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The_Champ
07-07-2012, 09:50 PM
Added an SVT-40 to the collection today. Interesting rifle, for some reason I have a fondness for autos that lob full size rifle cartridges. I was kind of surprised by the weight of the rifle, doesn't feel all that heavy considering that it is now officially the longest thing inside of my gun safe.

A little bit of reading seems to suggest to me that this one was refurbished using an AVT-40 stock....markings stamped on the butt, sling slot cut through butt, as well as the slot on both sides of the safety(one being for automatic on the AVT).

Any input on the markings? Any big fans of the SVT around? Haven't had a chance to get to the range yet, but that will come soon.

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And brought out her Russian and Chicom brothers for a quick photo:

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Partisan1983
07-07-2012, 09:53 PM
I am jealous.

I have always wanted one, but something else always seem to catch my eye.

charger0122
07-07-2012, 10:13 PM
had an svt40 i loved it. i remember shooting it out in the backyard i had ear plugs in,i think its the lowdest gun i ever shot. my buddy drives up while im reloading it. he wants to shoot it so i offer him some ear plugs he didnt want any and i warned him lol. he gave it back after the first shot. lol great guns just gotta keep em real clean or they will get corosive fast.

The_Champ
07-07-2012, 10:39 PM
I heard that the muzzle blast is quite impressive with these rifles....can't wait to shoot it. Is it comparable to an M44 Mosin? Mine gives off quite a report, to say the least.

By the way, what does an SVT-40 go for in the USA? I heard they are hard to come by, is this right? We are over flowing with them at the moment in Canada. All arsenal refurbs, but in great shape, go for $300 at most places.

Schuetzenman
07-07-2012, 10:44 PM
Yes they aren't readily available in the USA. A big batch came in around 1995 give or take a couple of years but I haven't seen any imported since then.

charger0122
07-07-2012, 10:45 PM
its more than a mosin i dont know if it depends on which muzzlebreak it has on it there are 2 dif ones i think. they are pretty rare where im at im in georgia.when i got mine they were like $800 u.s. ,give or take depending on who is selling it. i got mine cheap from a pawn shop the guy didnt know what he had i got it for $250.

charger0122
07-07-2012, 10:49 PM
i would buy as many as i could if there are alot of them at decent prices.cheap to shoot to. there may be a flood of them in canada but one day there wont be and they will be hard to get,and kinda an investment.

The_Champ
07-07-2012, 10:59 PM
i would buy as many as i could if there are alot of them at decent prices.cheap to shoot to. there may be a flood of them in canada but one day there wont be and they will be hard to get,and kinda an investment.

That is probably good advise, I'll keep it in mind. Any idea how many were produced total? I've run into several different figures, but they seem to differ a lot. Somewhere between 1-5 million?

charger0122
07-07-2012, 11:06 PM
thats a big gap 1-5 million, there really isnt a definitive answer on this so you just gotta go with what info you can find.iv looked up the numbers to and i get the same thing.

The_Champ
07-07-2012, 11:16 PM
I'm guessing the real figures of production are casualties of the USSR, like so much information from that part of the world and time period.

Kind of brings up another interesting issue, the "SKT-40" carbine version of this rifle. I've heard that a few thousand were produced, or only a few failed prototypes. Ian Hogg in "Military Small Arms of the 20th Century", a favorite reference book of mine has a great photo of one, but says only "A carbine version, the SKT-40, some converted from rifles and some of new manufacture, also exist but are relatively uncommon."

A few photos floating around the net, but I guess some were converted into carbines recently, and aren't the real deal.

charger0122
07-07-2012, 11:17 PM
and dealing with the fact of the svt38.

The_Champ
07-07-2012, 11:23 PM
Photos floating around the net, people believe these are SVT-40s cut down recently, passed off as carbines:

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The picture from my reference book, as best I could scan it....note the front end around the gas regulator is quite different:

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charger0122
07-08-2012, 12:16 AM
your not likely to find a carbine but you might get lucky. but that last pic u showed doesnt look right to me. it looks chopped an re done.

Helen Keller
07-08-2012, 12:52 AM
your not likely to find a carbine but you might get lucky. but that last pic u showed doesnt look right to me. it looks chopped an re done.


That model had a F/A selector like some of the 38's



the SVT's weren't made to last forever with a long service life like an SKS or Garand. some topped out at 540 rounds or so until parts failure.

