Valmet M78 Rifle: Full Review With Pros & Cons Of Finland's RPK
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- Опубликовано: 4 фев 2025
- This is a full review of the Finnish M78/S .308 rifle, manufactured by Valmet in the early 1980s. We go over the history, features, and take it to the range for a test firing. We try and be honest about the rifle's benefits and also its shortcomings.
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This video is produced and published to RUclips for historical and educational purposes and to document and make record of the content herein publicly available for said purposes. The Mishaco channel is run by experienced and trained industry professionals and all activity portrayed and content herein is presented with all considerations to safety and in accordance with local, state, and the Federal law of the United States. 
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I love how you take such rare pieces from your collection out of their safes and actually shoot them. You just know for every collector like you there's 50 of the guys who would have never let that gun see the light of day, much less fire several rounds in several seconds out of it.
hehe and more rounds were actually fired but lets just say we had a technical issue lol. With the camera, not the gun I mean. Gun ran 100%.
I mean, I don't exactly see the logic in keeping something in the safe till you croak and your gun either hopefully goes to the kids or worse case scenario, police buy back to be cut up. Might as well take it out and enjoy it now.
@@provenancemachining Yep, and with truely nice/rare guns, being never fired or fired a few hundred rounds? That's not really going to make a huge difference in value...not for something desirable. Besides yeah, who relaly cares what something's worth when they're gone? Life is too short. I am all for planning for the future, but you also need to balance that with just appreciating the present too.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping them unfired. They don't have to be shot to enjoy them for what they are. I actually don't like it when people shoot old unfired firearms; you take away something that can't be undone and if you want a shooter by one already shot.
"hopefully goes..." Why is it only a hopefully? That's where all of my things are going when I pass away. And why is it only those two options? There are other family members you could pass things on to, friends, donated to a museum depending on what it is, auctioned at one of the auction houses, etc. etc. etc.
@@LangstonDev And? Of course they are fired at the factory.
"many thousands of hours of R&D to do one thing." Again, and? Also, so does that mean I need to kill people with my rifles?
Most aesthetic military rifle I have ever seen. The dark matte colors of wood and steel, the sharp angles and smooth lines. Not to mention that godly sound of quality machining when charging the bolt
Only flaw is the hideous sling
@@totenkopf1479 Just a Finnish leather sling.
@@misha5670 the Fins know how to make a beautiful rifle but they need to up their sling game haha
I suppose the next "golden age" of these guns is when Finland changes their service weapons away from the ValMet RKs. FDF apparently has a load of these rarer variants stored in vaults just in case, they're usable as long as Finland still uses 7.62 ammo. Let's hope the guns go to museums and collectors instead of scrapping.
Thanks for the great video Misha!
I've got a stamped M78 with six converted AK4 mags and it's one of my favorite rifles in my pre '89 collection.
I'm surprised you didn't mention just how good the typical Valmet trigger is compared to the average AK. I think it's the main reason why Valmet's have such a great reputation for accuracy. Valmet's superior triggers, and the non chrome lined barrels, take the AK design to it's accuracy limits.
Beautiful Firearm!! 👍👍Love the videos as always
I love how the cat temporary steals the show! 😊
You are doing a great service for the gun community .In times like these when guns are hard to find you help me with my addiction by showing me such nice weapons
Fun fact; these are the only AKs (alongside the valmet hunter) that are still legal to own and use in Canada as non restricted firearms; government exempted them after giving a bunch of these to the inuit people.
Subsequently, their value has increased substantially; its not uncommon for them to reach 4000 dollars or even higher.
A year later and they're going for $10k now!
Very cool rifle! Would love to have one.
what an absolutely beautiful weapon
Always love seeing these rifles being taken out and racking up trigger time. Can't wait to find a replacement firing pin for my milled tube folder!
Amazing M78 Misha! Thanks for sharing this NIB rig with us. Sixteen years ago I was a poor college kid and the LGS had a M78 with a black stock for $975 and I like that the mags looked like HK91s
Anyway being broke it wasn’t met to be but I have never seen another M78 in person.
@misha I have a valmet m78 as well but only one magazine lol I wish I knew who makes the converted mags.
I don't know about import numbers in the States, but I have heard in Canada there is around 500-600 M78s that were imported. I'm not sure if that's both M78s and M88s, but 500-600 tends to be the number I hear the most from collectors and enthusiasts.
Your cat learned a lot about Valmet rifles!
Looks like the gun from Red Dawn! Except that one was a 39er with a drum mag. Love the front muzzle device! Looks cool!
Man, the furniture on this fine example is beautiful looks like a nice oil finish. Haven't seen one in person yet.
I hope you can help me. I have a milled m78 like yours and have the chance to buy a 30 round mag for it. Was the one you showed made by mcp (max capacity products)? And do the milled and stamped m78 use the same mags? The guy selling it says it works fine in his stamped reciever m78 but he is not sure if it will work in a milled and I cannot find any info on this. Thanks for any help.
I really want to buy one of these.
As a Finn i did not even know that we had our own RPK lmg.
But it looks nice.
EDIT: Also suprise el gato!
I saw a transferable just went for $15,000 at auction. I know where another one is and I'm thinking about doing it. This video gave a lot to think about. I was hearing that mags are $200 each, but I have G3 mags. I didn't know they could be converted. Thanks.
Its not a simple conversion. You have to remove material from the mag and then weld on both a front and a rear locking lug. Also, keep in mind the transferable Valmets here started off life as semi-autos too. Who converted them to full-auto and how good of a job they did? Those are the real questions.
How do you find these guns ?
Can’t imagine what a mag for those goes for now days....
Basically, bend over and pucker up.
I’ve heard a factory blued one can sell for 800 bucks
"Figure out something" = Probably scrap them all, no sales to the US? As far as kits go, Finland would definitely be one of the last great sources.
Unfortunately, a milled AK 'parts kit' isn't much of anything. Not with the receiver and barrel torched. Then you are just left with some furniture and a bolt group really.
@@misha5670 True, and I was assuming that demill pieces would be included in those kits, which they often aren't. I can't make milled repair plates without those front and back stubs :(
How do you afford this rifle ? Doesn’t this thing go for more than 8000 typically ? Damn !!!
What rifle, gun etc, this is a canon :)
KVVV? VKKK? KVKK! KeVyt KoneKivääri = Light Machinegun
Time to take a razor to that goatee brother. Just kidding awesome video
How is Finland supposed to keep making small arms for their military if they sold off their weapons production?
Easy, buy from China.
Sand: Mankind's common enemy.
Just funnin', thanks for the education, Misha. Spasiba bolshoi.
lol *A wild cat appears*
Meow.
Is it just me or does it look really beefy?
Beefcake!
No, and yes in that order : ) It's design intent was for it to be a squad automatic rifle. It was meant for more sustained, fully automatic firing from fixed positions in a support role. It's barrel is HBAR (heavy barrel) ... a substantially bigger diameter than the barrel of an average infantry battle/assault rifle. And, also the barrel is LONG (23.5 inches compared to 12-18 inches for most assault rifles ). The receiver is milled from billet metal, not stamped out. The stock is a "clubfoot" style hardwood. All these factors together makes it very heavy, and unwieldy compared to it's mobile infantry rifle cousins.