C&R · IV · 161
Lahti L-39 anti-tank rifle
Section IV: still an NFA firearm, also a curio or relic
Official wording
ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION IV · VERBATIM · PDF P. 86 ↗
Lahti, Model 39, cal. 20mm anti-tank rifle.
What this entry requires
- INFOATF states no date; production was about 1939–1944.
- INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).
Editorial facts · Our research
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 86 ↗ · ATF original ↗
- Entries
- 1 line
- Verbatim check
- Checked against the PDF text before every release
- Editorial facts
- Confidence: High · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
- References
- 1. Wikipedia, “Lahti L-39” ↗, country: infobox origin Finland; made by Valtion Kivääritehdas (State Rifle Factory)
- 2. Wikipedia, “Lahti L-39” ↗, action: semi-automatic, gas-operated (infobox type semi-automatic anti-tank rifle, action gas-operated)
- 3. Wikipedia, “Lahti L-39” ↗, years: infobox production date 1939–1944
- Fact tags
- ATF the ATF wording states it.
- REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
- ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
- NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
- Source checked
- 20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
- Corrections
- 1 change · see below
Correction history
- Evidence passYears: 1940–1944 → 1939–1944. Wikipedia infobox gives production 1939–1944
Historical context
Image: Wikimedia Commons, “Lahti L-39 Mikkeli 2.JPG” by MKFI, Public domain. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “Lahti L-39”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The Lahti L-39 is a Finnish 20 mm anti-tank rifle used during the Second World War. It had excellent accuracy, penetration and range, but its size made transportation difficult. It was nicknamed "Norsupyssy", and as tanks developed armor too thick for the Lahti to penetrate, its uses switched to long range sniping, tank harassment and with the L-39/44 fully automatic variant, employment as an improvised anti-aircraft weapon.