SVT-40 Shooting & Ammo Review

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Regarding cleaning:

The traditional method of thoroughly cleaning and "decontaminating" rifles used with "corrosive" ammo, was the judicious use of boiling water.

This was standard practice with Lee Enfields from the day they went into service in 1888.

The corrosive salts in the ammo are in the priming mix, NOT in the propellant.

Get a suitably small, metal funnel, support the rifle so that the muzzle does not end up immersed in liquid and pour the boiling water down the barrel. You will probably be horrified to see the amount of muck that comes out.

Yes, chromed barrels are supposed to be "immune" from this sort of barrel corrosion. However, that assumes a PERFECT coating of chrome with NO micro-fractures or other flaws.

The gas piston components can also be given a "primary" clean in hot water, before hitting them with Hoppes or similar and then LIGHTLY oiling them. DE-OIL the fixed piston and the "cup" before shooting to reduce nasty, baked on fouling. Clean and re-oil before storage.

Keep ALL springs scrupulously clean and lightly oiled: even a tiny amount of corrosion will cause spring failure in short order.

The issue of ejection: If you are up in the "Great White North", you will need to set the regulator to more "generous" setting, (especially in Winter), than if you live in Southern Texas. The system is adjustable for that very reason, not because someone may want to feed the poor thing a steady diet of heavy-bullet machine-gun ammo. The special five-sided adjustment wrench is a collectors piece of its own.