Before the range trip yesterday I hand cycled my SVT40 and discovered the bolt carrier was going back only about half way and could not pull it further by hand.  Hard stop like hitting something, not a mushy out of alignment stop (if that makes sense).   Maybe this was a bad idea but with the rifle aiming down I rested the bolt handle on my work bench and gave it a pretty substantial push and got it to open normally.  Hand cycled normally a few times, pulled the trigger, all seemed well.

Got to the range, charged a round into the chamber, pulled the trigger, CLICK, nothing, several times .  No mark on the primer.  The hammer hitting the rear of the bolt sounded/felt/seemed normal.  Quick field strip revealed nothing.  The firing pin is sitting in its hole flush with the bolt head.  Nothing rattling or loose.   I suppose I should take apart the bolt?  Never done that.  Can probably find a video on line.

Any suggestions?  Ideas?

What can I use to see/test if the firing pin is deploying into a primer w/o a live round. A pieces of thin tape on the back of a spent round?

That would work or fill the cavity with glue or putty.  If primer is reaching fill depth, it will indent the area you filled.

Or just remove the bolt and you should be able to manipulate the firing pin and see if it's ok or not.

You need to figure out what stopped the bolt group from moving aft.

Thanks for the input.  Look forward to taking it down this weekend. Will advise.

Well this sucks.  Any repairing this?

That's the firing pin right?
You just need a new one.

https://www.apexgunparts.com/svt-40-firing-pin-and-spring-gd.html

Yep.  Found a firing pin + spring on Apex $37.42 (tax + shipping).  Might be the most expensive firing pin I've ever encountered .

Getting the cross pin out is a bitch.  Hope I can get it back in.  Special tools ?  

Course I realize now that forcing the bolt open is probably what broke it UNLESS it was already broken.  Wondering what caused.