Need help identifying svt40 markings
- Thread starter pobcat
- Start date
A half-diamond shape mark above the SN in the second upper photo is a refurbishment mark of one of the Soviet arsenals: no. 5 in Alatyr, ABV no. 60 in Solnechny (Turkestan) or ABV no.75 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). It's only half-stamped and all three were using a diamond-shaped mark, so it's hard to say which one. The same diamond refurbishment mark is seen in the third photo in the middle. Again, not very clear. The star in the third photo looks like a Tula arsenal marking where the rifle was produced in 1943 (the year is stamped there, too). The circle stamp in the very bottom photo, on the stock, again, looks like a refurbishment mark.
Really nice rifle!
Above information is incorrect, there are no Soviet repair arsenals markings on these pictures.
1st pic - no markings
2nd pic - military acceptance marking and serial
3rd pic - military acceptance marking, star of factory N.314 and year of manufacture.
4th pic - technological "3" and serial number
5th pic - serial number and unknown to me (and I assume Bulgarian) marking.
All features of your rifle point to so called "Bulgarian refurb". Even finish of the stock, but not the markings of the stock. These are not Soviet markings so without additional information I would assume stock was manufactured in Bulgaria. I don't recall seeing one like this actually.
Reason your rifle has perfect bore is that she never saw a war, maybe a little of service in Bulgaria, but most of Bulgarian refurbs are "light refurbs" and have 10/10 mirror shiny bores as in brand new rifles.
Feel free to read my write up on SVT-40 at https://www.m9130.info/svt-40
P.S. Make pictures of all markings on the stock if you can and check if there are any on the right side.
1st pic - no markings
2nd pic - military acceptance marking and serial
3rd pic - military acceptance marking, star of factory N.314 and year of manufacture.
4th pic - technological "3" and serial number
5th pic - serial number and unknown to me (and I assume Bulgarian) marking.
All features of your rifle point to so called "Bulgarian refurb". Even finish of the stock, but not the markings of the stock. These are not Soviet markings so without additional information I would assume stock was manufactured in Bulgaria. I don't recall seeing one like this actually.
Reason your rifle has perfect bore is that she never saw a war, maybe a little of service in Bulgaria, but most of Bulgarian refurbs are "light refurbs" and have 10/10 mirror shiny bores as in brand new rifles.
Feel free to read my write up on SVT-40 at https://www.m9130.info/svt-40
P.S. Make pictures of all markings on the stock if you can and check if there are any on the right side.
Yes, I stand corrected. After your identification it as a Bulgarian rifle, it occurred to me that the star in the third photo is indeed a Bulgarian communist star! A bit different than the USSR one.
Interesting. I've never seen a Bulgarian SVT-40 although I've never been interested in collecting SVTs. I've always liked "Mosins".
Good job.
Thanks for all the info! My first way off guess was Finnish but I'm not a stamp wizz like you guys. I will update with more pics of the right side of the stock after work tmrw. I don't recall any markings however.
I don't plan on ever selling this rifle it's going to be my son's one day. I'm still curious, where does it stand in the hierarchy of desirability? Horilka 05RAV
I don't plan on ever selling this rifle it's going to be my son's one day. I'm still curious, where does it stand in the hierarchy of desirability? Horilka 05RAV
Nowadays, a regular SVT-40 sells for $1500-1700 (Town Post). Like I said before, I've never seen a Bulgarian one. Perhaps, twice as much as a regular one? I don't know how old is your son but when he gets it, he would definitely have something very precious in his hands. I remember, like about 10 years ago, the SVTs were going on the market for $300-400. I was thinking about getting some but already had a few nice Mosins in my collection for half-price of the SVT so, decided against bying it. Stupid of me.
The Bulgarian "light refurbs" are undervalued in my opinion. I've had three of them, one of which came to me still packed with heavy, waxy storage grease including in the bore, which was as perfect as a bore can be. My assessment of it was that all the Bulgarians likely did to it was to lightly sand and re-stamp the serial # on the stock. Other than that I suspect it was as it came from the factory. A second one had been lightly cleaned by a previous owner but also had stamped, original matching parts and was perfect mechanically and would shoot endless 1.5" 5-shot groups with any old surplus I used in it. The third one was the most interesting as it had been used post "refurb" and had one part (bolt carrier) replaced with e-pencilled one. These light refurbs should be worth double the price of a typical Soviet refurb but it doesn't seem to work that way. Soviet refurbs still go for around $1000 and, at auction, light refurbs get a bit more but not what they're worth.
milsurpo
milsurpo
.45automatic
CGN Regular
- Location
- Windsor, ON
.
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Keep asking... someone will help out.
Best I got is a little blurb out of the 9th edition of "Standard Catalog of Military Firearms" by Phillip Peterson. copy right 2020.
I fear ya need a book something the "Crown Jewels" from Russia.
Best I got is a little blurb out of the 9th edition of "Standard Catalog of Military Firearms" by Phillip Peterson. copy right 2020.
I fear ya need a book something the "Crown Jewels" from Russia.
