (an abbreviation for Suojeluskuntain Ase- ja Konepaja Osakeyhtiö - “Mechanical and weapons workshops of the Security Corps”).
Initially, the company was mainly engaged in the repair and conversion of used army rifles - primarily Mosin rifles. Then the serial production of these rifles of their own modification was launched. During the Second World War, SAKO was one of the most important suppliers of weapons for the needs of the Finnish army. Currently, SAKO is part of the Nokia concern, while being in a "strategic partnership" with the Italian arms company Beretta. In 2000, the company releases the TRG (8.6 TKIV 2000) series rifle, which today is available in 5 calibers and is used by many countries, including Russia.
South Korean UDT SEAL snipers with Sako TRG M10 sniper rifles
Who are Tikkakoski?
Oy Tikkakoski Ab, founded in 1893, mainly produced sewing machines and consumer durables. From 1927 to 1940, the company also began producing M27 rifles, which later received the nickname "Pistikorva" (Pystykorva - "spitz", or literal translation from Finnish - "ears up", due to the modification of the aiming bar).
In 1983, SAKO bought Tikkakoski and created Oy Sako-Tikka Ab. The Tikkakoski name was later dropped from the name, but SAKO continues to use the Tikka brand for the T3X series of rifles. The T3 series rifles are highly valued by hunters and high-precision sportsmen for their convenience, workmanship and accuracy. In June 2016, the Tikka T3x TAC A1 modular rifle, presented in several calibers, saw the light of day.
Tikka T3x TAC A1
What is 7,62 TKIV 23?
The numbers 7,62 now mean 7,62 NATO instead of 7,62 x 53R mm. By analogy with the retiring predecessor, the new rifles will be in bolt-action (7,62 TKIV 23) and semi-automatic (7,62 KIV 23) versions. The sniper version of the rifle is planned to be equipped with M7XI 2,9-20x50 sights manufactured by Steiner with an MSR2 reticle.
The MSR grid was developed by the FinnAccuracy shooting organization and consisted of various practicing shooters: professional snipers, full-time and retired military, as well as sports shooters, LEO (law enforcement officers) - police officers and LR (long range or benchrest) shooters. The main contribution to the development came from Finnish active snipers and reservists, which directly affected the final result.
The DMR version of the rifle (7,62 KIV 23) will be equipped with Trijicon VCOG 1–6×24. In fact, the weapon is an analogue of the AR-10 with a short piston stroke and a hanging barrel. The most important feature can be called a barrel length of 16 inches (406 mm), in contrast to the 20 inches (508 mm) preferred in other countries.
Unfortunately, there are very few photographs of 7,62 KIV 23 and are used mainly provided by the Finnish Defense Forces
Conclusion
I don't quite understand why it took so long to update. Probably because in fact there are not so many snipers in the Finnish army. The transition to NATO 7,62 in this year 2022 looks quite symbolic, given that on July 5 Finland joined NATO, with which it has been cooperating since the 1990s.
Of course, the Finns know how to make good sniper rifles, but for the most part, conscripts will not get these good rifles in their hands. After returning from service, they will have the opportunity to collect the AR they are used to from what can be found on a shelf in a weapons store.
In general, such a decision is similar to the way the Swiss army liable for military service keeps regular weapons at home all the time after they receive them, the only difference is that Finland is ready to sell them to its reservists.
And yet, no matter how “ordinary” the Finnish rifle may be against the background of the adoption of the same Sig MCX, the fact that everything from the cartridge to the reticle in the sight will be produced domestically indicates a balanced and far-sighted decision.
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