Need SVT-40 Buying tips or guide, Anyone?

[cyrus]

Need SVT-40 Buying tips or guide, Anyone? Any info is appreciated.

[metalliman545]

make sure you have money. and that it is in fact an SVT-40 lol

[knucklehead0202]

save up a bunch of money. buy whatever one you can find that's not ridiculously priced. deal with the rest once you've done that. only shoot light ball through it. clean well. sell it to knucklehead0202 for cheap.

[SVT-40]

There are a few things you need to decide. Do you want an original non import marked example? Or do you want a SVT which was a recent import and bears a import marking? Do you want a rifle which has a Finnish property mark?

For the $$ the best value probably would be a import marked rifle. Many import marked rifle also have excellent bores and show little to no wear from their arsenal refinish in Ukraine.

So expect to pay from $600 to $1,200 depending on the condition and maker.

[mosinnagantm9130]

If you want a rarer make, look for one made at Kovrov. If your looking for just a shooter, look for either an Izhevsk or a Tula. A Kovrov will generally cost more than the other two.

[Anubis Laughed]

Ditto on the comments above. Personally, I'd also recommend looking for 1940-or 1941 dated rifles. Chances are most were produced prior to the June 1941 Invasion, and should show better quality workmanship than a 1942 or later made one.

I'll add that you should try to buy the best condition rifle that you can afford. Unlike some types of milsurp rifles, getiing spare or replacment parts for the SVT-40's is neither easy nor cheap.

[grossekatz]

Make sure you get a look at the gas system. The piston and cylinder are prone to damage from corosive ammo. THey are difficult to replace and will cause the rifle to malfunction if they are in bad shape.

[Dolk]

They seem to be popping up a little more often on the Trader on Gunboards. Maybe the economy? But the prices seem to be holding. There is one there right now. It is not a SA marked rifle and it is a refurb but, the bolt is in the white (strange).

only shoot light ball through it.

I asked that question on Gunboards and they told me it didn't matter. I've been shooting heavy. Why only light ball? (Don't want to reck it!)

[Joe Register]

reference

There was a guy on gun boards a few years back that wrote a small book on the history of these rifles that has some interesting information in it. It wasn't that pricey either. Not so much buying guide but an interesting read nonetheless. He might still have them for sale. I bought an SVT a few years ago and quickly found out a few things: Buying an extra magazine is super pricey. Bayonets are super pricey. Cleaning rods are super pricey. You need to get the adjustment tool for the gas system if you need to dial it in for your ammo. The fluted chamber makes cleaning fun. Maybe just me but it seems like it kicks a hella lot more than a Garand. Looks super cool though and is fun to shoot.

[glennsche]

ditto comments above, 'specially on the gas system. there are replacements out there tho, but as Joe Register mentions, they're not cheap. And wtf is up with the bayonet prices that makes no sense to me at all.

the "naval stock" is a bit cooler IMHO (then again of course i'll say that since its what i have)

they are really fun to shoot out the desert on rapid fire. 7.62x54r on rapid against the rare and elusive California Desert Spotted Propane Tank is a whole lotta fun.

they take 2x a long to clean as anything else in my collection. the manual on how to do it on surplus rifle says you need "the tool" to disassemble it; this is incorrect. as mentioned above, you only need "the tool" for the gas system. you can get one from a guy in Ohio who makes em, if you search the forums you can find it.

mine was $850 18mos ago, not sure if they've gone up or down since then.

[marysdad]

Lots of good tips from the other posters. Almost all of the SVT-40s around are refurbished rifles, with the plum-colored bolt. Nothing wrong with that. Since it's your first SVT and you don't know a lot about them, I would suggest not worrying about finding a Finn-capture, Kovrov, non-import, or anything else unusual. Just find a good, solid, nice-looking SVT. The bores tend to be dark. Occasionally, a nice clean bore turns up. If you come across one with an especially nice bore, and can buy it at an acceptable price, that would be a stroke of luck. Make sure the gas system operates freely and isn't corroded. Make sure that the mag is original. Lots of repro mags out there that don't work very well. SVT's are picky about mags. They had to fit the mag to the rifle, then serialize it so they stayed together. As a result, most original mags have several serial numbers electropenciled and crossed out. Get one with the cleaning rod present. Even repro rods are hard to find and run $50-$75. A real rod will run double that, if you can find one. Unless the seller is offering $200 under market, buying a SVT without a rod is giving away money.

Go here: http://www.mosinnagant.net/USSR/SVTsection.asp. Read the whole SVT section and study all the pictures. Bookmark it for future reference.

Have patience. Set a realistic price limit and keep looking until you find a good rifle, at your price. Expect to get beat out of many good examples before you are in the right place at the right time. It took me a year to land mine. Like others have said, there are more of them available recently, so you should get there more quickly than I did.

[cruddymutt]

Thanks for all the advice. I too am very close to seriously getting an SVT. All my sniper projects are done, just need to get through my out of state deer hunt next month.

[NaughtyMonkey]

I wanted an SVT-40 really bad, I got a M1 Carbine and fell in love. I want one of each of them now. lol. One of these days I'll pick up an SVT-40 but thanks for the information.

Have fun locating one and if you do, post pictures of that bad boy!

[Fate]

Lots of good tips from the other posters. Almost all of the SVT-40s around are refurbished rifles, with the plum-colored bolt. Nothing wrong with that. Since it's your first SVT and you don't know a lot about them, I would suggest not worrying about finding a Finn-capture, Kovrov, non-import, or anything else unusual. Just find a good, solid, nice-looking SVT. The bores tend to be dark. Occasionally, a nice clean bore turns up. If you come across one with an especially nice bore, and can buy it at an acceptable price, that would be a stroke of luck. Make sure the gas system operates freely and isn't corroded. Make sure that the mag is original. Lots of repro mags out there that don't work very well. SVT's are picky about mags. They had to fit the mag to the rifle, then serialize it so they stayed together. As a result, most original mags have several serial numbers electropenciled and crossed out. Get one with the cleaning rod present. Even repro rods are hard to find and run $50-$75. A real rod will run double that, if you can find one. Unless the seller is offering $200 under market, buying a SVT without a rod is giving away money.

Go here: http://www.mosinnagant.net/USSR/SVTsection.asp. Read the whole SVT section and study all the pictures. Bookmark it for future reference.

Have patience. Set a realistic price limit and keep looking until you find a good rifle, at your price. Expect to get beat out of many good examples before you are in the right place at the right time. It took me a year to land mine. Like others have said, there are more of them available recently, so you should get there more quickly than I did.

Good post!

[knucklehead0202]

not 100% sure about the light ball but i think so. i know that with PSL's the heavy stuff will slowly but surely destroy them and i believe that applies to the SVT's as well. gas adjustment tool would definitely be a must and should help prevent such issues. i had a Hakim and without the gas tool you might as well beat stuff to death with it rather than try to shoot at it. i imagine the SVT, being a piston rifle would be a bit more forgiving than dumbass direct-impingement but i'm not terribly well-versed in svt-40 ins and outs. good luck in your hunt. i really want one but man have they gotten expensive. maybe i'll get a good tax return this year....