SVT 40 

"Many of you have a Mosin-Nagant." [Cries in European]

Listen kids, when a Mosin and an SKS really love each other...

Мой дедушка, царствия ему Небесного, рассказывал, что во время войны у него была СВТ. Винтовкой был доволен. Служил он в 144-м обмп 83-й морской стрелковой бригады.

I had one of these a long time ago but had to sell it in 1999 when I lost my job. I finally managed to find one again at a price I couldn't pass up. I'd forgotten how light these things are for their size. Put one in your hand and a Garand in the other. a world of difference. A truly beautiful rifle. (And so is the Garand)

I love my SVT-40. I had one a long time ago but was forced to sell it for financial reasons. I was fortunate enough to pick one up from my Gunsmith about 2 years ago as he was thinning out his personal collection. It's much lighter than you think it's going to be when you pick it up.

Wish I had purchased one when they were less "known" and even "shunned" by the uninitiated, would be awesome companion for my Mosin which I absolutely cherish, the Russians make some excellent firearms! ... Thanks Hickok 45

that gun is almost as old timey as hickok! awesome! I would love to get my hands on one of these.

I love my SVT. It was luck that I came across it at a Gun shop that I never go to. There it sat...waiting for me.

I just did a quick search. In Canada, they are running at $310. In the US, they are around $1,200! What the heck! Damn importation bans.

I actually got my hands on the "remains" of 1 of these. My father work at a powerplant here in sweden and they import peat from belarus. And a few years ago they had a shipment and while it was going through the metal seperator (kind of a mix of a Sieve and a very powerfull magnet to catch any metal) They found something. That is 1 of these. When they found it and could tell it was a weapon of some sort (the wood was pretty decayed) My father then called me since he knew i was had some knowledge of old weapons and they had me identify it. Most of the wood was gone (stock all gone) but it was easy to recognise due to the front and the barrel. Just a little story.

>Left handed gun user in USSR No such thing. If you were actually left handed- YOU WERE RIGHT HANDED.

wow, that thing is a beast, the s k s 's big daddy.

Он больше хвалит наше оружие,чем наши.Очень порядочный чувак.Тhank you Very much!!!

Yeah The SVT40 is a very interesting and beautiful firearm. One of my favorite World War II weapons. My buddy and I each purchased one apiece In the late '80s or early 90's from SOG they got a small shipment of them. I think we payed around $250 apiece for them maybe less. I know every time we stepped up to the firing line with em. We drove the AR and AK guys away with the incredibly loud muzzle break blasts out the side of the breaks. They would always shout "what the hell are you guys shooting we can feel The percussion coming off that thing" Fun times shooting rapid fire with hard hitting 762x54r!!!

HUGE PROPS TO THE VIEWER WHO LENT YOU THAT SVT 40

Respect from russian man from Kazakstan.👍

In the Soviet army this rifle had the women s name Sveta

Hey hickok, You shoot corrosive ammo in this SV40 and the mosen. How about showing a cleaning session with these rifles showing your cleaning technique with corrosive ammo. Thanks..

thank you Hickok45. For showing us, teaching us, and firing for us some of the most influential firearms in all of our collective histories. Your channel is by far one of the best on youtube and I hope that you continue to do what you do!! Would be honored to shake your hand.

I almost bought one in the early 90s for about 230 bucks. I'm still kicking myself for not doing so!

In the Eastern Front the Germans actually preferred the SVT-40 over their Gewehr 43. Many were captured and used by Germans. The Russian rifle is more reliable than the German semiautomatic rifles of the period. Especially in Russia's harsh conditions. The G43 is a bit odd when you look at how it operates compared to the SVT-40.

Waking up too Hickok 45 ... life is good.

Saw one of these in PERFECT condition for $1300. It was such a beautiful gun and it felt good to hold a piece of history.

