The SVT 40 was a great gun with a storied past. People who love the SVT 40 aren't usually fans of the 555 Mohawk. Me, I own both and like both.
For that matter I also have bone-stock, collectible SKS guns and sporterized SKS shooters. IMO it is the same thing. The SVT 40 was built for one purpose - killing German invaders. And once that job was done, millions of those guns would have been destroyed (and many were). A few got a reprieve from certain destruction by being repurposed - in the 60s - by Global Arms (AKA Globco) into very interesting 303 semi-auto sporters.
The story of this operation (at Global Arms of East Ottawa) has never been written - but I know people who actually visited the operation - during production.
I own a mint Globco 555 Mohawk, a factory 314, MK-series SVT 40 and a war-production SVT 40 carbine rework (which actually do exist). All are cool guns.
IMO, the 555 Mohawk was/ is a great gun and sort of a "homage" to the original. The ones that fail suffer from misuse from post-60's owners who shot corrosive 303 British out of them and had no idea how to adjust the gas system, no clue how to take them apart and no knowledge of how to clean corrosive (war-surplus, 303 British) residue from a gun. The shortened geometry of the revised gas system in the 555 Mohawk is really the same as that of the war-production SVT 40 carbine reworks - so that is not the source of Mohawk failures.
Find a good 555 Mohawk, replace any mistreated parts in the gas system with surplus SVT40 parts (and/ or a newer stainless steel piston assembly), turn down the gas settings and you got a sweet, reliable SVT 40-style sporter that you can hunt with. Mine is scoped.
I may get mine professionally converted it back to 7.62x54R one day BUT keep that nice Globco sporter stock, shortened barrel and the "all-business" Globco-revised (SVT-40 carbine-inspired) gas system.
For that matter I also have bone-stock, collectible SKS guns and sporterized SKS shooters. IMO it is the same thing. The SVT 40 was built for one purpose - killing German invaders. And once that job was done, millions of those guns would have been destroyed (and many were). A few got a reprieve from certain destruction by being repurposed - in the 60s - by Global Arms (AKA Globco) into very interesting 303 semi-auto sporters.
The story of this operation (at Global Arms of East Ottawa) has never been written - but I know people who actually visited the operation - during production.
I own a mint Globco 555 Mohawk, a factory 314, MK-series SVT 40 and a war-production SVT 40 carbine rework (which actually do exist). All are cool guns.
IMO, the 555 Mohawk was/ is a great gun and sort of a "homage" to the original. The ones that fail suffer from misuse from post-60's owners who shot corrosive 303 British out of them and had no idea how to adjust the gas system, no clue how to take them apart and no knowledge of how to clean corrosive (war-surplus, 303 British) residue from a gun. The shortened geometry of the revised gas system in the 555 Mohawk is really the same as that of the war-production SVT 40 carbine reworks - so that is not the source of Mohawk failures.
Find a good 555 Mohawk, replace any mistreated parts in the gas system with surplus SVT40 parts (and/ or a newer stainless steel piston assembly), turn down the gas settings and you got a sweet, reliable SVT 40-style sporter that you can hunt with. Mine is scoped.
I may get mine professionally converted it back to 7.62x54R one day BUT keep that nice Globco sporter stock, shortened barrel and the "all-business" Globco-revised (SVT-40 carbine-inspired) gas system.
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