Is it really that much harder then the mosin? I split my thumb getting the handguard off!
How accurate is the SVT?
Notsomuch hard as time consuming. You have to pay attention to the gas system if you're firing corrosive surplus. And there are some small fiddly bits you need to keep track of.
Accuracy? Mine is pretty good. Reasonably easy to get 4-5" groups at 100yards - which is all I can do with ANY rifle with open sights. I was getting 2 out of 5 in the A box, and all 5 on paper, quite consistently, at 200 yards shooting at an IPSC target, ref:
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1078340-Trying-the-SVT-40-%28and-my%29-Accuracy-at-200-yards-for-the-first-time-%28pics-included%29
BUT, keep in mind these are 70-75 year old rifles that went through the East Front cauldron... There's going to be a fair bit of variation in how accurate they are. Some of us have had great luck with them. Others have cursed the day they ever heard such a thing called "SVT-40" existed. (Just being fair and honest here). There's pretty much no such thing as an SVT-40 that didn't see front line duty and get some form of refurb after the war. But for me, that's part of the charm. Mine's a 1940 production, so it pretty much saw the whole war. If it could tell stories...
Cocked&Locked:
Thanks! The bayos are available, but expect to pay $200-$300, depending on where you find it and the phase of the moon... Corwin-Arms is getting some in from somewhere, Poland I think (a lot of SVT's ended up in poland after the war as drill/training rifles), he's expecting them to arrive "sometime" within the next few months. Jump on that when it happens, Martin at Corwin-Arms is a solid guy and will sell for a profit, but not for the gouging that a lot are asking.
That's also a WWII vintage SVT magazine pouch I tracked down from an E-Bay dealer in Moldova (I had to look it up on a map - Moldova is one of those places you here mentioned but never really know where it is). I also picked up a new-unissued one from Corwin-Arms for the same price (roughly $40-$50, if I recall), but that was post war production. The sling is a PPSH marked sling, but the SVT and PPSH both used the same sling, just different stamps depending on what they were getting attached to when they left the factory.
I had a lot of fun tracking down the complete kit. Even have the takedown and sight adjustment tools for it. The only thing missing for "as issued" status is a couple of spare mags, and my bank account just can't handle it at the moment.