Having experience shooting both the SVT-40 and the M91/30, I like the M91/30 better. Better accuracy, a bit more muzzle velocity, and the reload time ends up being the same when you run out of SVT-40 magazines. During WW2 soldiers who carried the SVT-40 typically were issued 2 or 3 magazines, and the magazines were not interchangeable between rifles. It doesn't take long to fire 20 - 30 rounds, thus in a very short time the soldier would end up having to load from 5rd stripper clips. Also the rate of fire when making aimed shots at ranges of +300m is about the same between the two rifles. The SVT-40 does have a tendency to string shots after firing 10rds or so. Many people in the US have bad experiences with Mosin Nagants because the M91/30 they own has been stored in cosmoline for 70+ years and they didn't properly clean it out of the receiver locking lugs. Thus leading to a sticky bolt. Hoppes 9 doesn't work. Dremel wire wheel doesn't work. Ballistol doesn't work. You have to funnel at least 6 gallons of boiling hot water down into the receiver + barrel with a little Dawn dish soap. I've cleaned 16 M91/30's this way and the result has always been a nice slick bolt action, equally as slick as my Kar98k.

My bud in CT has three one from each arsenal, Tula, Izhevsk & Kovrov...the Kovrov was produced in the least numbers because THAT arsenal was dedicated pretty much to producing machine guns. CB In FL

I love how he has a bowl of 7.62 just sitting there LOL

The SVT40 is a good semi automatic rifle. It just needs a superior Rear Peep Sight system. It looks like inventor, Fedor Tokarev took elements from the, Federov 2nd model 1925 semi automatic rifle, which was in 762x54R and used a 20 round magazine.

The Soviets wanted to use the SVT-40 but didn't have to time and man power to make as many as they wanted to so they went back to the Mosin Nagant. The Mosin was easier and cheaper to make but Mosins and the limited number of SVT-40s wasn't enough so they went to PPsH-41s and PPS-43s to pick up the slack. By the end of the war the Soviets used more sub machine guns than any other nation during the war.

sleek metallic parts & solid wooden stock. That's masterpiece.

Отличное видео =)) СВТ моя любимая винтовка =)) Стрелять из неё одно удовольствие =))

ahh finally! haha, love my svt-40, such an amazing rifle i use it for coyotes here in canada

Beautiful rifle

The mag release swings tight to the stock because svts were only given with 2 magazines so it was meant to really be loaded by stripper clips, so the release was swung flush to keep it from being hit or in the way.

Russian guns are cool

Мой дед расказывал мне про войну . Так вот была у него свт , после двух месяцев боев маршей ночевок на земле взял он эту свт и стукнул о дерево и подобрал мосинку этой винтовке плевать на грязь , и в бою не клинит. Вот так.

Great video. The model of SVT you are shooting is a "paratrooper" (short) version. They were produced either by Tula or Izhevsk arsenals. Although your version does not have grooves to mount a scope, many regular length versions, especially made by Tula were chosen as sniper rifles as were many Mosins (both used PU scopes, but different mounts). The neat thing about this rifle is that it can be loaded either from the top (using Mosin 5-round clips or manually one by one) or from the bottom (magazines), which allowed for some versatility (whatever one can find). From what I read, and you are absolutely right, Germans loved SVTs and often chose them over Kar98s (10 round semi-auto vs 5 rounds bolt-action). They did not get their own version (Gewehr 43) until closer to the end of the Russian campaign and it did not make that much of a difference as Wehrmacht was on the run after major disasters in Stalingrad (1942) and near Kursk (1943, largest tank battle on the Eastern front during WW2). Apparently, SVTs were not as reliable as Mosins if not cleaned and lubricated regularly and properly. As Russia during WW2 was mainly "muddy" and "snowy" country, Russian soldiers, many of whom fought in WW1 and Russian civil war, would often choose Mosin for its reliability because it would fire under almost any conditions. Again, from what I read, Russians designed their weapons around an existing round, so they would not have spend funds on R&D and building of new facilities. Hence, SVT was developed to use Mosin's round, as was RPD light machine gun (the one with round magazine on the top). Maxim heavy machine gun also used 7.62x54R round.

Just picked one of these up recently for 150 bucks without a mag. Haven't had a chance to play with it yet as mags are hard to come by here in Canada. Nice video! Gives me something to look forward to!

немцы любили ее, часто оставляли себе. Наряду с другими трофейными образцами СВТ были приняты на вооружение Вермахта.

It may sound lame but the SVT40 is on my list of dream rifles.

