SVT 40
The design of the rifle originated in the early 1930s when Fedor Tokarev gave up his attempts to design a recoil-operated self-loading rifle, and concentrated on the gas operating principle. Stalin had a great interest in semi-automatic infantry rifles, and in 1935 a design competition was held. The winning rifle was designed by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov, and was accepted into service the next year as the AVS36. However, problems with the AVS quickly became apparent, and another competition was held, to which both Tokarev and Simonov submitted their improved designs. This time, Tokarev's rifle was chosen. It was accepted for production under the designation SVT-38, with hopes that it would become the new standard issue rifle of the Red Army. Ambitious production plans were made: production was anticipated to be two million rifles per year by 1942. Production began at Tula Arsenal in 1939.
The SVT-38 is a gas-operated weapon with a short-stroke, spring-loaded piston above the barrel and a tilting bolt. Thus it became one of the pioneers of this configuration, which eventually became widely used. There is some dispute about who exactly first developed this operating principle, as the SVT's mechanism closely resembles Dieudonne Saive's contemporary designs; Saive eventually designed the FN FAL, which employs the same operating principle as the SVT.
Soviet small arms were usually of simple and robust construction, designed for use by poorly educated and sometimes poorly equipped soldiers. The SVT-38, in contrast, had been designed with weight savings in mind, including its wood stock, receiver, and action. It is gas-operated action, featuring a not readily accessed gas-cylinder cup. It was complex by Soviet standards, and was ill-suited to handling the detrimental effects of firing corrosively-primed ammunition without frequent cleaning.
The SVT-38 was equipped with a bayonet and a 10-round detachable magazine. The receiver was open-top, which enabled reloading of the magazine using five round Mosin-Nagant stripper clips. Fairly advanced features for the time were the adjustable gas system, muzzle brake, and telescopic sight rails milled into the receiver. The sniper variant had an additional locking notch for a see-through scope mount and was equipped with a 3.5X PU telescopic sight. This instrument was slightly shorter than the otherwise similar PU scope used on the Mosin-Nagant M1891/30 sniper rifle.
After the war, SVTs were mostly withdrawn from service and refurbished in arsenals, then stored. In Soviet service, new weapons like the SKS and the AK-47 made the SVT obsolete, and the weapon was generally out of service by 1955. Only a few SVTs were exported to Soviet allies and clients. Reportedly, some SVTs were used by Cuban revolutionaries in the 1950s. The Finnish Army retired the SVT in 1958, and about 7,500 rifles were sold to the US civilian market through firearm importer Interarms. This marked the end of SVTs in regular service. In the Soviet Union, SVTs were kept in storage until the 1990s, when many rifles were sold abroad, along with several other Russian surplus military weapons. Currently the SVT is fairly widely available for collectors and historical enthusiasts, and is highly sought. The rifle's popularity is due to a combination of the inexpensive nature of its 7.62x54mmR ammunition, favorable aesthetics, historical significance, and pleasant shooting characteristics.
Despite its relatively brief service career, the SVT was a prolific weapon on the Eastern Front during World War II, and it had considerable impact on European battle rifle designs during and immediately after the war. The German G-43 was influenced by the SVT in its design, as would Simonov's experimental carbine during the closing stages of the war (which would later become the SKS). The FN-FAL and its ancestor FN-49 employ the same locking mechanism and operating principle as the SVT, although as mentioned above, it is unclear whether they were actually influenced by the SVT. As a service weapon, the SVT had its problems, but so did contemporary semi-automatic rifles made by other countries. The main reason for the gradual downfall of SVT usage in combat was not its technical disadvantages; rather, the reason was that, with the immense, continual demand for rifles in the front lines, Soviet factories could produce other, simpler, designs in far greater quantities in the same length of time it took to produce the SVT.
Found this post and decided to share with all of you
Yes actually they are true Soviet SVT-40s from WWII. They are an excellent bargain right now in Canada due to a good supply and people focusing on their SKS addictions. Also the 7.62x54r ammo is hard to find in Canada right now, so people are going for the SKS since it's cheap to shoot.
