I am relatively new to military surplus but would like to gain some insight into the SVT 40 rifle. I really like the 7.62x54r round and I would especially like it in a semi-auto arrangement. I would like to hear some other users feedback with regards to their experiences with the svt 40. Is it reliable compared to other gas operated military rifles? Is it easy to disassemble and clean? How much does the corrosive ammo wear different components of the svt 40? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.
svt 40
- Thread starter serotonin
- Start date
Plenty of info in the stickies above in this section and in the Red Rifles section. They are a very reliable system because of simplicity but there is a
certain amount of mysterious Russian methods of putting things together that have to be learned. Corrosive ammo refers to the salt content of the
primer which attracts water, which causes rusting, which usually affects the barrel bore and gas system. Best to study the stickied threads which
have a lot of step by step procedures and pictures. SVT's are an excellent rifle that are quite affordable to buy and shoot.
certain amount of mysterious Russian methods of putting things together that have to be learned. Corrosive ammo refers to the salt content of the
primer which attracts water, which causes rusting, which usually affects the barrel bore and gas system. Best to study the stickied threads which
have a lot of step by step procedures and pictures. SVT's are an excellent rifle that are quite affordable to buy and shoot.
I own 4 SVT40 rifles
Depends on your interest. If your just looking to have one to shoot I'd suggest the most affordable version is a 1941 Tula. If your looking to collect well you have wandered into a rifle with ample variations and slight differences thru years/months of production. There are several stickies and I suggest you read them before taking the plunge. MKE sure they are tight fitting in the stock and magazines e is original not new production (don't lose em cause they cost nearly as much as the rifle)
I find the SVT to be a class act when it comes to shoot ability. It fires the same round as the mosin but has comparable recoil of the SKS. There is a gas adjustment that can be tinkered with to aid in cycling if certain ammo does not clear correctly. I find them a breeze to tear down. If you are comfortable with SKS you can easily take down an SVT, several YouTube videos avail and after 1-2 tear downs you should be able to do it easily on your own.
SVT is easily my favorite rifle to shoot right now. No different than a Mosin or SKS for cleaning requirement with surplus ammo
Enjoy...
They are avail on EE and from leverarms in BC (last retailer I know)
Depends on your interest. If your just looking to have one to shoot I'd suggest the most affordable version is a 1941 Tula. If your looking to collect well you have wandered into a rifle with ample variations and slight differences thru years/months of production. There are several stickies and I suggest you read them before taking the plunge. MKE sure they are tight fitting in the stock and magazines e is original not new production (don't lose em cause they cost nearly as much as the rifle)
I find the SVT to be a class act when it comes to shoot ability. It fires the same round as the mosin but has comparable recoil of the SKS. There is a gas adjustment that can be tinkered with to aid in cycling if certain ammo does not clear correctly. I find them a breeze to tear down. If you are comfortable with SKS you can easily take down an SVT, several YouTube videos avail and after 1-2 tear downs you should be able to do it easily on your own.
SVT is easily my favorite rifle to shoot right now. No different than a Mosin or SKS for cleaning requirement with surplus ammo
Enjoy...
They are avail on EE and from leverarms in BC (last retailer I know)
Hello serotonin
The SVT 40 is one of my favorite rifles to shoot. I've had no reliability issues with any of mine once the gas setting is adjusted properly. Dis-assembly and cleaning is rather straight forward but you need a special 'wrench' to remove the rifle from the stock (it is readily available). A gas adjustment tool is handy to have as well. Corrosive ammunition can cause problems with the piston/cup assembly but if you are diligent with your cleaning regimen, it is not an issue. If you want a 'shooter' and are not interested in going down the rabbit hole of collecting the variations, I would recommend a '42 or '43 Tula refurb with a later 4 port muzzle (easier to clean) in a beefy AVT stock (less prone to cracking in the wrist as conventional SVT stocks). A vz58 sling works nicely in an SVT 40.
PS - Take all the buzz about the SVT 40 sniper variant with a grain of salt. I have one in my collection for sake of completeness but it is far from being a tack driver and I find the accuracy to be mediocre at best. The claw scope mount also makes disassembly/reassembly of the dust cover and return spring for cleaning 'challenging'.