Man, never saw this one before. IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

Хикок реально не заморачивается в политику, поэтому его разборы нашего советского оружия достойны особого внимания!!!

My Dad bought one of these, mail order, for $30 back in the 1960's from InterArmCo. Surplus ammo was $5.00/ 100 rds. ! He used a sander on the stock, and it came out a pretty white oak (?) finish, which he covered with Thompson polyurethane. I remember he had problems with the gas port operation, and sold it for $100 a few years later. Probably worth a lot more now !

One of the reasons for the folding magazine catch is that you can reload the magazine from the same stripper clips that the Mosin uses, when it is locked back.

If Hickok enjoyed shooting this semi auto 54R rifle, he should seriously consider getting his hands on a modern, semi-auto powerhouse that is the VEPR. Since hickok already has a soft spot for AK variants, I think he'd absolutely love the VEPR chambered for the 7.62x54R.

Not exactly a Glock 19 in the field strip department. Damn thing looks like a piece of art, though.

love my SVT-40 own a few mill surp semi's and this is prob my top 2 cant decide my fav. super accurate with irons too.

Always LOVED the SVT-40 and wondered why it didn't see more widespread use. It's great to hear the history and better understand. Very envious of anyone who owns one.

Жаль, что их было мало. Сложность в производстве и освоении личным составом. Но самое главное, что военные требовали облегчить конструкцию. А без ухудшения характеристик Токареву это удалось только к 1943 году. Два года ушло. Приличного качества винтовки стали делать лишь спустя почти год, в 1944м. Хорошее оружие не успевшее на войну, когда было так нужно... у США винтовка с отъемным магазином появилась сильно позже. Но у них хотя бы был очень хороший "гаранд м1" во время войны.

I'm so immature, when Hickok said "I love pink" I laughed hysterically haha

Finally SVT video by Hickok :-) Once I've had opportunity to shoot one of these, which is not that easy here where I live. Really cool looking rifle and sweet shooter. Greetings from Poland.

I held one of these at a gunshow last weekend! I want one so badly. It was incredibly light and slim. The guy wanted $900 for it which isn't too bad. Not that rich tho!

A year ago I was in Cabelas when my son spotted one in the gun library. I talked the associate down from the marked price to $400. We practically ran out of there! I'm convinced they had no idea what it was as it was tagged "Mosin" not Tokarev or SVT40.

The PKM also fires the 7.62x54r. Big fat machinegun throwin big fat lead down range.

I think the magazine release folds up because I believe it was common to load the magazine, hide away the catch so you don't accidentally release it, and just reload the magazine with stripper clips.

The SVT40 was intended to become the main service rifle of the Soviet Union, but because of Germany's invasion production had to be halted. Had it had started been produced a little earlier, or maybe Germany held the invasion off for just a little longer the SVT40 would have become standard issue. A semi auto rifle is definitely a game changer. it could definitely have reduced casualties of the Soviet Unionaswell

Now keep in mind this rifle is absolutely enormous for what it is it’s completely unwieldy it’s legit like 5 feet long so Hickok must be a big guy to hold that thing out like it’s nothing

I wanna be friends with this guy in a zombie apocalypse!

Thanks Hickok for another great review!!! I just bought an SVT40 about an hour ago! Peace from Canada

Finally! I have been waiting a long time for this video. A pleasure as always Hickok

i own a Molot Vepr chambered in 7.62X54R its my favorite semi-auto hunting rifle i own

Finally a rifle that seems to fit your height quite well. ^^

The SVT-40 is definitely on my wishlist, right under the K-31.

Потом пишут везде что русские воруют дизайн у немцев. Так скажите у кого был сворован дизайн и принцип газоотвода у этой винтовки? Учитывая год создания этого оружия.

Now someone should send him a PPSH-41. That will be awesome.

My grampa was a Soviet soldier he used one

Спасибо за обзор винтовки! Очень хочется посмотреть на мнение от Вас о пистолете Стечкина! Если он у вас появится

wish these were not banned from import. the canadians can get these and they are about the price of our yugo SKS rifles. just because of that stupid trade agreement that should be abolished...its a curio/relic rifle it should be importable! be a great hunting rifle

We've got quite a few of these around here in Finland because of the war years naturally. Nice ones sell around 500€/640$. I'd like one myself.

