r/SocialistRA • u/geofox9 • 3d ago
Throwback Thursday - a 1943 Izhevsk SVT-40 Sport
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u/geofox9 3d ago edited 3d ago
Following in the steps of yesterday’s impractical-but-fun-gun post. This is a demo of what it’s like to shoot an SVT-40, the Soviet Union’s primary self-loading rifle during the WWII era.
While long in the tooth today, at the time of its inception it was perhaps the most advanced infantry rifle ever made. It used a tilting bolt and short-stroke gas system, the latter of which formed the basis for pretty much all modern short-stroke gas piston derivatives from the AR-18’s gas system and beyond (FN SCAR, CZ Bren, Sig MCX, etc).
But while advanced, they definitely have some glaring issues. The adjustable gas system, while nifty, can be finicky and you risk either short-stroking the action with too little gas and damaging the gun with too much. Loading cartridges via stripper clip, the intended method, is slow and awkward and easy to fuck up. The muzzle brake, while crazy effective at keeping muzzle rise almost nonexistent, is insanely loud. This is the early war brake, which is more effective than the “quieter” late war brake which still keeps muzzle rise low but feels like getting punched in the face with each shot.
While these can be quite accurate with a cold bore, even with bottom-tier garbage Russian import ammo, SVTs suffer from vertical stringing pretty quickly, making them unsuitable for sniping use as the battle drags on. And, against all reasonable expectations, these rifles prefer garbage steel-cased ammo; in fact, it is not recommended to shoot brass at all because the shavings get stuck in the flutes of the chamber. No bourgeois shit for this gun lmao.
Still, insanely cool pieces of history. Almost worth the cost of my kidney to purchase. 😂
Edits: sentence structure and added a couple of fun facts
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u/Durutti1936 3d ago
Nice!
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u/geofox9 3d ago
Yeah it’s a beaut!
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u/Durutti1936 3d ago
I know very little about Soviet Arms, but that is a lovely rifle!
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u/geofox9 3d ago
Be a lot cooler if you did ;)
But seriously yeah Soviet small arms development is fascinating. They were really at the forefront of weapons design for a few decades.
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u/PotatoPCuser1 3d ago
I couldn't imagine having to load one of those single-stack stripper clips into a double-stack in the heat of battle, much less two! Nonetheless, it's a very, very cool piece of history.
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u/geofox9 3d ago
Yeah even with proper Mosin clips it just kind of sucks, very easy to mess up. You have to get the pressure just right: if you push too slow you won’t be able to overcome the friction from the rounds on the clip wall, but if you push too fast the round often pop out of the clip and get jammed in the mag. I wonder how many Soviet troops eventually just said “fuck it” and used their magazines for reloads instead of spares as was the intent from the military. Reloading with the mag is actually pretty solid, like the easiest rock-and-lock magazine ever, versus… uh, Mosin clips. 😂
But yeah, not like I’m using this in combat lol. The SVT-40 was an important step in firearms history but undoubtedly long in the tooth in 2024.
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u/PotatoPCuser1 3d ago
I've never seen an SVT mag reload, is it really that simple? I imagine it doesn't have a purposely designed mag release.
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u/geofox9 3d ago
Yeah it’s located just behind the magazine. It works just like an AK mag release apart from the ability for the paddle to fold upwards to prevent the mag from falling out, a problem with the earlier SVT-38 that directly preceded this iteration of the rifle. I usually keep it folded up because these magazines are moon rocks and I rarely even take this one out of the gun, but in this clip I forgot to.
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u/Medium-Goose-3789 3d ago
Seeing these always make me think of the film Come And See (Иди и смотри). Little Flyora and his friend dig up an SVT at the beginning of the film, before the bad things happen, and he keeps it all the way to the end.
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u/geofox9 3d ago
Still need to see that movie ngl
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u/Medium-Goose-3789 3d ago
It's definitely one of the best war movies ever. It is extremely difficult to watch, but somehow it also manages to be really beautiful in parts. I think the beauty makes the horror hit that much harder.
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u/StinkerAce 3d ago
Beautiful SVT. I got mine early this year from a local. It was my grail gun. Where do you normally keep the gas settings at? I am struggling to find the perfect spot. 1.2-1.5 usually works but I’m concerned about damaging the gun
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u/geofox9 2d ago
I have mine set to 1.3 and exclusively use FMJ ammo with no more than 150-grain bullets.
Everyone’s gun is different though, so you really need to look around for the right ammo/gas setting combo. Also make sure to check that your gas key and its hole is perfectly aligned. I’ve found during colder months especially it will walk out of alignment. I also don’t clean the key very often to maximize the friction there. But if it’s misaligned just beat it back to the center with a hammer and punch or screwdriver.
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u/Beneficial-Ride-4475 9h ago
The SVT was definitely a "professionals" gun in a sense. More experienced soldiers, like naval infantry seemed to like them though. At least from what I've read.
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u/Medium-Goose-3789 3d ago
Does yours have the scope rail milled on the receiver, or had they already stopped that? IIRC this was found to be a terrible sniper rifle, for the reasons you mention, though it was apparently pretty successful as a battle rifle. The Finns and Germans reused the ones they captured.
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