Tokarev SVT40 (Russia)
| Length | 122cm / 48in |
| Weight | 3.89kg / 8.58lb |
| Muzzle velocity | 830m / 2,723ft per second |
| Cartridge | 7.62mm |
| Magazine | 10 rounds |
The Samozaryadnaya Vintovka Tokareva obr 1940g, or SVT40, was a direct development of the earlier AVS36 and SVT38. Breaking from the traditional bolt-action loading mechanism, this group of rifles used a semi-automatic loading system.
Gases from the discharged cartridge are diverted and their pressure used to reload the weapon automatically without the need for the soldier to manually chamber each round. Even though this was a sound application of the theory, the SVT40 produced a heavy recoil. However, it was still popular with the troops, because it gave them the ability to fire rapidly.
As many nations raced to create an automatic rifle to compete with the American M1, it was ultimately the Germans who came up with the most viable alternative. They took the design of captured SVT40 and refined it to create their own Gewehr 43 automatic rifle.
