Bubba may have done his work, but at the time (30+ years ago) I did pick it up pretty cheap. No magazine was a great starting point and by the time I covered all the other issues, I was happy to be he new owner. I wish it at least it had the great Russianicon Red stock so I could just hang it on the wall. It was my first Russian rifle so it has a bit of a dear spot for me. I do have the standard Russian Referb SVT40 with the plum bold carrier and it shoots pretty good. If I did not get the this SVT 40, I would have spent the money on booze and some girl who really did not like me. I did enjoy learning about the Bulgarian SVT40s, if you have pictures of one, please post it.