This snipre s variant of SVT used Ludmila Pavlichenko ,the best sniper in the WW 2. In the battle for Sevastopol in 1942 she kill 309 Germany solgiers and oficers

Lots of fun to shoot and usually the noisiest rifle around. Thanks for the review! (from Canuckistan).

I like the Old School wood! It looks much better and the feeling is different than plastic or metal! (but the look is the real reason, it looks much better 😁)

I remember when they dumped these on the market in 1987 and people thought they were junk. You could get one for 180 bucks

The most common issue I've heard about when disassembling the SVT is keeping the spring from flying out and hitting them. I think it happens to most people the first time they take theirs apart (unless they already know about it).

One of my favorite youtube channels lots of info on the firearms and good humor.

Glad to see that you did a video on this! I've been waiting! The G43 is next, I hope!

kinda shocked i've never heard of this rifle. thumbs up for that. is it just me, or would any one else love to see Hickok45 drop some one, with one punch? not that i think he would, but just think of those big ol mits he's got on some poor guys jaw.. he makes the STV40 look like a 10-22

such a beautiful rifle!

It is a great hope inspiring thought to know there are teachers like you.

The folding mag release was because they were worried about unintentionally dropping the mags. It was a new fangled concept. From what I've learned they were only issued one magazine and expected to be fed with stripper clips. They hadn't truly realized the advantage of a detachable box magazine yet. From their perspective, it was a way to easily clean and unload the gun, not a way to feed it more quickly. Also, in theory they could issue larger magazines quickly if it is to be used as a light support weapon.

I love this gun for her big round and semi-auto. I wish I could get rid of the band, the bayonet lug, and the cleaning rod and rod lug, because I like to keep the knife and rod by my side

Interesting bit of history.

Great vid as always. I find with my svt40, that if a batch of ammo is not running well, I can simply adjust the adjustable gas block so that the action will cycle stronger. A couple shops even sell replicas of the original specialized tool for adjusting the gas system. My svt40 also has machined slots in the receiver for the scope mount. Original (and even replica) scope mounts cost more than the rifle, from what I've seen online. Also, I've been keeping a eye out for an original bayonet, with no luck. Keep up the great videos!!!

Think you can get your hands on a Blyskawica?

My SVT-40 has an odd trigger mechanism. It comes out all fine and well but getting it back in proved to be harder. A friend told me to set the barrel on the ground and it pops in... i still find a soft faced hammer to be the best way!

During WW2 I would love to see an NCO's face when they handed him one of these.

This video is awesome! But makes me sad because now everything is crazy expensive. I'm canadain and a svt 40 goes for 1500 dollars here on the low end. Seeing all the comments of people paying 2-300 dollars for them makes me sad. But I would still love to add one to the collection one day

"I got a strong thumb and a weak mind"... Some how that was funny😂😂

The Dragunov runs the 7.62x54 as well. So it's not THE semi-auto, it's a semi-auto.

My grandad has one of those with a scope on it. He has had it since he was my age. We go shooting with it every now and then. My grandad says it is the best antique long distance rifle for the money. But that is just his opinion.

Really, the only bad thing about these rifles is that they absolutely maul the brass

Спасибо Вам за обзоры! Хороший Вы человек. Постоянно смотрю Ваши ролики с удовольствием даже без перевода.

very nice! I've seen the VEPR but not the SVT. Nice Video!

who else like Russian guns? AK 47,SKS,SVT 40,DRAGUNOV,MOSIN NAGANT

Russia made the m14 about 20 yrs before the U.S..At least in concept.

If any of you guys are gamers and love this sort of weapon you should play Red Orchestra 2, very realistic and tactical ww2 game :)

Этими винтовками осенью 1941 вооружили бойцов полка из рабочих заводов города Тулы, что было неприятным сюрпризом для генерала Гудериана

Man if these were the price of a Mosin wouldn't that be something?

Great weapon and hell of a marksman

It's like a Russian m14 :D

Wow such a beautiful rifle and interesting history!