Just my 2 cents.
Take care, good luck
Brookwood
The SVT 40 is one of my favorite rifles to shoot. I've had no reliability issues with any of mine once the gas setting is adjusted properly. Dis-assembly and cleaning is rather straight forward but you need a special 'wrench' to remove the rifle from the stock (it is readily available). A gas adjustment tool is handy to have as well. Corrosive ammunition can cause problems with the piston/cup assembly but if you are diligent with your cleaning regimen, it is not an issue. If you want a 'shooter' and are not interested in going down the rabbit hole of collecting the variations, I would recommend a '42 or '43 Tula refurb with a later 4 port muzzle (easier to clean) in a beefy AVT stock (less prone to cracking in the wrist as conventional SVT stocks). A vz58 sling works nicely in an SVT 40.
PS - Take all the buzz about the SVT 40 sniper variant with a grain of salt. I have one in my collection for sake of completeness but it is far from being a tack driver and I find the accuracy to be mediocre at best. The claw scope mount also makes disassembly/reassembly of the dust cover and return spring for cleaning 'challenging'.
Just my 2 cents.
Take care, good luck
Brookwood
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Phat Eagle
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Fraser Valley, BC
If you're going to get one, do it now. They're drying up, and prices have already increased 50% in the past 2 years.
It makes the x54r much nicer to shoot than a Mosin... Corrosive isn't an issue, just rinse the barrel and gas affected parts with water and clean the same day you shoot.
It makes the x54r much nicer to shoot than a Mosin... Corrosive isn't an issue, just rinse the barrel and gas affected parts with water and clean the same day you shoot.
Butcherbill
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
Both mine are very reliable, you might have to adjust the gas setting when using different ammo brands. Once you field strip it a couple times it's not hard at all to take down, not much move than an sks I find, if you flush it with boiling water prior to cleaning there's no worry with corrosive ammo. Get one, they are my most enjoyable of my milsurp rifles to shoot to be honest. Make sure you pick up a gas setting wrench and a stock cross bolt tool, they don't come with the standard cleaning tools and Lever Arms sells them as well.
I require nothing fancy to remove the barrel from the stock on any of my SVT'S. Everything in a basic tool box is more than enough. Some videos show using a cartridge for pushing some springs forward etc. I suggest using an inner snap cap or your finger instead. I don't go near my rifles with ammo except at the range, safer practice overall.
Eaglelord17
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Sault Ste. Marie
Its a early semi-automatic rifle, and is about average for reliability for a early semi-automatic rifle. It is not a SKS, nor a AR-15, nor a M1 Garand, it is not going to keep functioning no matter what. Just don't expect it to be this amazing works 100% of the time rifle which is super accurate and reliable. There is a reason it didn't last long in Russian service.
Issues you might run into:
Ammo: the SVT-40 is a picky gun, some guns work with any type of ammo, others (like mine) are very specific with what types of ammo they like. I have to buy modern ammo as most surplus I have used hasn't worked properly (i.e. click, hard primer strike, try another round, bang).
Disassembly: make sure it is clean before you shoot it, and make sure you know how to disassemble it. It is a real pain to do so despite what others claim. By far the most difficult rifle to disassemble which I have ever owned (and I have owned quite a few including many early semi-autos), but that being said it isn't too bad once you get the hang of it. I would recommend shooting modern ammo out of it (MFS was .50 cents a round last I checked and it worked great out of my SVT-40) as it is non-corrosive so you don't have to worry about that so much (and have to disassemble the rifle again in a couple days to verify the condition of it).
Accuracy: They are not the most accurate rifles out there, you will hit the target at 100m, just don't expect 1 inch groups.
Overall they are cool rifles which have a awesome look to them, they can be a lot of fun or they can be super frustrating (which was how mine was when I found it didn't like most surplus). Just don't expect too much out of it and you will be fine.
Issues you might run into:
Ammo: the SVT-40 is a picky gun, some guns work with any type of ammo, others (like mine) are very specific with what types of ammo they like. I have to buy modern ammo as most surplus I have used hasn't worked properly (i.e. click, hard primer strike, try another round, bang).
