Russian SVT 40

[m1garand]

Have anyone acquired an SVT 4o rifle? I just have seen youtube account of the shooting. Can anyone who owned and shot it, give me some pointers? I am thinking of getting one for my collection (alternatively the other one is a Russian SKS) Thanks all. M1

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[Badger]

I've got one as well, but never shot it yet, so I'd also be interested in hearing from othe members who have some experience with this old girl ...

Regards,
Badger

[Stevo]

They're nice shooting rifles, IMO. They can be sensitive to ammo type and gas setting, but mine runs on whatever I feed it. It's quite hard on the fired ammo so I don't know if reloading for one is feasible.

SVT to SKS is kind of an apples/oranges comparison, other than their point of origin. Ammo supply is certainly more abundant and cheap for the SKS.

[K31]

I was wondering if you could reload the cases after firing them in an SVT-40. My friend has one that was converted to .303, and it destroys brass. How badly does it mash the cases? I can't find surplus 7.62x45R out here, so all my ammo is manufactured in my own arsenal.

[Skippy]

I've got a '43 SVT40, It's a great rifle to shoot. Mine has never hung up once and has always feed and ejected flawlesly. The action cycles quite gently, and the felt recoil is quiie reduced when compared to the same ammunition in a mosin.

I only shoot factory ammunition in mine, as it's a bit of a pain to break down for proper post-corossive cleaning, and the fluted chamber does leave the shoulder and neck of the brass somewhat marred. I don't reload for X54, but from observation I'd say that my fired brass is still worthy of a reload or two (I've kept it just in case), it might not last for too too many reloads though, but 2 or 3 for sure.

THen again your rifle might be harder on brass than mine is.

[jw-1]

that weapon will tear the round head off if the fluted chamber is wore. it used the same priniple as amt auto mag in 22 mag.

[sergey96]

Nice rifles shoots well!
If you use Russian ammo no jams!

[jmoore]

that weapon will tear the round head off if the fluted chamber is wore. it used the same priniple as amt auto mag in 22 mag.

That's news to me! My first SVT40 had a chamber so rough that the expended brass looked like it had been sand-blasted. It still worked, but there was no reloading the empties. Maybe you have the gas setting a bit high?

Oh, I have been told that the .303 British conversions don't have fluted chambers, so...

Here's a link to a discussion on SVTs converted to 303 British w/o fluted chambers:

https://www.milsurps.com/showthread....ighlight=SVT40


ETA: Maybe this (or these) thread(s) missed getting moved to the Soviet weapons forum, somehow it seems like it(they) belong(s) there.

[Claven2]

I've owned and extensively shot a few, both in field condition and in service rifle matches. The adjustable gas system is awesome - reminiscent of the FN-FAL. Mine ran every type of ammo I could come up with, though sometimes you had to change gas settings.

I used S&B brass exclusively and you can reload it just fine - you get maybe 6 reloads if you don't anneal. Ejection dents the cases, not unlike a SIG 552 dents .223 brass. Don't worry about it, it's cosmetic and won't affect feeding.

They are great rifles - too bad I couldn't have one of these but with M1 garand sights! the other downside is brass is sometimes hard to locate, if you shoot corrosive ammo, it's a complicated rifle to clean, and the bullets are .311" so selection is limited.

[Rapidrob]

I got my first SVT-40 back in 1966. The rifle is interesting to shoot and keep shooting.
What you may want to look for is the fit of the piston to the gas cup. These two parts will cause about 99% of all the problems you will have.
When the two parts are in good condition,or new replacements ( one of our members makes new stainless steel cup/piston) the gas system can be tuned to operate with little or no damage to the fired brass. The flutes on the neck and shoulder are very shallow and the brass can be reloaded.
Any time the brass is torn in half,or badly dented it is because of a worn cup/piston causing the user to set the gas plug to a setting greater than 1.2 or 1.3.
The rifle is accurate for what it is. Recoil is very light due to the very efficient muzzle brake.
The stock is not the strongest design out there. Keep the action/stock screws tight to help prevent a crack at the front of the wrist or recoil lug.







Ask if you can check the rifle out before you buy it. Pull the operating spring and hand cycle the cup on the piston. It should have a slight drag to it. Like a piston in a cylinder! there should be no "felt" play between the two. The fixed piston should be tight in the gas block. The piston head should NOT be all eaten-up by the corrosive primers/gas pressures.
If you find these conditions on the piston/cup,you will have problems with the force needed to cycle your rifle.
Over the years since I bought my rifle I have fixed about 50 rifles. As I stated above, the gas piston and cup are the primary cause of cycling/ejecting/feeding/damaged brass problems.
If your lucky enough to have a rifle with a good gas system the rifles is just plain fun to shoot. It has a muzzle blast like a 105 howitzer, and can be shot all day with out destroying your shoulder.