At its core, the SVT-40 was nothing more than the SVT-38 with a reinforced structure to help make for improved robustness and reliability in-the-field. The new gun was something of an improvement over the SVT-38 save for the fact that the same recoil/muzzle blast issue plaguing the SVT-38 (and the AVS36 before it) when firing the 7.62mm cartridge was still apparent. The six-baffled muzzle brake was updated to a two-baffled design though it is of some debate whether this installation helped much in practice. Regardless, the SVT-40 was issued in around 1.6 million production examples and some were even fitted with telescopic sights for snipers. The repeating action of such a system no doubt lent itself well in the role, allowing the shooter to keep his eye and weapon trained on a hapless enemy.
Another SVT-40 development was an attempt to produce a full-automatic model. This variant was given the designation of "AVT-40" but these systems failed to provide much in the way of success, leading to very low production figures. Similarly, the "SKT-40" was conceived of as a carbine form of the base SVT-40 rifle, being shorter in length for improved portability. These were either "new-build" models straight from Soviet factories or merely conversions exercised directly from original production SVT-40s. At any rate, these proved rather wicked to fire and were thusly produced in very low numbers.
The SVT-40 saw production until the end of hostilities in 1945 though, despite their usefulness, the weapon would never reach the millions of Red Army soldiers in the required numbers - especially when compared to the similar-in-scope American M1 Garand self-loading rifles, these reaching production figures of about 6 million units. Nevertheless, the SVT series rewrote portions of Soviet infantry tactics as the war progressed, at least whenever they could be fielded in any substantial numbers. SVT-40s were usually issued to non-commissioned officers of the Red Army as well as trained marskmen and the fabled Soviet Marine units. The rifle also went on to influence Soviet post-war automatic firearms designs during the Cold War, a period that ultimately gave rise to the world-renown AK-47 assault rifle family by Kalashnikov. It is also believed that a few facets of the SVT series directly influenced the German design of the wartime MP 43 assault rifle as well - regarded as the first modern assault rifle.
Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941 and found the need for a similar self-loading, semi-automatic combat rifle to help offset their bolt-action units. The Gew 41 was developed in response but these proved very limiting in their scope and were released in equally limited numbers. It was only after the German Army encountered the Soviet SVT-38 and SVT-40 models in combat that they advanced their own needs using captured reengineered examples to create the improved Gew 43 series. The Gew 43 served well and was issued n sniper forms but never reached the production levels required of the German Army. Captured SVT-38 and SVT-40 rifles were also reconstituted back into German Army service, whenever possible (and as 7.62mm ammunition supplies allowed) under the respective designations of Selbstladegewehr 258(r) and Selbstladegewehr 259(r), such was the value - and shortage - of capable automatic weapons at this point in the war.
The SVT-40 was also utilized by the Finns as well as North Korea and China.
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