SVT-40

Soviet rifle SVT-40

The SVT-38 and SVT-40 semi-automatic rifles were developed by Fyodor Vasilyevich Tokarev and entered into service with the Red Army in 1938 and 1940 respectively. They were chambered for the 7.62×54mm R cartridge used in the Mosin Nagant 1891 and 91/30 or in the Maxim 1910 machine gun. More than 1,600,000 of these rifles were produced until 1945. They were retired around 1955. This model can be considered the ancestor of the rifle precision Dragunov.

These two types of rifle replaced the AVS-36 automatic rifle deemed too fragile and were used in large numbers during the Second World War. SVT-38s taken from the enemy (17,000 in number) were used by Finland during the Winter Wars (December 1939 to March 1940) and Continuation Wars (after June 1941), but they were quickly retired. Moreover, from 1941, they impressed the Wehrmacht so much that the hundreds of thousands of captured specimens were immediately returned to service under the new German designations:“G.258(r)” or “G.259(r)” , depending on model. Then, these weapons greatly inspired weapons of German design such as the Walther G41 and especially the Walther G43:this one copies a good part of the mechanism of the SVT-40, in particular the piston gas borrowing system.

After World War II, the Soviets “repackaged” them into arsenals and stored them like most decommissioned weapons. Some specimens are used by the Cuban revolutionaries but, contrary to other weapons, they are very little diffused in the satellite countries or friendly of the USSR.

Description

The SVT-38 — or the SVT-40 — has a non-oiled wooden stock/forend and fore-end (to avoid an increase in the weight of the mount!) and it can accommodate a bayonet for the close combat.

Despite the relative care taken in manufacturing, the weapon lacks robustness, mainly due to the Soviet desire to produce a light rifle. In order to lighten the weapon (only 3.85 kg empty, compared to the 4.4 kg of the Mosin-Nagant M1891), the barrel and the stock are designed with a very thin thickness. Thus, in addition to a vertical dispersion of the shot due to heating, the barrel can very easily bend when using the bayonet, which obviously makes the weapon unusable. Other points are to be deplored, such as the limitation of the permissible continuous rate of fire:only 30 rounds, in practice 20 to 25 rounds per minute in semi-automatic mode. Also, the continuous firing of 50 rounds can put the weapon out of action.

Ultimately, the SVT-40 fails to impose itself because of its relative complication (compared to the Mosin-Nagant M91/30 or the PPSh-41), and also because it requires special training and care for a correct use and maintenance. As a consequence of this, only the experienced corps of the Red Army know how to exploit its firepower; in the same vein, the Wehrmacht, initially composed of more seasoned troops, shows that it can take advantage of the captures of this weapon.

The SVT-40 develops a launch velocity of 829 m/s for a maximum effective range of approximately:

400 m against ground targets
450 m against air targets.

The addition of a 3.5x "PU scope" scope on a horseshoe mount allows the SVT-40 to be used as a sniper rifle2 up to 1000m.
Versions

The USSR used several types of Tokarev rifles and carbines:

SVT-38:first version adopted in 1938
SVT-40:second version adopted in 1940
SKT-40:rifle version
AVT-40:version introduced in 1943 allowing automatic fire thanks to a fire selector. Nevertheless, according to the instructions in force, the choice of automatic fire could only be made on the order of the platoon leader.

Presentation

Country USSR
Type Semi-automatic rifle
Ammunition 7.62 × 54 mm R
Service life 1940 - 1945
Production 1,600,000 copies

Weights and dimensions

Mass (unloaded)} 3.85 kg
Length(s) 1226 mm
Barrel length 625mm