Bernie Sanders is technically a social democrat, not a democratic socialist

[Sancho]

9. The overlap with Socialism, Scandinavia, and Bernie is one he chooses and rejects conveniently.

Bernie acts like any other American politician sometimes, and he simply goes with the people he represents in Vermont. On other issues, he gets traction by citing European socialists memes, and sometimes he moves pretty close to the Socialist Party USA. It seems that he picks what he thinks that his target group wants - with a touch of rebelliousness to get attention, and a bit of populist sentiment. Bernie does not, to me, represent a solid social value. He clearly focuses on economic justice, but has overlooked social justice on occasion. At least recently, Bernie has avoided discussions of "socialism" or "democratic socialists" since he is well aware that being labeled will be bad for the campaign, and very few people know or care about nuanced differences in definitions. Just a couple examples:

On some issues, Bernie sounds exactly like quotes you can find on the socialist party websites if you hunt around:

http://socialistparty-usa.net

Democratic revolutions are needed to dissolve the power now exercised by the few who control great wealth and the government. By revolution we mean a radical and fundamental change in the structure and quality of economic, political, and personal relations.
So-called fair trade is meaningless as long as the world economy is dominated by a few massive corporations.
We call for a minimum wage of $15 per hour, indexed to the cost of living.
We call for the elimination of subsidies and tax breaks that benefit corporations and all other forms of corporate welfare.
We oppose the court-created precedent of “corporate personhood” that illegitimately gives corporations rights that were intended for human beings.

On the other hand, Bernie is notably different on clearly social issues like gun control compared to Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark; here's one:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_of_gun_laws_by_nation#Finland

Finland[edit]
Main article: Gun politics in Finland
The ownership and use of firearms in Finland is regulated by the country's Firearms Act of 1998. Weapons are individually licensed by local police forces, there is no limit on the number of licenses an individual may hold. Licenses are granted for recreational uses, exhibition or (under certain circumstances) professional use. No type of weapon is explicitly prohibited, but licences are granted only for a reason. In general, this excludes all but hunting and sports guns from non-professional use.
With the exception of law enforcement, only specially trained security guards may carry loaded weapons in public. There is almost no regulation of air rifles or crossbows, except that it is illegal to carry or fire them in public. Guns are divided into 13 firearms categories and four action categories; some of which are limited. Fully automatic weapons, rockets and cannons (so called "destructive" weapons), for example, are generally not permitted.
In November 2007 Finland updated their gun laws, pre-empting a new EU directive prohibiting the carrying of firearms by under-18's by removing the ability of 15- to 18-year-olds to carry hunting rifles under parental guidance. In 2011, after controversial high school shootings in 2008 prompted government review, a constitutional law committee concluded that people over the age of 20 can receive a permit for semiautomatic handguns. Though individuals have to show a continuous activity in a handguns sporting for last two years before they can have a license for their own gun.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2015/05/bernie_sanders_on_guns_vermont_independent_voted_against_gun_control_for.html
http://dailycaller.com/2015/05/01/bernie-sanders-second-amendment-socialist/#ixzz3c673QCfm
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/run-2016/2015/07/10/bernies-big-break-with-the-left-on-guns