Unknown Russian semi-auto

ginnz

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Hi guys, a buddy just sent me some pictures of some rifles a family member wants to sell, and included is this one, Its Russian manufacture, and appears to have been sporterized... It kind of looks like a SKS, but the gas system doesnt look right, almost svt-40 ish, but waaaay too short, and there again, the gas system is too short. I dunno, maybe SKS like, but built sporterized like this? and the caliber does look like it may be 7.62x54r, or maybe it is 7.62x39, i dunno... Ill find out Sunday when he brings them to me. In the meantime, does anyone here recognize it?

11sms06.jpg


BTW, he's also bringing me the old .303 Ross rifle, an old double barrel shotgun, and an old Remington model 17 (I believe) .30 cal Rem pump action rifle, which i believe he said was built in 1903.... I wonder what the value on that may be?

ginnz.
 
SVT-40 rebarreled to .303 British by Globco. I've had a couple over the years and they both worked good and shot well but I have seen 2 of them now with the back end of the receiver broken off. My friend has had one for years like that, purchased as a parts gun, and then at a local gunshow recently there was another. I suspect this is from the gas system not being adjusted to the .303 round. Ejection on mine was violent to say the least.
 
555 can be made safe to use by making certain that the gas system is dialed to a SMALL aprture, then using 150-grain loads. If handloading, stick with a FAST powder.

Yes, they are Finn-captured SVTs and they ate up MOST of the Finn-released SVT supply; very few of the Finn SVTs escaped this treatment. I got the very LAST Finn SVT they had, in 1975, cost $39.95 plus shipping to Fogo Island.

They were an awfully-pretty rifle, though. They had one in the display window at A&L Cycle in Brandon in 1968, had a $109.95 price tag hung on it.... and I very nearly bought it. Minimum wage at that time was $1.25 an hour; I was going to University and making that same $1.25 an hour driving cab, 72 hours a week during the Summer months. I bought a Harley 45 Model WLC instead, cost me less $$$!

Big problem with the 555 was that the gas system was shortened so much. This gave rise to serious port pressure issues because they had to use enough gas to make them operate with any ammo on the market...... and they are NOT suited to this. Use a lightweight bullet (135 - 150 grains), a fast powdr and a chronograph and DEVELOP a load and the rifle will be safe. You want the brass JUST ejecting from the rifle; that is the point at which you get the best accuracy from ANY gas-op semi-auto rifle.

And the Globco 555 remains, to this day, the ONLY semi-auto .303 rifle out there.

Quite a find in this condition!
 
And the Globco 555 remains, to this day, the ONLY semi-auto .303 rifle out there.

Quite a find in this condition!
Actually there is the Farquhar-Hill rifle which was manufactured in the WWI. It is a extremely rare rifle though but I'm pretty sure its magazines are allowed to be unpinned in Canada (that's if I remember correctly).
 
"...Globco Mohawk 555..." Most of which have bad headspace due to Globeco's nonexistant QC(worse than Century). At the time, 7.62 x 54 ammo was not available and some twit thought a conversion would work well. Except for the complete lack of QC and the difference between the two rims, it might have. Friggin' things are unsafe.
"...suspect this is from the gas system not being..." Nope. Bad headspace.
"...pretty sure its magazines are allowed to be unpinned..." Only the Lee-Enfield and M1 Rifle and some odd MG and MP mags are exempt.
 
Sunray, "bad headspace" will not bust out the rear end of a trough-shaped Receiver, although the part WILL break if being hammered strongly-enough by a Bolt/Carrier assembly which is busily machine-gunning its way to oblivion.

The rifles got TOO MUCH GAS. This caused the Carrier to be slammed to the rear violently, taking the Bolt with it. At the rear end of the stroke, the receiver STRETCHED and the Carrier COMPRESSED. The resulting violent expansion sent the Carrier and Bolt ahead MUCH too fast, stripping a round from the Magazine, chambering it...... and the Firing-Pin, due to the violence of the action, would drift into the Primer, setting it off in an UNLOCKED CONDITION.

The Gun now was operating as a STRAIGHT BLOWBACK in an UNLOCKED condition, slam-firing and being blown back violently, much too fast. Finally, the Receiver could stand no more and so it broke out.

The CAUSE was TOO MUCH GAS.

And it had sweet F ALL to do with "headspace".

I have empty casings here which came from a 555 on its "death run". The RIMS are actually CUT THROUGH the excellent Defence Industries casings.

THAT is the result of BLOWBACK OPERATION.......which has NOTHING to do with freakin' HEADSPACE.
 
Only the Lee-Enfield and M1 Rifle and some odd MG and MP mags are exempt.
If your going to claim that I am wrong at least do the research. I thought it was in there and looking it up it turns out it was.

(2) Paragraph (1)(a) does not include any cartridge magazine that
(b) is not a reproduction and was originally designed or manufactured for use in a firearm that
(i) is commonly known as the Charlton Rifle,
(ii) is commonly known as the Farquhar-Hill Rifle, or
(iii) is commonly known as the Huot Automatic Rifle;
 
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