A "Tiger" of an SVT-40

[chanman]

If it were a storage marking, it would be in the category of freak occurances for sure. Definitely not a phenomenon resulting from practices performed on large amounts of rifles. I wonder if this disqualifies the string wrapping theory since its not something you see often.

Hmm, since I don't think the Soviets were particularly concerned with the colour of their gun stocks, it probably wouldn't be dyed or have any colour except from the shellac, right?

If the rifle was originally finished with a dark shellac and was later repaired with a light one, would the second application dissolve the first layer and mix the two, or would the second layer go right over top?

 

[XIIXXIMMXII]

First of all, its been re-finished.
So, to me.... it looks like a "Torching Tiger" job.
Sorry.

 

[skirsons]

First of all, its been re-finished.
So, to me.... it looks like a "Torching Tiger" job.
Sorry.

Fair point. But it was refinished by the soviets. If it were done by some collector for some strange reason why would they not do the handguard - or even the other side of the stock? Or even the buttstock?

Same rifle:

 

[mg4201]

Fair point. But it was refinished by the soviets. If it were done by some collector for some strange reason why would they not do the handguard - or even the other side of the stock? Or even the buttstock?

Same rifle:

handguard could have been replaced at the russian version of annual technical inspection or damaged in use and then replaced by the unit armorer.

 

[Claven2]

1) tiger striping is not rare in hardwoods. It happens most often in maple, sometimes in birch and english walnut too.

2) Ref "pitted" mags. The mags in question rarely turn out to be genuinely pitted magazines. Most I have observed personally that looked pitted were in fact stamped from a lower quality hot rolled steel sheet which gives a pitted look after pickling and blueing. I suspect it was a wartime manufacturing expedient. The smoother mags are made from cold rolled steel and were likely made when cold rolled was more available.

Some mags are probably genuinely pitted, but many do not appear to be. Case in point, the sides look pitted but the front where the spot welds are ground flush are usually pit-free