The_Champ
07-08-2012, 01:21 AM
Hmmm, don't know where this guy got his info, but the photos with a different placement of the gas adjustment nut look pretty legit.

http://collectorguns35625.yuku.com/topic/3839/Real-SVT-40-carbine-pictures

Krupski
07-08-2012, 09:25 AM
Added an SVT-40 to the collection today. Interesting rifle, for some reason I have a fondness for autos that lob full size rifle cartridges. I was kind of surprised by the weight of the rifle, doesn't feel all that heavy considering that it is now officially the longest thing inside of my gun safe.

A little bit of reading seems to suggest to me that this one was refurbished using an AVT-40 stock....markings stamped on the butt, sling slot cut through butt, as well as the slot on both sides of the safety(one being for automatic on the AVT).

Any input on the markings? Any big fans of the SVT around? Haven't had a chance to get to the range yet, but that will come soon.

1506

1507

1508

1509

1510

And brought out her Russian and Chicom brothers for a quick photo:

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Wow NICE rifle! She looks almost spotless. :thumbsup:

The_Champ
07-08-2012, 08:10 PM
Does anyone know what process they were using in order to get that distinctive red coloring on the bolt and bolt carrier? That sure gives it a unique look.

The_Champ
07-15-2012, 12:00 AM
A quick range report for ya'll.

A friend and I put 70 or 80 rounds through the old girl. Only one stoppage, a failure to extract. This happened on the only round that I single loaded into the chamber so that might have something to do with it. Bolt stopped half-way back. I racked it once and that cleared the stoppage. Otherwise it functioned flawlessly, pitching the brass well clear of the gun, forward and to the right. Surprisingly pleasant to shoot, that action seems to soak up a ton of recoil vs shooting my M44. Not as pleasant as an SKS to fire, but nearly so. Which is amazing considering the ballistic properties of a 7.62x54R vs 7.62x39R....lobbing a much bigger bullet, faster. Used new manufacture ammo, so I don't have to worry about corrosive primers and the special cleaning that requires. MFG hardball....the gun seemed to like it.

Accuracy is workable....like so many military guns, this one isn't a precision shooter. I'd read how SVT's had a problem with a "vertically wandering zero", and I experienced just that. Put three rounds in about 4 inches at 100 yards....which is respectable in my mind for a mass produced rifle with military style open sights. Then had the 4th round fly high, and the 5th fly low. But like I said accuracy is workable......if a man size target is within 300m, it will be in serious danger.

As for handling, there is no doubt the rifle is long....in fact it is now the longest gun in my gun cabinet, but for all that length it is surprisingly light, if a little front heavy. Unloaded it weights in at 8.5 lbs....at least a pound lighter than an M1 Garand, and the same weight as my standard issue C7 (Canadian for M-16 :) ) rifle with a full mag.

All in all I'm impressed, and can't think of a better use for the $300 it cost me :)

Schuetzenman
07-23-2012, 06:15 AM
Nice range report. Thanks for the follow up. Your $300 payment is just slightly over what dealer cost was in the US back in the 1990's when they came in the first time. I had flyers for $285.00 dealer cost back then. Never enough money when you need it.

The_Champ
07-24-2012, 09:51 PM
Never enough money when you need it.

Isn't that the truth :)

stubbicatt
03-30-2013, 05:19 AM
Neat old rifles. I have no facts to back me up, but the posting about parts failure at 540 rounds does not seem credible to me.

I'm really happy with mine. I went ahead and bought the stainless piston and cup and the gas tool. The old gal shot high at the last range outing. I'll take my SKS sight tool and get the elevation dialed in, maybe this weekend.

I've posted elsewhere about it. I'll probably keep this one.

stubbicatt
04-03-2013, 02:09 AM
Ok. A very brief range report. Sunday was glorious. Sunny, warm, just fantastic.

Took the old girl, 150 rounds of ammo and proceeded to get the elevation dialed in. From there, she shot to the point of aim to about 500 yards or so. Close up we shot at clay pigeons and further away on the hillside, at old stumps. She seems accurate enough, and was a whole lot of fun.

Something I don't understand is that when cleaning the barrel, my brushes seem to be picking up some form of cloth or paper type material in the bristles. None of the patches I push through her appears shredded in any way, so I don't know where these little fragments are coming from. Whole lotta cosmoline leached out of that flat piece in the gas block that holds the barrel extension in place. It wiped right up, but there was a lot of it oozing out.

Neat old rifle.