Tokarev SVT40 Rifle

Tokarev SVT40 semi automatic rifle. Cast and machined steel receiver with a pressed steel top cover plate. Top stamped with a star and 1943. Full wood stock that has single finger grooves on each side of the fore grip has been sanded and re-varnished. The front section of the fore end is a two piece drilled pressed metal sleeve. The safety catch/change lever is in the trigger guard. The butt is stamped with an A and a five pointed star. This weapon is complete with a green webbing sling that has leather attachment straps, a cleaning rod below the barrel, and a ten round detachable magazine.

The SVT40 rifle was issued in large numbers to the Soviet Army from 1940 onwards, through the duration of the Second World War. An estimated 1.3 million were manufactured between 1940 and 1942, and although records are imprecise, it it thought that the rifle stayed in production until 1945.

Although it was recognised early on in the weapon's production that it had significant performance and reliability issues, including its sensitivity to dirt, the system of regulating gas, and the ease with which the magazine could be lost, war with Germany prevented the Soviet Union from addressing these issues.

This weapon appears to have been refurbished for sale on the commercial market. Provenance unknown.

• Tokarev SVT M1940 Rifle Bayonet and Scabbard
• Tokarev SVT M1940 Rifle Cleaning Kit