You have to realize they made a lot of these rifles (looking at over 1 million with some estimates near 5 million although this seems too high). The Russians were fielding them in 1940 against the Germans. The predecessor the SVT-38 was very similar and was fielded against the Finns in 1939. Both the Finns and the Germans loved to capture these weapons and reissue them to their troops.
They stopped making them after 1945 and were replaced by the SKS which was in turn replaced shortly by the Ak-47.
http://world.guns.ru/rifle/svt40r.jpg
The SVT-40 uses a short piston, tilting block design. The same design as the FN FAL (No one is sure who invented it first, however the Russians were clearly the first to field it). The Germans copied the SVT-40 gas system for their semi autos after the method they used failed. Funny enough the Garand also had a faulty gas system which was modified later on (After the SVT I might add).
Modern firearms that are based off, or very similar to the SVT-40 include: The SVD Dragonov, SKS, FN-FAL (same system) the CZ-858/VZ-58 also seems to borrow from this design which isn't that surprising considering it's based a lot off the STG44 interiors. I consider this rifle to be the big link in semi auto rifle design to many modern examples. Do you think the Germans would have gotten it together for the STG44 without first copying the gas system on the SVT-40? I don't think so.
This rifle was about 8.5 pounds, had an adjustable gas system piston design with tilting block receiver, 10 round detachable magazine, built in muzzle brake and a fluted chamber for easier extraction. About the only flaw is the long length at 4'.
The triggers on some are very good, while others are on the heavy side. They all seem to break cleanly though. Also they seem to favour the lighter ammo in the 148-155 range. The heavier hunting stuff 180 grain tends to have ejection faults unless you up the gas setting. Also the mags may require some minor filing near the front where the bullet travels to seat into the breach. With the heavier bullets some of the mags don't have enough clearance and the round will jam in the mag instead of feeding.
A very fun and neat rifle.
The new batch of refurbished SVT-40s on the Canadian market have DE09 stamped on them near the date and Arsenal stamps.
The design of the rifle originated in the early 1930s when Fedor Tokarev gave up his attempts to design a recoil-operated self-loading rifle, and concentrated on the gas operating principle. Stalin had a great interest in semi-automatic infantry rifles, and in 1935 a design competition was held. The winning rifle was designed by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov, and was accepted into service the next year as the AVS36. However, problems with the AVS quickly became apparent, and another competition was held, to which both Tokarev and Simonov submitted their improved designs. This time, Tokarev's rifle was chosen. It was accepted for production under the designation SVT-38, with hopes that it would become the new standard issue rifle of the Red Army. Ambitious production plans were made: production was anticipated to be two million rifles per year by 1942. Production began at Tula Arsenal in 1939.
The SVT-38 is a gas-operated weapon with a short-stroke, spring-loaded piston above the barrel and a tilting bolt. Thus it became one of the pioneers of this configuration, which eventually became widely used. There is some dispute about who exactly first developed this operating principle, as the SVT's mechanism closely resembles Dieudonne Saive's contemporary designs; Saive eventually designed the FN FAL, which employs the same operating principle as the SVT.
Soviet small arms were usually of simple and robust construction, designed for use by poorly educated and sometimes poorly equipped soldiers. The SVT-38, in contrast, had been designed with weight savings in mind, including its wood stock, receiver, and action. It is gas-operated action, featuring a not readily accessed gas-cylinder cup. It was complex by Soviet standards, and was ill-suited to handling the detrimental effects of firing corrosively-primed ammunition without frequent cleaning.
The SVT-38 was equipped with a bayonet and a 10-round detachable magazine. The receiver was open-top, which enabled reloading of the magazine using five round Mosin-Nagant stripper clips. Fairly advanced features for the time were the adjustable gas system, muzzle brake, and telescopic sight rails milled into the receiver. The sniper variant had an additional locking notch for a see-through scope mount and was equipped with a 3.5X PU telescopic sight. This instrument was slightly shorter than the otherwise similar PU scope used on the Mosin-Nagant M1891/30 sniper rifle.
