Armory Sponsor
Posted: 6/9/2016 9:46:18 PM EDT
|
Going to look at a Tula SVT40 tomorrow afternoon. What should I look for, be wary of, ect. Going prices?
Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. BGF |
|
Check the gas system. Soviet ammo was corrosive and ate up the gas parts if not taken care of. This is the biggest and most important thing to check.
A plum bolt usually means it's a refurb. A stock with a safety cutout on both sides is from an AVT-40. (actually a little loss of value). SA markings = Finnish capture and are often times a tad bit more valuable that a Soviet refurb. Bayonets are expensive! Others will chime in shortly I am sure. |
|
Hard to find a typical refurb under 1000 now, but I got one a couple years ago for $800/850 cant remember. Everyone at gun shows has a 1100-1300$ price tag on them.
If you get a refurb for $1000-1100 that's ballpark in my area, Minnesota Finnish captures ( extremely mismatched numbers usually ) with the SA in the box stamped on them seem to go for 1350-1500 depending on condition around here. I paid $1450 for one with a Poldosk stock on Just because the Poldosk stock is so rare. This was also the only Gunbroker firearm I've ever bought.... Could have gotten it cheaper in person but the Finns aren't easy to find. They are fun as hell to shoot, spare parts aren't easy to find and the stocks are soft. I'll probably never shoot my Finn capture. |
|
Just to add.
Check the front gas system and make sure its complete and not rusted up. Check left rear of receiver wood line for any cracks in the wood, this is where they tend to break. Most refurb mags do not match , but will work. I have one SVT40 left after my fire sale divorce and I rarely shoot it. |
|
Went by and looked at it today. Refurbed with electro penciled force matched bolt, ect.
Stock has two thin cracks, one on each side at the top/rear of the receiver. I could also turn the gas valve quite easily by hand. Is this normal, or does it indicate bigger problems? The lack of tension puzzles me. I'm pretty good with epoxy, so the stock is not a HUGE issue...I think. I am also going back and field stripping it to get a better look at the chamber ,bore and gas system. Still looking for more input and information. Thanks to the hive for everything so far. |
|
The valve being loose is no big deal. Its tension (or lack thereof) is determined by how tightly the part behind it is screwed in. When you field strip it and remove the handguard, you will see the other piece, which has a machined square section you can turn using a crescent wrench. This is how I adjust the gas system on mine (turning the front regulator with my fingers). I left the handguard off until I found the right setting for my modern non-corrosive ammo, then put it back on. You can also buy a special pentagon wrench for the front if you prefer. Soviet arsenal stock repairs are common on SVTs, although I don't recall seeing them near the receiver heel. Usually they are towards the front of the receiver. AVT stocks are thicker and usually hold up way better, although as noted, less valuable. They weigh a little more also. I think AVT stocks were legit factory-utilized on some SVTs when they discontinued AVT production, but I'm not certain. I also think SVTs are one of those rare examples of firearm where the receiver of the select-fire AVT is physically identical to the SVT, other than markings, but I'm not certain of that either. I think some AVTs rendered semi-auto only were sold in Canada. I'd like to know how much the Canadian-sourced bayo cost. I paid $180 for mine off ePay. That's just a hair under what they normally go for, and I couldn't stand not having one any longer. lol All my WWII infantry rifles have bayonets, as it should be. Definitely inspecting for corrosion, and/or damage caused by prior corrosion, is the #1 concern. The bores are not chrome-lined. Last I checked, SS replacement piston components were available. The Triple K reproduction magazines are the only new-production mags I'm aware of. I had to fit the front lip of mine for both fit and feeding, but it's been great ever since. They're about $80. One other note on stocks: Some have the brass-reinforced slot (identical to Mosin Nagant stocks) for the rear attachment point. These were used by Soviet Naval Infantry, and are rarer than the Army version with a rear metal swivel. Their sling simply has the "dog collar" added for attachment. There are two types of muzzle brakes: small slit, and large chambers (I made-up these terms). The large chamber is easier to clean, and later production. Earlier front sling swivels were hinged 2-piece. Later swivels were fixed 1-piece. |
