Original Item. Only One Available. In the early 1930s, the Soviet Union requested the development of a semi-automatic rifle to replace the Mosin-Nagant, taking inspiration from the Mexican Mondragón rifle. The design was left up to two individuals, Sergei Simonov and Fedor Tokarev. Simonov, who had experience in developing the Fedorov Avtomat, created a prototype for the AVS-36 in 1931. The rifle was used during the Winter War but was removed from service in 1941 due to design flaws. In 1938, Tokarev's rifle was accepted for production, under the designation SVT-38 with hopes that it would become the new standard-issue rifle of the Red Army. Ambitious production plans anticipated two million rifles per year by 1942. Production began at Tula Arsenal in July 1939 (production at Izhmash began in late 1939).

This is an excellent example of a magazine made for the SVT-38. There are some minor differences between the SVT-38 and SVT-40 magazines, though they are interchangeable. The two holes near the bottom center on the sides are indicative of SVT-38 magazines. The magazine is stamped on one side with a small Russian symbol in a circle. It is stamped on the other side with:

B
H01215.2

There is scattered oxidation and loss of finish. The magazine still functions well and will look great with your SVT-38 or SVT-40!

Ready to display!

The SVT-38 is a gas-operated rifle with a short-stroke, spring-loaded piston above the barrel and a tilting bolt, a system that would later be used in the FN FAL. The SVT-38 was equipped with a bayonet and a 10-round detachable magazine. The receiver was open-top, which enabled reloading of the magazine using five-round Mosin–Nagant stripper clips. The sniper variant had an additional locking notch for a see-through scope mount and was equipped with a 3.5×21 PU telescopic sight.

The SVT-38 saw its combat debut in the 1939–1940 Winter War with Finland. The rifle had many design flaws, as its gas port was prone to fouling, the magazine would sometimes fall out during use, and it was inaccurate, only being effective up to 600m. Production of the SVT-38 was terminated in April 1940 after some 150,000 examples had been manufactured.