OK, I have my flame suit on, ready for the fire to come.
I'm typically a moderate purist when it come to historical rifles. In the past I've put my shooter SKS in a plastic stock hoping to get better comfort when shooting. The plastic stock lasted a couple weeks. The plastic stock was ditched in favor for the original... never looked back. I like the look and smell with all the minor defects that go along with milsurp rifles. IMO the original stocks ooze character.
I love the SVT-40, everything about then. The fact these rifles are war time gems give them even more character.
I did however have one complaint with regards to the original stock. I had a problem with length of pull. I find the SVT-40 to be short, uncomfortable for me to shoot for any length of time. The original stock was not a show piece. There were stock repairs, dull finish, not very pretty. This rifle is not a collector grade rifle, its a shooter.
Since it was a shooter grade SVT-40 and I'm a tinkerer, it's part of who I am, I thought I'd try making a new stock.
I wanted a Red Rifle flavored stock. I decided to use laminated Baltic Birch, period correct shellac treatment (brush marks and all) and stick to the SVT-40 profile for the main part of the stock. It incorporates the same outsude dimensions as my original Marine stock. Because I'm a tinkerer and need to throw my own twist into the project I incorporated a Dragunov SVD style butt stock to give me that extra bit of length.
I never intended to make it into a SVD clone, it's not a sniper rifle. It's still a SVT-40 battle rifle. If Dragunov rifles were legal here I'd be all over it, I love the look and cal. The reason I went with the SVD butt design is because a longer SVT-40 butt looked weird on paper and the profile didn't fit a mounted POSP. My other butt stock designs were wandering away from Red Rifle designs. The pistol grip is welcomed as well, it makes shooting this rifle more comfortable for me when standing and I have a funky wrist.
SO, I guess this would be a SVT-SVD hybrid? LOL
I know some guy in Russia named Boris is going to choke on his Vodka, but I'm sure he'll forget he even saw this creature after a bottle or 2.. maybe 3
The stock is a direct swap, so I can go back to the original if I want. I did however add the POSP....
(my flame suit is zipped tight) Yup! I drilled and tapped 2 holes, blued the threads and mounted the correct Molot rail.... that's it. Everything else is original including the foregrip piece that covers the gas system. I kept the original upper hand guard wood because there was nothing wrong with it and it adds milsurp contrast of wood pieces. I left the plum bolt color, since I like it and it's original to this SVT.
When I made the new stock I wanted the receiver to have a tighter fit, less movement when shooting. I was going to bed the stock but figured I'd machine the wood first to see how well I can machine the tolerances. I was managed to get the fit I wanted, which turned out to be a huge improvement overall. I machined a new take-down cross bolt to reduce movement, another big improvement IMO. The original was really sloppy.
After shooting this SVT-40 for 6 months, I can honestly say I love it! It feels great for me. I don't feel guilty adding a bipod for range use. I'd feel guilty of adding one to the original stock. I can abuse the new stock (not that I do) without feeling nervous about those little range dings and scuffs. I actually like the few ding its taken, adds the look of use and character. The rifle feels good with a sling. The weight is the same as the original stock as well.
I added the POSP because I shoot 100yrds + and I like to see what I'm aiming at and where I'm hitting. I didn't add the POSP because I'm trying to emulate an SVD. I chose the POSP because it's Russian, I like the optic overall and I can remove it, and holds zero. Originally I wanted to add a SVT-40 scope but the price is steep and would look odd for this project. I really like the POSP on my CZ858. The POSP for my SVT-40 has the same zero as my CZ858, I can swap when I want. I though It would be impossible to achieve the same zero, but I managed to pull it off. Took forever but it's possible. Again the SVT-40 and CZ858 are not precision rifles.
Like I said this rifle is NOT a sniper, nor will it ever be. With the work I've done, I was able to squeeze more accuracy out of it.
This is currently my favorite shooter rifle. I like my CZ858 a lot, but the fun factor of this SVT-40 comes out a bit ahead in my book.
I apologize to anyone that is offended by my terrible deed. I understand these rifles are sacred, but I do not regret doing this project. My next SVT-40 will be a collector grade safe queen. For me, I wanted a more comfortable shooter + I needed to prove to myself I can make an arsenal style hybrid stock.
The stock Is Laminate Baltic Birch, stained with Pine Tar, finished with Garnet Shellac tinted with Iodine.
Unfortunately these are not the greatest pics, but I'd thought I'd share anyway.
So all you purest out there, again I apologize if i wrecked your day .... If you need to vent, by all means....Flame Away!