Disassembly: make sure it is clean before you shoot it, and make sure you know how to disassemble it. It is a real pain to do so despite what others claim. By far the most difficult rifle to disassemble which I have ever owned (and I have owned quite a few including many early semi-autos), but that being said it isn't too bad once you get the hang of it. I would recommend shooting modern ammo out of it (MFS was .50 cents a round last I checked and it worked great out of my SVT-40) as it is non-corrosive so you don't have to worry about that so much (and have to disassemble the rifle again in a couple days to verify the condition of it).
Accuracy: They are not the most accurate rifles out there, you will hit the target at 100m, just don't expect 1 inch groups.
Overall they are cool rifles which have a awesome look to them, they can be a lot of fun or they can be super frustrating (which was how mine was when I found it didn't like most surplus). Just don't expect too much out of it and you will be fine.
Another good thing to know is if you want to mount a scope , you need to get a rifle that has the grooves machined in the receiver so you can attach scope mounts. Many do not have this feature. Overall they are a great gun and have a good look to them.
I have a run of the mill SVT40 and its quite accurate, but wear ear protection if you want to hunt with it while the muzzle break is on.
It was a bit puzzling to clean the first few times but became a no-brainer once you've done it a few times. Some ammo needs a tweak on the gas adjustment but not a big deal when you have the gas tool. Its really not a big deal to set the gas cuz once you're done playing with ammo you will have it down to one or two cartridges.
The 7.62x54r is a great round for lots of things, and the best part is that its also the same rounds for your Mosin 91/30, M38, and M44.
It was a bit puzzling to clean the first few times but became a no-brainer once you've done it a few times. Some ammo needs a tweak on the gas adjustment but not a big deal when you have the gas tool. Its really not a big deal to set the gas cuz once you're done playing with ammo you will have it down to one or two cartridges.
The 7.62x54r is a great round for lots of things, and the best part is that its also the same rounds for your Mosin 91/30, M38, and M44.
- Location
- West Quebec
Keeping them stock would be my preference, if one wanted to add scopes and such perhaps picking a different rifle would be in order
nice to re-read an old thread....per the difficulty of tear down and assembly its no AR15 but its also not a belgian browning Auto Five....good lord that thing is like putting a swiss watch back together. M1 Garrands are also more difficult to reassemble when broken down. Thats my opinion....for the SVT all you really need for tools is a snap cap or cartridge and a rubber mallot so the rifle knows your the boss.
fantastic guns. I love shooting mine, but haven't in a while since x54r is no longer as inexpensive as it once was. Very mild recoil with that big brake and adjustable gas system, but nobody will likely be around you at the range since it is so loud, hahaha.
I've had 4 of them and they were all decent shooters. Also just ooze history. Lots of stickies and info on these guns.
The one rifle i kept is a nice 1940 tula with early non-repaired stock, all the early parts including "SVT-38" magazine and awesome bore. later guns have thicker/reinforced wrists to avoid cracking.
best of luck on your search!
I've had 4 of them and they were all decent shooters. Also just ooze history. Lots of stickies and info on these guns.
The one rifle i kept is a nice 1940 tula with early non-repaired stock, all the early parts including "SVT-38" magazine and awesome bore. later guns have thicker/reinforced wrists to avoid cracking.
best of luck on your search!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPwSMMqDFIs&t=6s
Feed the beast 150 gr and let it run . I'm fixing my repo mags by brazing the retaining lip on, because it's easy to tear them off.
Feed the beast 150 gr and let it run . I'm fixing my repo mags by brazing the retaining lip on, because it's easy to tear them off.
Too bad you missed the boat on cheap SVTs. They’re great fun and cheap to feed right now. I replaced the gas cup with a stainless unit out of the USA and now it’s back to the low gas setting. Easy to clean if you don’t scope it. I scoped mine with the adderly slide on mount and it shoots quite well
Yes , but even so I'm pretty happy with mine. I like the BAD-ACE NDT mount, other than having to add the monstrous cheek riser. Using the stock iron sights is still possible also. It does req more farting around to strip and assemble ,but once its figured out how its not horrendous .