|
KitBuilder,
Thanks for the information. I will be doing the field strip/inspection on Monday. This one has the early style muzzle brake. I was mostly concerned about the loose gas valve nut. Is there any place I can find a parts diagram? I'm going to poke around a bit after this post. Thanks again. BGF Found a parts diagram at Numrich. |
|
You're quite welcome. http://www.archmagev.com/Firearms/svt40rifle.pdf And same, in HTML: http://milpas.cc/rifles/ZFiles/Semi-automatic%20Rifles/Russian-%20Tokarev%20SVT-38%20SVT-40_files/Disassembly/hs.asp.htm Mine has the early brake. It's a 1941 example, arsenal refurbished. You really don't have to clean the brake if you only fire non-corrosive ammo. Mine still has the muzzle cap staked in place. The whole front assembly with the sight and gas block is threaded onto the barrel and secured with a key. You can see the key sticking out either side. I did not remove mine after buying it used, as I couldn't find where anyone else had done that, and I didn't want to risk damaging it. I inspected it with a light, looking into the cracks where it meets the barrel, and have yet to observe any corrosion. That's a good area to check though. This concern would be the same regardless of which brake it has. I think a hammer and a piece of brass (at minimum) would be required to remove it. It may additionally require some heat. Definitely not a part of normal disassembly, but I'd hate to think there's corrosion underneath eating the metal away. If you see any signs of it, consider the effect on overall value during negotiations, and pay a smith to disassemble and inspect it afterward, if you don't want to try it yourself. Once it's cleaned out, coated in RIG (or similar) and re-assembled, it'll be good for a lifetime of shooting non-corrosive ammo. The part I was referring to (with the square) is the gas piston. If it, and the bore, are in good shape, I would expect the front assembly to be OK underneath as well, as a generality. This guy says he removed the sleeve, and it's a RH thread. Everyone agrees the muzzle nut is LH. http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php#/forumsite/21373/topics/297306?page=1 Here's one to watch, for value: http://www.gunbroker.com/item/561096484 arsenal refurb with late brake, early swivel, AVT stock I use GB completed auctions to check relative values frequently. You must be registered to do an advanced (completed auctions) search. They go back about 90 days. |
|
Field stripped today...... The good: Bolt and bolt carrier look good. The gas system also look clean with a nice shiny gas piston.
The not so good: Bore has some rust but the rifling looks to be strong and I didn't see any pitting. Chamber looks good, no rust. What's the best way to clean/scrub the bore to remove the rust? I'm thinking a Kroil soak and a brush. As always, any help would be appreciated. Thanks. BGF |
|
I recently bought a K98k that was advertised as a Dark Bore with minor Pitting.
Your bore "may" not be as bad as you think it is. This is how I cleaned mine up so, it is most definitely worth the effort. Mine was still "as imported" So, I started by using Acetone to remove the remaining Cosmoline. Once the bore was grease free, I soaked it with Kroil and let it sit overnight. Followed up the next day with a bore brush and more Kroil and then washed that out with acetone. This was followed with a copper solvent until I stopped getting blue/green patches. It looked pretty good at that point as the bore actually had a dull shine to it with very little darkness in the grooves. Finished the process with a few tight fitting patches and JB Bore Paste and washed that out with Acetone. I ended up with a nice shiny bore for my efforts. Wpns Man |
| I got a replacement used M53 barrel that was quite rusty inside. So much so I could not even see the rifling. I simply ran a brass brush through it in the kitchen sink with hot soapy water. Took about 10 mins of brushing before the brush came out clean. Then a few runs with a hot soapy patch, then dry patches and finally with oiled patches. She cleaned up nicely. The hot soapy water worked well on the booster and flash hider as well with some 0000 steel wool. Was not true rust just flash rust and crud from corrosive ammo. |
Armory Sponsor