very clever

It's for a thingumma.

You know magic markers or crayons are just great for marking such stuff!:cool:

At a certain age, you're sure you'll remember what they're for... :rolleyes:

I'll be using crayons soon, just not on jigs & fixtures... :(

So I finally found one... Not a Lahti L-35, but a Husqvarna M/40 used by the Swedish Air Force (F4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F_4_Fr%C3%B6s%C3%B6n ). Unfortunately with an import stamp, but the price was right, it does have the accelerator and the condition is excellent. :rockon:

OLLE, what is the date of birth of that weapon..?

Ugh. You got one of the ugly M40's... :(

I haven't found any info on actual production year per serial number, but it should be pretty early production as it has the hex barrel and a 1st variation slide.

I actually like this model better than the smooth barreled ones. The hex barrel is one of the distinct features of this pistol, and I like the "utilitarian" look. No barrel vise needed, just put a wrench on it. As a gunsmith, you just gotta love this feature. :cool:

It also has the trigger guard that extends to the front of the frame. That style TG also has a more 'square-ish' profile than the later style.

No matter. It's a Lahti! ;)

I posted this link on pg 1 - you might get an idea of when it was made...

http://www.gotavapen.se/gota/m40/pist40_1.htm

That's my favorite reference when it comes to Swedish guns, but it can be a bit confusing sometimes. I wish they would sort it out a bit and show the different generations side by side in chronological order together with serial number ranges. And some info is just plain wrong, like for example: There's obviously plenty of surplus guns and many of them are still used by target shooters in Sweden, some of which were actually donated by the army for use in shooting clubs when they were taken out of service. Also, I did my military service in '82-'83, and I didn't get any pistol training as they simply didn't have any pistols left (ie: 10 years earlier than they state). The new issue gun (Glock 17) was accepted in 1988, and at that time there shouldn't have been any M/40s left in use.

In any case, that trigger guard is a bit ungainly looking, but on the other hand: This gun is a behemoth and the smaller trigger guard looks out of place IMO. Pretty or not, I think it looks like it belongs there. You just can't make an M/40 look elegant. ;)

World's first crew served pistol! :jumper:

So I joined the Lahti club today. I'll get a couple pics when I get a minute, but it looks just about like any other Lahti out there. M40, Danish contract, fairly low (54xx) serial number. I took it out and put some rounds through it.. once i figured out where it was shooting, it seems to throw pretty consistent groups.
I got it off Gunbroker, and I actually put in fairly low bids on 2 Danish contract M40's. Well, turns out their not the hot thing right now, and I wound up winning both. Ah well, guess I'll have to sell one. I think I'll wait until the other one arrives and see which one I like better...

Question, though. Serial number is prefaced with "d", and is in the correct range.. but it dosen't have the HV under the Danish crown on the but end of the receiver. Receiver and slide have matching S/N''s. I also don't see an import mark anywhere... any thoughts?