I had owned an AG42 (traded it about a month ago for a NO1MK3 enfield). Anyhow, it was fun to shoot, loud, accurate, but watch your fingers. It makes the garand thumb look like a walk in the park. Very easy to field strip, I could do it in about 15 seconds. A pain to recover the brass. I was going to do the gas mod to it but ended up trading it. It's also funny when your friend is videoing you from the side and gets beat up by the gas escaping from the porting.
Another problem that I had with it was that in my area I couldn't find factory ammo cheap. The 5 closet gunshops that I frequent had limited quantities of it (under 5 boxes at each place) but it cost anywhere from $30 to $40 a box. Those prices are not so bad in a bolt or single shot, but in a semi, with the tendancy to want to keep on going until the bolt locks back, not good.
I reload, so not as big a deal, as long as I can find my brass. Definitely would need to add a gas system if I went this route.
That being said, in a couple of years I might just get another.
I have wanted an SVT40 going on a year now, but I just can't justify getting one yet. I know this will probably bite me in the a$$ latter, but I am too devoted to my beloved enfields. It (the SVT) uses the same tiliting bolt as the AG, it has the adjustable gas system, robust and it should always work. It too might be a little heavy but heavy is good, heavy is reliable. If it doesn't work you can always hit them with it.
Oddly enough I seem to remember the SVT weighing less than my hakim, and apparently the AG42 is similar in weight to the hakim? There's certainly a lot more wood and metal on them. I quite like the 7.62x54r round, but that darn fluted cylinder just chews brass up... that's actually why I sold mine... drove me nuts with it's destroying of reloadable brass. Surplus is all well and good if you like cleaning dirty corrosive crud out of the gas system, but once it runs out, you're back to destroying brassIf there weren't fluted chambers I'd be on the SVT like a fat kid on a donut.
As for 7.62x54r, I can't see the supply drying up. The surplus might run out but there will always be new manufacture (CZ/Seller&Bellot, MFS to name a couple) for a few dollars more. (Hey there is another movie reference
All that being said, I would snatch any of them up if they crossed my path and the price was right.
I have the AG42,Hakim,FN49 and SVT40.
AG42, very good rifle,simple, accurate,no recoil and 6.5x55 is sweet.
Hakim, same as AG 42 but adjustable gas system, i only fired fews rounds with it. Its very heavy and loud as hell.
FN49 egyptian contract, i didnt have time to fire it yet. Very high quality rifle,excellent sight system,easy to take down,adjustable gas.
SVT 40, still my favorite
Jocelyn
I do like the fact that after market scope mounts are made for the SVT that uses the milled rails on any model. Might not be the most accurate, but hey, if it's minute of pie plate I'll be ok.
Speaking of blowing cr@p in your face - what about the AG42 Kabooms from using low burn rate powder and having a premature bolt unlock and cartridge failure in the action? Since I reload that's something of a concern, since I'm dicking with the loadings, and commercial ammo has a tendency to be low pressure slow burning to cater to some of the older guns.
