stubbicatt
Member
Well. I missed the boat back in the early 90s when these rifles were imported in relatively large numbers, and did not buy one at that time for various reasons. Still have my $99 Russian SKS though. Since then, this has been my "grail gun," and I have passed up many examples previously due to condition, or price. --I did not want a refurb.
So Saturday at the Tanner gunshow in Denver I found a SVT40 Tokarev, Tula, 1941. This version does not bear the SA Finn acceptance stamp anywhere I could see. The stock has a non shellacked finish, there are no electro pencil numbers anywhere on it. The bolt and carrier are in the white. The parts do not match, but the bolt does match the receiver, the bolt carrier and trigger group do not match. There is no import stamp on the rifle that I could see. The bore is easily excellent, with nice square shoulders on the rifling, and years of crud but no obvious pitting.
Near as I can tell it must have been one of the Finn imports from 1954 or thereabouts, or somehow missed the import stamp, if imported later.
The rifle is reputed to be difficult to field strip and clean. It wasn't bad at all. The first time taking any rifle apart has its surprises, but thanks to others who have trod this path before me, I was able to view a couple of youtube videos which explained how.
Of interest to me is the gas system, which is reminiscent of the SVD. The bolt and carrier while unpolished in places are really ingeniously thought out. I know now where the FN folks developed the FAL tipping bolt. The chamber neck and shoulder appear to be fluted, as the cases ejected from it bear the axial burn marks indicative of such, now I know where the HK boys learned that little trick.
In my view of things this design has had a great deal of influence on subsequent rifle designs. It sort of gets me thinking what a groundbreaking design this was, and developed in Stalin's Soviet Union, back in the 1930's. (Glad I wasn't there...) It is strangely a precise and well designed firearm, with finesses and precision, given its rather crude contemporaries, the Mosin Nagant and PPsh. The finish is rough in many places, but the design is quite refined.
The trigger has a long take up, and breaks at what seems a reasonable 4 pounds or so. Lock time is surprisingly fast.
Now the questions: 1) how to remove the firing pin from the bolt for detail cleaning?
2) The receiver has rails but no notch for the scope mount. Would it harm the value of the rifle to obtain a scope and mount and have my gunsmith notch the receiver to accept the same?
Thanks guys. --I'll get some photos up eventually.
ADDITA
There is a little trapdoor in the rear of the receiver which pivots to the side. If one presses the point of the bullet in a cartridge into this opening the trigger group pops out. However, and extremely cool I think, one can run his cleaning rod through here to clean the barrel and chamber from the breech. Very slick.
So Saturday at the Tanner gunshow in Denver I found a SVT40 Tokarev, Tula, 1941. This version does not bear the SA Finn acceptance stamp anywhere I could see. The stock has a non shellacked finish, there are no electro pencil numbers anywhere on it. The bolt and carrier are in the white. The parts do not match, but the bolt does match the receiver, the bolt carrier and trigger group do not match. There is no import stamp on the rifle that I could see. The bore is easily excellent, with nice square shoulders on the rifling, and years of crud but no obvious pitting.
Near as I can tell it must have been one of the Finn imports from 1954 or thereabouts, or somehow missed the import stamp, if imported later.
The rifle is reputed to be difficult to field strip and clean. It wasn't bad at all. The first time taking any rifle apart has its surprises, but thanks to others who have trod this path before me, I was able to view a couple of youtube videos which explained how.
Of interest to me is the gas system, which is reminiscent of the SVD. The bolt and carrier while unpolished in places are really ingeniously thought out. I know now where the FN folks developed the FAL tipping bolt. The chamber neck and shoulder appear to be fluted, as the cases ejected from it bear the axial burn marks indicative of such, now I know where the HK boys learned that little trick.
In my view of things this design has had a great deal of influence on subsequent rifle designs. It sort of gets me thinking what a groundbreaking design this was, and developed in Stalin's Soviet Union, back in the 1930's. (Glad I wasn't there...) It is strangely a precise and well designed firearm, with finesses and precision, given its rather crude contemporaries, the Mosin Nagant and PPsh. The finish is rough in many places, but the design is quite refined.
The trigger has a long take up, and breaks at what seems a reasonable 4 pounds or so. Lock time is surprisingly fast.
Now the questions: 1) how to remove the firing pin from the bolt for detail cleaning?
2) The receiver has rails but no notch for the scope mount. Would it harm the value of the rifle to obtain a scope and mount and have my gunsmith notch the receiver to accept the same?
Thanks guys. --I'll get some photos up eventually.
ADDITA
There is a little trapdoor in the rear of the receiver which pivots to the side. If one presses the point of the bullet in a cartridge into this opening the trigger group pops out. However, and extremely cool I think, one can run his cleaning rod through here to clean the barrel and chamber from the breech. Very slick.
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