TV-40 any info appreciated

D

Doctari

New member
Hi folks,

I recently shot a TV-40 which is a russian semiauto battle rifle that fires the 7.62x54 round. Apparently made in 1941 according to the reciever. I did not even know this gun existed and consider myself a WWII efficianado, though I guess maybe not such a good one:P I love the M1 Garand, M1 carbine, and most military semi-autos. I had been thinking about getting a russian bolt action to go with my mauser and enfield. However I find this Tokarev rifle much more fun to shoot and interesting. Any one have any thoughts or experiences to share on this gun? Any informative web sites bookmarked somewhere? The guy who owned the one I was shooting said expect to pay in the range of $600-800. Anyone have any thoughts on this price?

I guess I am a big bore fan as I found the TV-40 much more satisfying to shoot than the AK's or SKS' though externally they are similar in appearance.

I was amazed that the russians had these during WWII what with all that is made about russian SMG production during the war.

Thanks for any info,
Mike
 
I haven't heard of a VT-40, but I do know of a SVT-40 and a AVT-40.

SVT40 is a more robust version of the earlier SVT-38. You know what one looks like since you shot it :) They were mainly issued to Russian NCO's, but some were equipped with optics and issued to snipers. There was a fully automatic version, the AVT-40, which is identical except with a alteration to the safety catch to permit the addition of auto fire. These are rare. Some were converted into a carbine version called the SKT-40, but these are also rare. These are reputably unpleasant to shoot since they have a much shorter barrel (18.5 in vs 24 in) with correspondingly higher muzzle blast. I have no idea.
 
Tovarish Foxy, prav--CBT-Sorok!

A couple of containers of both 38s and 40s made it before the VRT killed all the Form 6s that had been approved or in the pipeline from Tula. They are still around. Saw a huge pile of them last spring in Indianapolis from an Ohio dealer. I translated some of the forms for him. Apparently they had been stored in Tula since the late 40s.

Doc, there is a famous photo from the battle of Volgagrad with a Soviet sniper with one. You would recognize it when you saw it.
 
Hi Bob and crew,

Thanks for the nice pointer. Very interesting site. TV-40....SVT-40 I was almost even close:P The guy my buddy bought one from supposedly has another. I'll be checking to see if its gone yet, and reading up on russian weapons of WWII:D

Thanks,
Mike
 
These are fairly common up here, and fun to shoot. I've fired both the SVT-40 and AVT-40, and I have to wonder what the Russians were thinking when they made the full-auto versions; UNCONTROLLABLE to the extreme. I'd like to see someone make an affordable scope and mount for the SVT-40, so I can use mine as a sniper. You also see a "Globe 555" occasionally, which is an SVT-40 sporterized and converted to .303 British; ugly as hell, but they work.
 
Impressions from reading "Guns in Combat" by David Donald

The Tokarev SVT-40 was designed by Fyedor Vasilyevich Tokarev (same designer as the 7.62 pistol) as a product improvement of his SVT-38 after combat experiences in Finland. Production began on July 1, 1940 and ended in the January of 1945. This short lived weapon was the Soviet Union's first automatic rifle design to be fielded in large number. It's low bore-line and system of operation is essentially the same as that of the later FN FAL.

The Soviets were not happy with this weapon because of drawbacks that included inconvenient gas regulation, sensitivity to contamination by dust and thick grease, and prone to jamming in extreme cold. Furthermore, it was not as accurate as the Mosin-Nagant bolt action rifles. The Tokarev was a complex system and was too much for the average Red Army soldier.

It was none-the-less the weapon of choice among highly trained troops such as snipers and Naval Infantrymen. Soviet sniper's preferrance with the SVT lead to later automatic sniper rifles like the SVD Dragunov.

Captured examples were coveted by German troops as they were far superior in many roles than their Mauser 98, and may have inspired later German automatic rifle designs.
 
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