I'm considering looking into a Finnclassic 512 or older Valmet 412. Has anyone here had or have one. Good vs bad?

The older 412 VALMET has been made in Finland. Most VALMET enthusiasts have opinion that they are better than Italy made Finnclassic 512`s.

I have shot a few Valmets that my buddies owned, Combo guns and double rifles, s well as O/U shotgun barrels. They all shot good.

My only dislike of them is that they are a little bulky and heavy handling.

I much prefer, and own a Blaser BBF97. It is an O/U 308, 20ga 3". The 308 barrel shoots under an inch at 100 yards, the blaser scope mount goes on and off and maintains zero 100%.
And Blaser scope mounts are easy to find.

Also it has two triggers, which allows you to instantly select rifle or shotgun.

I have had several over the years. I used to deal in them but the inventory must have dried up as people have decided to hang onto them. I consider the best of the bunch the 412S Valmets. They had optional double triggers. About half of my guns are equipped with them. The triggers can be switched for left hand use. They also were available with right and left hand stocks. One great feature of the 412s is that the lower barrel on combos and doubles is adjustable for point of impact, unlike most other brands. The Tikka 412s and the Finnclassic 412s and 512s built in Italy are built on the identical machinery that the Valmets were built on in Finland. I always liked the ejector double rifle barrels in 9.3X74R, 375 Win and 7X65R. All of the rimmed calibers double rifle barrels were ejectors while the rimless calibers were extractor guns. After I sold my last double 9.3 barrel, I thought I'd find another one. When I didn't, I bought a Finnclassic double 9.3 barrel set and I prefer it to the previous models because the sights are so much superior to the Valmet sights. Currently I have a double 9.3, a combo 12/7X65R and a bunch of double shotgun barrels in 12 and 20 gauge. I must have about seven actions all total, most with left handed double triggers. Would you believe that the action I use for the double rifle is a single trigger gun? No use to select a barrel: they're both the same.

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. The Tikka 412s and the Finnclassic 412s and 512s built in Italy are built on the identical machinery that the Valmets were built on in Finland.

Yes, that´s true. But the difference is the level of hand finishing. VALMET workers used to be quite proud of that but the italians barely not to do nowadays such an expensive work.

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I bought a Finnclassic double 9.3 barrel set and I prefer it to the previous models because the sights are so much superior to the Valmet sights.

That´s true. The reason for that is finnish hunters habit to mostly use scopes even with doubles.

A Blaser BBF95/97 or a Krieghoff or even a Marrochini is better to handle than the bulky Valmet..
You carry those guns far more than you shoot...

M

quote:

A Blaser BBF95/97 or a Krieghoff or even a Marrochini is better to handle than the bulky Valmet..

I would buy old TIKKA m77, the last TIKKA factory combo made in Finland. They are very light and accurate.

I have quite a bit of 412 bbls ect...



Includeing a new in the box 412S DR,



412's are quite accurate,



and i've taken quite a bit of big game with them,



Decent versatile guns...

DM

Are you interested in selling any of them?

here is a link to my post on my Tikka 512SD. Scroll down for my post. Love the gun. I have 3 barrel sets for mine.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...791062111#7791062111

Peter

The Tikka 77 isn't significantly lighter than a 412 and it has an exposed hammer that must be cocked for every shot. Not in the same class as the 412. I don't hunt with my shotgun barrels for upland game, as I have lighter guns. But for hunting with slugs and buckshot, I haven't found better smooth bore barrels. And the adjustability of the double and combo barrels is so nice. I have set up guns so that one barrel was deliberately higher than the other for short and long shots. Or how about zeroing the top barrel of a combo for slugs and adjusting the bottom 9.3X74R barrel to coincide? I once sold a cased set, all with 24" factory barrels, in 12/12, 9.3 double, and 12/9.3. The customer was a consulting engineer who took it all over the world and used it a lot. The guns are very versatile; just not very light weight. I have read that Marrochi has revised the line with an alloy frame to save weight, but Italian aesthetics being what they are, the guns probably still won't appeal to Anericans.

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The Tikka 77 isn't significantly lighter than a 412 and it has an exposed hammer that must be cocked for every shot. Not in the same class as the 412.

You talk about an older model, M07 has exposed hammer. If you look my foto more carefully you`ll notice that M77K has no hammer.

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Originally posted by igorrock:

quote:

The Tikka 77 isn't significantly lighter than a 412 and it has an exposed hammer that must be cocked for every shot. Not in the same class as the 412.

You talk about an older model, M07 has exposed hammer. If you look my foto more carefully you`ll notice that M77K has no hammer.

And it is also much lighter than a 412.

I've had 20-25 Valmet 412s and 412S models, as well as the Marocchi made Tikka 512, which was in 12ga 3" over 9,3X74R with double triggers. It was my favorite of all of them. I added a set of the Lothar Walther made 9,3X74R DR set and used it a lot.

Although heavy, they are very easy to tame and regulate, and they shoot quite accurately.





I took a decent kudu with the 12/9,3...

When reading that all I have to ask how many of yours have even tested TIKKA M77K ? Of course it don´t have any 9,3x74R barrels but with smaller calibers it´s very nice combo. And even a shotgun if you want so.

I just put up a Valmet 412 Double Rifle in 9.3X74R, with a spare 12GA 28" shotgun barrel, for sale in the Classifieds.

The way I understand it, these barrel sets are not fully interchangable. They must be fitted to the receiver. Am I wrong? I have never had one but I see a few barrel sets for sale on Gunbroker and similar websites. If they require fitting, how easily is this done? I have also been told the Finn Classic 512 is being discontinued. Are they just updating or releasing a newer model, or are these now a dead issue?

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Originally posted by Brain1:
Are you interested in selling any of them?

I may be interested in selling some, it depends on what you are looking for... PM me what you are looking for.

I WAS a Valmet dealer/distributor and still have some NOS that i've been holding onto...

DM

I can find no information on a Tikka 77. Help me out here.

A new barrel set will require fitting to a receiver. Once fitted to one receiver, the barrel will generally fit on other receivers as well. Sometimes a bit of tiny adjustment is needed. The Marocchi 512 line has been discontinued in favor of a new model with aluminum receiver. I am not sure, but I don't think they will interchange with the previous models.