I'm typically a moderate purist when it come to historical rifles. In the past I've put my shooter SKS in a plastic stock hoping to get better comfort when shooting. The plastic stock lasted a couple weeks. The plastic stock was ditched in favor for the original... never looked back. I like the look and smell with all the minor defects that go along with milsurp rifles. IMO the original stocks ooze character.
I love the SVT-40, everything about then. The fact these rifles are war time gems give them even more character.
I did however have one complaint with regards to the original stock. I had a problem with length of pull. I find the SVT-40 to be short, uncomfortable for me to shoot for any length of time. The original stock was not a show piece. There were stock repairs, dull finish, not very pretty. This rifle is not a collector grade rifle, its a shooter.
Since it was a shooter grade SVT-40 and I'm a tinkerer, it's part of who I am, I thought I'd try making a new stock.
I wanted a Red Rifle flavored stock. I decided to use laminated Baltic Birch, period correct shellac treatment (brush marks and all) and stick to the SVT-40 profile for the main part of the stock. It incorporates the same outsude dimensions as my original Marine stock. Because I'm a tinkerer and need to throw my own twist into the project I incorporated a Dragunov SVD style butt stock to give me that extra bit of length.
I never intended to make it into a SVD clone, it's not a sniper rifle. It's still a SVT-40 battle rifle. If Dragunov rifles were legal here I'd be all over it, I love the look and cal. The reason I went with the SVD butt design is because a longer SVT-40 butt looked weird on paper and the profile didn't fit a mounted POSP. My other butt stock designs were wandering away from Red Rifle designs. The pistol grip is welcomed as well, it makes shooting this rifle more comfortable for me when standing and I have a funky wrist.
SO, I guess this would be a SVT-SVD hybrid? LOL
I know some guy in Russia named Boris is going to choke on his Vodka, but I'm sure he'll forget he even saw this creature after a bottle or 2.. maybe 3 The stock is a direct swap, so I can go back to the original if I want. I did however add the POSP....
(my flame suit is zipped tight) Yup! I drilled and tapped 2 holes, blued the threads and mounted the correct Molot rail.... that's it. Everything else is original including the foregrip piece that covers the gas system. I kept the original upper hand guard wood because there was nothing wrong with it and it adds milsurp contrast of wood pieces. I left the plum bolt color, since I like it and it's original to this SVT. When I made the new stock I wanted the receiver to have a tighter fit, less movement when shooting. I was going to bed the stock but figured I'd machine the wood first to see how well I can machine the tolerances. I was managed to get the fit I wanted, which turned out to be a huge improvement overall. I machined a new take-down cross bolt to reduce movement, another big improvement IMO. The original was really sloppy.
After shooting this SVT-40 for 6 months, I can honestly say I love it! It feels great for me. I don't feel guilty adding a bipod for range use. I'd feel guilty of adding one to the original stock. I can abuse the new stock (not that I do) without feeling nervous about those little range dings and scuffs. I actually like the few ding its taken, adds the look of use and character. The rifle feels good with a sling. The weight is the same as the original stock as well.
I added the POSP because I shoot 100yrds + and I like to see what I'm aiming at and where I'm hitting. I didn't add the POSP because I'm trying to emulate an SVD. I chose the POSP because it's Russian, I like the optic overall and I can remove it, and holds zero. Originally I wanted to add a SVT-40 scope but the price is steep and would look odd for this project. I really like the POSP on my CZ858. The POSP for my SVT-40 has the same zero as my CZ858, I can swap when I want. I though It would be impossible to achieve the same zero, but I managed to pull it off. Took forever but it's possible. Again the SVT-40 and CZ858 are not precision rifles.
Like I said this rifle is NOT a sniper, nor will it ever be. With the work I've done, I was able to squeeze more accuracy out of it.
This is currently my favorite shooter rifle. I like my CZ858 a lot, but the fun factor of this SVT-40 comes out a bit ahead in my book.
I apologize to anyone that is offended by my terrible deed. I understand these rifles are sacred, but I do not regret doing this project. My next SVT-40 will be a collector grade safe queen. For me, I wanted a more comfortable shooter + I needed to prove to myself I can make an arsenal style hybrid stock.
The stock Is Laminate Baltic Birch, stained with Pine Tar, finished with Garnet Shellac tinted with Iodine.
Unfortunately these are not the greatest pics, but I'd thought I'd share anyway.
So all you purest out there, again I apologize if i wrecked your day .... If you need to vent, by all means....Flame Away!
