SVT-40 Shooting & Ammo Review

[jmoore]

Posssibly the greatest weakness of the SVT40 aside from the lack of interchangable parts is the requirement to remove the front end after every firing to remove primer residue. Unlike the M1 Garand and G43, there are several small parts that are easily lost and the user has to remember not only the gas setting but to also carefully align the port. A task that could be problematic on a dark night!

Had non-corrosive primed 7,62x54r ammo been available at the time, this rifle's history may have been far different.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[bearrowland]

What a great writeup! Thanks for your work!

[Jason60chev]

SVT 40 magazines are a bear to find.......inexpensively. I bit on one on GB just so I could have a 2nd mag, then, at the huge Phoenix gun show in Dec 2011, I found one on a table and they seller only wanted $50 for it, so I bought. Anyone know the philosphy of use for the SVT 40? Were soldiers not issued extra magazines or just a couple to be used in a fire fight? I have found that strippers can be, with practice, faster to use than magazines.

[Ridolpho]

Jason60chev: I believe I remember reading somewhere that each rifle was issued with three magazines with appropriate carry pouches provided. I would guess, given how easily these mag's snap into place, that three mag's would be, by far, the fastest way to get off 30 rounds.

Ridolpho

[RememberTheSomme]

Great review Hardlicker, and a nice looking rifle. I didn't catch the factory or year, and is that a sniper notch and rails on yours? Mine is a Izzy'41. I was also wondering about some of that MFS 185gr and what setting would keep the gun from beating itself to death.

Cheers RTS

[Hardlickher]

Its a 1940 Izhevsk. It does have the rails but sadly doesn't have the sniper notch although the photos really do make it look like it does. Setting 1.5 on my SVT-40 was way to harsh with the 185gr MFS. It threw the casings and they would clear the shooting bench. Once down to 1.2, the gun just slightly throws the spent case off to the right of the gun. I've never had a problem on this setting with both the MFS and SCDS.

[CODFan]

..... my SVT-40 was way to harsh with the 185gr MFS.

My SVT does not like MFS ammo. Failure to eject .. Stuck cases ... Tried a couple of settings with the same results. Ideas?

[browningautorifle]

My SVT does not like MFS ammo

That pretty much says it all for you. Change ammo or reload for it. You're going to have nothing but problems otherwise.

[kar98k]

took my SVT40 to the range a couple days ago. insanely loud, very fun and a big attention getter. unfortunately, it's miserably inaccurate. it fires about 6-8 inches low at 100 yards with 147 grain Soviet milsurp ammo. i suspect it needs serious shimming.

[mil-surp60]

i have a 1941 tula svt-40 , great shooter as well , just hate shooting it with spam can ammo but thats what she prefers,set my gas @ 1.3 shoot all day , but cleaning it after spam can ammo is a real pain, it does not get that much range time anymore unless i load up some ammo for it myself , looking to get a case of steel cased factory maybe herters that is non -corrosive so i can shoot her more cleaning after cor ammo is a real pain due to the gas system. But mine loves the spam can ammo best so far.will shoot 3 inch &under groups at 200 as well with the occasional flyer very accurate with the spam can ammo.,very nice piece. If it has the rails grooves you may be able to locate a reciever cover with the indent for it , i found a mount fits the svt's with no grooves or indent in cover on ebay , sets on with locking screws , my eyes are getting bad so i may get 1 to scope my svt as well.
looks to be a very solid mount for the svts that do not have the grooves.