After the war, SVTs were mostly withdrawn from service and refurbished in arsenals, then stored. In Soviet service, new weapons like the SKS and the AK-47 made the SVT obsolete, and the weapon was generally out of service by 1955. Only a few SVTs were exported to Soviet allies and clients. Reportedly, some SVTs were used by Cuban revolutionaries in the 1950s. The Finnish Army retired the SVT in 1958, and about 7,500 rifles were sold to the US civilian market through firearm importer Interarms. This marked the end of SVTs in regular service. In the Soviet Union, SVTs were kept in storage until the 1990s, when many rifles were sold abroad, along with several other Russian surplus military weapons. Currently the SVT is fairly widely available for collectors and historical enthusiasts, and is highly sought. The rifle's popularity is due to a combination of the inexpensive nature of its 7.62x54mmR ammunition, favorable aesthetics, historical significance, and pleasant shooting characteristics.
Despite its relatively brief service career, the SVT was a prolific weapon on the Eastern Front during World War II, and it had considerable impact on European battle rifle designs during and immediately after the war. The German G-43 was influenced by the SVT in its design, as would Simonov's experimental carbine during the closing stages of the war (which would later become the SKS). The FN-FAL and its ancestor FN-49 employ the same locking mechanism and operating principle as the SVT, although as mentioned above, it is unclear whether they were actually influenced by the SVT. As a service weapon, the SVT had its problems, but so did contemporary semi-automatic rifles made by other countries. The main reason for the gradual downfall of SVT usage in combat was not its technical disadvantages; rather, the reason was that, with the immense, continual demand for rifles in the front lines, Soviet factories could produce other, simpler, designs in far greater quantities in the same length of time it took to produce the SVT.
Found this post and decided to share with all of you
Yes actually they are true Soviet SVT-40s from WWII. They are an excellent bargain right now in Canada due to a good supply and people focusing on their SKS addictions. Also the 7.62x54r ammo is hard to find in Canada right now, so people are going for the SKS since it's cheap to shoot.
You have to realize they made a lot of these rifles (looking at over 1 million with some estimates near 5 million although this seems too high). The Russians were fielding them in 1940 against the Germans. The predecessor the SVT-38 was very similar and was fielded against the Finns in 1939. Both the Finns and the Germans loved to capture these weapons and reissue them to their troops.
They stopped making them after 1945 and were replaced by the SKS which was in turn replaced shortly by the Ak-47.
http://world.guns.ru/rifle/svt40r.jpg
The SVT-40 uses a short piston, tilting block design. The same design as the FN FAL (No one is sure who invented it first, however the Russians were clearly the first to field it). The Germans copied the SVT-40 gas system for their semi autos after the method they used failed. Funny enough the Garand also had a faulty gas system which was modified later on (After the SVT I might add).
Modern firearms that are based off, or very similar to the SVT-40 include: The SVD Dragonov, SKS, FN-FAL (same system) the CZ-858/VZ-58 also seems to borrow from this design which isn't that surprising considering it's based a lot off the STG44 interiors. I consider this rifle to be the big link in semi auto rifle design to many modern examples. Do you think the Germans would have gotten it together for the STG44 without first copying the gas system on the SVT-40? I don't think so.
This rifle was about 8.5 pounds, had an adjustable gas system piston design with tilting block receiver, 10 round detachable magazine, built in muzzle brake and a fluted chamber for easier extraction. About the only flaw is the long length at 4'.
The triggers on some are very good, while others are on the heavy side. They all seem to break cleanly though. Also they seem to favour the lighter ammo in the 148-155 range. The heavier hunting stuff 180 grain tends to have ejection faults unless you up the gas setting. Also the mags may require some minor filing near the front where the bullet travels to seat into the breach. With the heavier bullets some of the mags don't have enough clearance and the round will jam in the mag instead of feeding.
A very fun and neat rifle.
The new batch of refurbished SVT-40s on the Canadian market have DE09 stamped on them near the date and Arsenal stamps.
