I was looking at SVT-40s earlier and I was surprised to see how many were produced (1.5m-1.6m) and how available they used to be in Canada. It seems like in Canada they used to go for a third or a quarter of what they were selling for here in the US. I understand the Russians could be picky about who they exported to, but there were still a decent bit of SVTs imported.
What concerns me though, is that to my understanding SVTs are now banned in Canada and are being destroyed. I could be wrong, but that's just what I've seen. To add fuel to the fire, if there were any in Ukraine they may have been fielded, destroyed, or sold off to other countries to afford more modern equipment (because they can't be sold to the US). All of this seems to add to the fact that there are dwindling numbers of SVTs in the world.
While I doubt the Russian arms and ammo bans will be lifted any time soon, it's unfortunate to see that even if legislation around importation did change the SVT would probably still be a rare and expensive piece.
And now in 2025, domestic numbers have decreased, if only slightly, from unconstitutional confiscations, theft, and accidental destruction. To add to the diminishing market, increased demand and scalping around Covid has driven the price way up, and even on a market that's generally cooling off a good rifle is still going to be $2200+. Even with recent trends, outside of maybe the cost of living going up or the housing market / AI bubble popping, I can't really see SVTs going down in price significantally.
At the end of the day it's just dissappointing that such a great gun likely won't see too much more life or availability in the US, and maybe even the world.
What concerns me though, is that to my understanding SVTs are now banned in Canada and are being destroyed. I could be wrong, but that's just what I've seen. To add fuel to the fire, if there were any in Ukraine they may have been fielded, destroyed, or sold off to other countries to afford more modern equipment (because they can't be sold to the US). All of this seems to add to the fact that there are dwindling numbers of SVTs in the world.
While I doubt the Russian arms and ammo bans will be lifted any time soon, it's unfortunate to see that even if legislation around importation did change the SVT would probably still be a rare and expensive piece.
And now in 2025, domestic numbers have decreased, if only slightly, from unconstitutional confiscations, theft, and accidental destruction. To add to the diminishing market, increased demand and scalping around Covid has driven the price way up, and even on a market that's generally cooling off a good rifle is still going to be $2200+. Even with recent trends, outside of maybe the cost of living going up or the housing market / AI bubble popping, I can't really see SVTs going down in price significantally.
At the end of the day it's just dissappointing that such a great gun likely won't see too much more life or availability in the US, and maybe even the world.
