Sold – SOVIET 1941 TULA SVT-40 TOKAREV SEMI AUTOMATIC SERVICE RIFLE…..WARTIME FINNISH CAPTURE

Here, in combat salty condition we have a 1941 Tula Arsenal production Soviet SVT-40 Semi-Auto Service Rifle.  This example is SA Finish Army marked and was captured and reissued by them during WW2.  These rifles were often rebuilt by the Finns and SA marked.  They were surplussed out and sold over here during the 1960’s.  The bore on this rifle is the typical strong but a little dark and the parts are not matching as is the rule with the Finnish guns.  These rifles are much more desirable to own than the reworked examples that were imported here from Russia in the 1990’s.  They are easy to spot due to the Reddish color of the bolts from the re-bluing process.

Aside from the obvious employment by the Red Army, the SVT-40 was also the main German Semi Auto rifle until at least the end of 1943.  Huge numbers were captured in Operation Barbarossa and they were highly prized by their new owners who readily turned them on their old owners.  They were in German Service on all fronts and were captured in large numbers in North Africa and in Western Europe.  They have a reputation for frailty but if they were properly maintained they were reliable enough.