Valmet Leijona
- Category
- Shotgun
- Barrel
- 660 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.20 kg
- Introduced
- 1948
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Valmet Leijona ('Lion') is a Finnish over/under double-barrel shotgun produced by the state-owned Valmet Oy. Introduced in 1948 initially as a 16-gauge and later offered in 12-gauge, it is a break-action stack-barrel gun with 2 3/4-inch chambers, extractors and a walnut stock. Its economical, compact design made it a popular affordable hunting and sporting shotgun in postwar Finland.
'Leijona' is Finnish for 'Lion' - a nod to the crowned lion of Finland's coat of arms; the humble over/under put an affordable double gun in the hands of Finnish hunters and later grew into Valmet's respected 212/412 shotgun line.
Original design derived from a French pattern from Saint-Etienne and refined by Valmet technicians; the Leijona is an ancestor of Valmet's later 212/412 series over/under shotguns.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Valmet
- Category
- Shotgun
- Country
- Finland
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1948 to 1968
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 660 mm
- Overall length
- 1090 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.20 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Break action
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 2
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 400 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 2560 J
- Effective range
- 40 m
- Maximum range
- 200 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Over under barrels
Top lever break action
Walnut stock
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 622 12 Gauge shotguns | 3.20 kg | 3.29 kg | Lighter than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 570 12 Gauge shotguns | 1090 mm | 1150 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 650 12 Gauge shotguns | 660 mm | 711 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 647 12 Gauge shotguns | 2 | 3 | Holds fewer rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the Valmet Leijona
How much does the Valmet Leijona weigh?
The Valmet Leijona weighs 3.20 kg (7.05 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Valmet Leijona?
The Valmet Leijona is chambered in 12 Gauge and 16 Gauge.
How many rounds does the Valmet Leijona hold?
The Valmet Leijona holds 2 rounds.
How long is the Valmet Leijona?
The Valmet Leijona is 1090 mm (42.9 in) long overall, with a 660 mm (26.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Valmet Leijona?
The Valmet Leijona is made by Valmet (Finland). It was designed by Paavo Narinen.
When was the Valmet Leijona introduced?
The Valmet Leijona was introduced in 1948 and discontinued in 1968.
How does the Valmet Leijona operate?
The Valmet Leijona uses a break action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Finnish sport and hunting shooters
- Finland
Provenance
Confidence in this record
62%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/valmet-leijona' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "valmet-leijona", "name": "Valmet Leijona", "manufacturer": { "id": "valmet", "name": "Valmet", "countryCode": "FI", "foundedYear": 1951, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": "defunct", "defunctYear": 1999, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": true, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:40", "updatedAt": "2026-09-15 07:19:19", "version": "30c3f593dc71e25d55a40fb967800b0d76b0243fa48d50babe9720bca6f180b7" }, "category": { "id": "shotgun", "name": "Shotgun", "description": "Smoothbore firearms designed to fire shot or slugs" }, "country_of_origin": "FI", "year_introduced": 1948, "barrel_length_mm": 660, "weight_empty_g": 3200, "action_type": "break_action"}