SVT40 scope mount

[koldt]

Hi guys. Could anybody run me through how to mount the scope on the SVT40 properly, please....

There is that little "cross" piece underneath at the back of the mount, that appears to prevent the base/mount from going completely forward.

Does that "cross piece" have to be moved out of the way, and then re-inserted after the base is in place?

Orrrrrr, any other help, and pictures are appreciated if possible, as I can't read.

Thanx dudes....

 

[MadDog]

Get ahold of Snowdog, he's an SVT guru.

 

[Klunk]

Oh ya...sure...

we ALLLLL have SVT sniper rifles...

Honestly I dont have a clue. The little cross piece you speak of...on the reciever or the scope base?

If its the little flapper on the reciever I think its pretty permanent. Im sure the mount is designed to go on-come off very easily

 

[koldt]

Hopefully snowdog will see this and take pity on me..

The little cross piece is on the bottom inside of the base/mount, underneath it. You can see the ends of it as they protrude through the side near the back.
I get the impression that it is supposed to move out of the way when installing and then put back in place when the scope/mount is positioned on the rifle.

The way it is now for me, I just slide the mount into the 2 grooves, but it can just slide back off again, although it is a tight fit. I think it should be "locked" onto the receiver in a better way. When I just slide the mount on, there is some dead space on the back of the mount that appears it should be moved forward yet some more.

 

[granite]

delete

del

 

[JP]

Rear of receiver was machined with a notch to accept the mount and prevent mouvement. This was the great failure of the SVT as a sniper and caused its removal from service as a sniping platform. The first version had a small notch that kept the mount secure, but it was so tight it prevented the removal of the scope to clean the rifle. The next attempt featured a large notch, which solved the disassembly problem but it made the mount loose and bullet placement was all over the intended target. Third and last attempt when back to small notch and the disassembly problem came back into the picture. SVT sniper program was abandonned and SVT were stripped of their scope and they were re-used on Mosin 91/30 snipers. The sniper mount rails were omitted on all SVT's starting in 1942.

 

[Snow Dog]

As mentioned, a true SVT that was set up for sniper use will have a small notch machined out of the rear of the receiver as well as two slots along either side of the receiver. If your rifle does not have the notch then is was never used as a sniper rifle. It may have the two rails but that is not uncommon. Have a look at this site as it gives you all sorts of info (and pictures) about these rifles: http://www.mosinnagant.net/USSR/SVTsection.asp
What sort of scope mount do you have? There are some aftermarket mounts available that can be used on a rifle that does not have the notch but still has the side rails.

 

[koldt]

I checked the site, but it doesn't show where the mentioned small notch is exactly.
My rifle has the rail cuts, but like you say, that isn't all that rare. I will try to get some close up pics of what my problem is, as the SVT site isn't all that descriptive.

 

[MadDog]

Mine had the rails as well, if memory serves me right, the uncommon SVT40's were the ones without the rails.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[carbonrod]

The deal is that few of the SVTs with the side rails were final machined for the scope and turned into sniper rifles. An SVT scope will not fit a non-sniper SVT without some simple machining. A non-sniper rifle will require a notch to be machined into the rifles receiver, the cross bolt removed mount slid on the side rails and the cross bolt reinstalled.

If you are thinking of machining the cross notch, take your time. Especially if it is a repro mount. My experience is that this notch is quite critical to the scope mounts stability.

The notch runs left to right along the top of the receiver when you are holding the rifle. The notch is at the rear of the removable cover, and on the solid metal piece at the end of the rifle.

If this explanation is not at all clear, I can try to take some pics tomorrow.

for now:

I am pretty sure it is a repro, although the person that sold it to me swears that it is not. It is a lot of fun nonetheless. The PU sniper in this photo is authentic, and a sweet shooter in any case.