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Posted: 5/5/2010 9:03:04 AM EDT
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Comrades: I recently bought a Russian Mosin Nagant that was built at Tula in 1924. The piece was captured by the Finns during the Winter War and it bears the Finnish Army markings, "S.A", which means Suomen Armeja––(Finnish Army) I am now totally hooked on Russkey firearms I am very far gone and I am totally sick. I have this terrible urge to buy an SVT-40. Does anyone here have one of these? Let me know what you think. Thank you Comrade Fluffy |
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Great fun guns, especially if you can find one of the sniper versions...
Just be careful when your removing the magazine with the action open and also be careful when your removing the rear spring for cleaning...it's under major pressure and can cause major injuries... 
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Quoted:
Check the bore and make sure it's chrome lined (some "war expedient" production skipped the chrome lining and the bore diameter is too large). Also check for corrosion in the gas system. SVT40 bores were not chromed. SVT40s are cheap and plentiful in Canada. You should be able to get one from Marstar for under $500. Lucky bastage.
Don't fall for the "sniper rails" hype, either. Most SVTs have the sniper rails cut on the bottom of the receiver. Ones without are actually more rare. True sniper SVTs have another notch cut in the top of the receiver –– easy to fake, so watch out. You can find Finn-captured SVT40s if you look. In the U.S. they can bring well upwards of $1000, especially if they are numbers-matching, as all the non-Finn rifles are Soviet postwar refurbs with force-matched parts. |
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SVT-40 bores were never chrome lined.
I have one. They have light recoil, are VERY loud, are relatively lightweight, and remarkably accurate. But for some reason mine "stings" my cheek when I shoot it. Not sure why. It isn't pleasant to shoot due to this. 1943 Finn Capture 
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SVT-40, huh?  Yup, I'm a fan.... A couple of simple things to look for: 1. Most that you'll run across (especially in the US) will be refurbished guns. They were refurbed post-war by the Soviets, and will have a plum colored bolt. They will also be force matched, with electropenciled serial numbers and mis-matched stamped serial numbers. 2. Occasionally, you'll find an un-refurbished rifle, with it's bolt "in the white". There are two versions of this: The [SA] marked Finn capture rifles and the unprefurbished Russian rifles. The Finn captures typically will be mismatched. The Russian guns will be stamped matching. The Russian guns that have not been refurbed are more rare than the Finns and will bring a premium. 3. Typical bore condition on an SVT-40 varies from crusty to lightly frosted. There are mint shiny bores out there, but many do show some pitting. Regardless, even dark bores can shoot well. 4. Look for cracks in the handguards and the wrist of the stock, as these are weak points in the stock design. 5. Prices vary Lucky Canadians can get a Russian refurb for ~$500 or so. Us in the US get Russian refurbs for $750-$1000. Finn Captures generally bring $100-$200 more than the refurbs. Un-refurbished Russian guns that are all matching bring $100+ more than the Finns. I find the SVT fun to shoot. It's about as accurate as a service grade Garand, given decent ammo, however the sights aren't quite as nice. Recoil is mild, but muzzle blast is strong and these suckers are LOUD. HTH |
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No pics, but I have a refurbished one. It is one of my favorite rifles. Easy to shoot, mild recoil. My only complaint is mags are expensive if you want a spare. Because ammo is cheap, it gets shot a lot more than .308 rifles.
My son will get it when I'm gone. It is one of a few guns I will never get rid of. |
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Quoted:
SVT-40 bores were never chrome lined. I have one. They have light recoil, are VERY loud, are relatively lightweight, and remarkably accurate. But for some reason mine "stings" my cheek when I shoot it. Not sure why. [/url] Mine stings also, but it doesn't keep me from loving it. 
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