Well, I've finally gotten around to posting some photos of my WW2 firearms collection. First up is a favourite of both Soviet and German soldiers on the Eastern Front -- the Soviet SVT-40 rifle. Some History: At a time when the standard battle rifle was bolt action, this was revolutionary. In the mid 1930s Fedor Tokarev experimented with semiautomatic full-caliber rifles. His first design, the SVT-38, had a poor combat debut in the Winter War. It was a complicated rifle, awkward to handle and difficult to maintain (compared to other Soviet weapons of the time). The SVT-40 was introduced to fix these issues, with several aspects simplified for ease of construction. Production began in July 1940 at Tula Arsenal and it immediately entered service with the Red Army. The rifle was issued to NCOs, while the rest of the troops were issued with the battle-tested Mosin-Nagant M1891/30 bolt action rifle. Both fired the same potent 7.62x54r round -- the oldest rimmed military round still in production. However, the SVT-40 remained significantly more complex than the Mosin-Nagant, and was more costly to produce. After Operation Barborossa, the Wehrmacht captured large quantities of these and pressed them into service (under the designation G259(r)). The weapon was popular -- I've seen dozens of photos of SVT-40s in German service. As the Red Army's demand for weapons increased, production on the SVT-40 was scaled back so that more Mosin-Nagants -- cheaper, easier to use and faster to make -- could be produced. In 1941, over one million SVTs were made. By 1942, this dropped to just 260,000. Production continued until 1945, when production ceased on January 3th. Apparently less than 1000 were made in 1945, and rifles marked with '1945' are rare. Despite the decreasing production, the rifle remained popular in the Red Army as well (that is, by 'educated' soldiers who could handle it). Likewise, the SVT-40 was also popular in the Finnish Army, which captured many in the Continuation War. Finland used these until the mid 1950s. After the war, it as used by about a dozen countries including China, Bulgaria, Vietnam and North Korea. Two variants were made: a sniper rifle (which ceased production in 1942) and a selective-fire version known as the AVT-40 that was fitted with a heavier stock. My Rifle: View attachment 17745 View attachment 17742 Mine was made in 1942 at Tula Arsenal, and is one of about 54000 made that year as a sniper rifle. These had a notch cut into the receiver for a scope mount, and had rails on the side of the receiver to mount the standard PU 3.5x scope. For reasons I've never fully understood, every SVT-40 manufactured until late 1942 had the rails machined into the receiver (rather inefficient given the Soviet desire to simplify production). Unfortunately, this rifle was refurbished after the war. The original stock was replaced by one from an AVT (as indicated by the "A" marking). The original stocks were thinner behind the receiver, and were known for breaking. However, with the exception of this and the magazine, all the parts are matching. Many of the refurbished rifles on the markets are force-matched. View attachment 17743 This one has the two-port muzzle brake. Early examples had a 6-port brake, which was phased out because it was more costly to produce. Such a large muzzle brake was required to minimize the recoil. But even with it, it still kicks! The SVT had trouble 'keeping zero' (that is, the scope would not always line up with the point of impact) and this is why it was phased out of the sniper role. The small knob above the muzzle brake (to the right) is for adjusting the gas system. As you might guess, this was too advanced for many soldiers in the Soviet army who were used to the incredibly simple Mosin-Nagant. The long rod below is the cleaning rod -- essentially identical to that of the Mosin-Nagant. The bayonet lug can also be seen. SVT bayonets are rare, and sell for upwards of 250 bucks. View attachment 17744 This shows the iron sights, bolt and the date stamp. The rather messy star indicates production at Tula. The iron sights are marked up to 1500 meters. I've never shot at such a range, but I have a hard time seeing how you could accurately shoot that far. You can see another side effect of the refurbishing process -- the original silver bolts were covered with a plumb-colored coating. This can be removed with vinegar, but I've never got around to removing it. View attachment 17746 Here you can see the trigger and stock. That awkward-looking metal switch is the safety. Its a bit unorthodox compared to North American firearms, but very effective -- you simply cannot pull the trigger back enough for it to fire. When ready to shoot, it is easily flipped to the side. The AVT stocks had an extra notch cut into the stock for when the rifle was in full-automatic mode (flipped to the right is semi-auto, to the left is full-auto). You can also see a small arsenal repair to the stock just behind the trigger guard. Range Report: I haven't picked up a scope for it yet (original PU 3.5x scopes and mounts are expensive, and I've been waiting for a good deal), but its pretty accurate using the iron sights. It makes a lot of noise (more than any of my other rifles), and quickly clears other shooters out of the adjacent firing ports the local indoor range! The recoil is sharp -- and that narrow buttplate really digs into your shoulder after about 20 rounds. I've shot both Bulgarian surplus and new-production MFS ammo through this, and have never had a jam or misfeed. Its a fun rifle to shoot -- just as long as you don't shoot it too much! The 7.62x54r round packs a real punch. I've done a few penetration tests of this vs 30.06 and .223 (I know -- not WW2, but I just wanted to see what happened). Both the 7.62 and 30.06 penetrated easily penetrated 1/4 of an inch of steel plate at 20 meters, while the .223 did not. I've wanted to do some more extensive testing, but haven't had time. Availability on the Canadian Market: In the past ten years there has been an 'invasion' of Soviet arms. Mosin-Nagants, SKS carbines and Tokarev TT-33 pistols are the most common items. SVT-40s are 'rarer' than these, but are still on the market in large numbers. The going rate for one is about 350 bucks -- and I know that price has to make some American collectors weep! The sniper SVT-40s are harder to find, but I've seen a few others listed for sale. These do demand a small premium over the 'standard models'. Thanks for looking -- hope you enjoyed.
Very much enjoyed the posting ! My knowledge of WWII Soviet firearms is rather poor ... that's a very interesting weapon you have.
Thanks Martin. The Soviet weapons are interesting -- they range from brutally simple to very advanced, all in the same time period. On top of that, the surplus market here is very inductive to Soviet firearms collecting.
Nice. Did you buy it out of the crate or was it already cleaned up? Been thinking about getting a Mosin-Nagant while they're still cheap. My LGS buys them by the crate and sells them for US$119. For $10 more he'll let me go through them and pick the one I want. They're all well preserved in cosmoline, but decades old cosmo (aka The Devil's Snot) is very stubborn to remove. The same shop sells the Russian surplus 7.62x54R ammo by the spam can (440 rounds). Too bad it all has corrosive primers.
Thanks Skipper and Richard. I cleaned it up myself -- I told the local gun store to let me know when they got a shipment in, and I had first pick. Using a heat gun and carefully warming up the wood gets all the cosmoline to seep out. Just don't do it too long, or the shellac will bubble up and wreck the finish. As I said, the next step is to remove that plum color from the bolt. I don't see Mosin-Nagant prices rising dramatically over the next few years, but by then the nicer ones will be picked over. I read a few months ago that the Russians are approaching the bottom of their export arms stocks. For that price, there is really no reason not to buy one. If I have time I'll post some pictures of my Mosin-Nagant later today -- its an all-matching sniper (a bit rarer than my SVT). Have the American importers started to bring in SVTs yet?
one for you George! 1941, A SS-Unterscharführer of the SS-Feldgendarmerie (Military Police) examining a Soviet SVT-40 rifle seized from a Yugoslavian partisan during the Balkans Campaign | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
