SMLE vs SVT 40 magazines

[stubbicatt]

Just an observation. When using stripper clips as intended, I frequently obtain rimlock in the 10 round SMLE magazines, yet, no matter how I try, somehow, the magazine design of the Soviet SVT 40 will not rim lock.

I line up the 303 cartridges and stack them rim in front of rim and insert them in that order, and many times I will get rimlock. I can line up the x54r cartridges in any manner I like, strip them into the magazine, and no rimlock.

Why is this?

 

[WardenWolf]

The SVT-40 and Mosin Nagant both feature an interruptor designed to prevent rim lock. It holds the rest of the stack down slightly to allow it to feed, regardless of rim positioning.

 

[max popenker]

The SVT-40 and Mosin Nagant both feature an interruptor designed to prevent rim lock

SVT-40 has detachable magazine and no interruptor

 

[Dave Markowitz]

It sounds like you are loading cartridges into the SMLE clips incorrectly. They should be loaded "two up, three down," like so:



In my experience if you load them this way (which is the way the British military did) you will not get rimlock, unless you load the magazine to full capacity with 2 clips, and fail to ensure the first round in the second clip is in front of the last round from the first clip.

 

[rondog]

How are you placing the cartridges in the Enfield clips? They go in a unique way, not staggered like other rimmed rifle cartridges in clips.

Ah, Dave brought the pic....thanks Dave!

 

[tahunua001]

when I properly stack enfield strippers I never get rimlock, when I first started using them I stacked them wrong and got it all the time. I learned what was going on and how to fix it, never had the problem again. I don't own an SVT40 nor do I have any stripper clips for 54R so i can't vouch for them.

 

[hang fire]

The SVT-40 and Mosin Nagant both feature an interruptor designed to prevent rim lock. It holds the rest of the stack down slightly to allow it to feed, regardless of rim positioning.

Not true, the MN as designed is prone to jamming when feeding. The Finns addressed this malfunction with a simple dimple (no pun intended) as seen here.

Russian:


Finnish:

 

[Shadow 7D]

IF your MN is having feeding problems, your interrupter isn't working right....

 

[hang fire]

Must be a lot of interrupters not working right, the Finn improvement is known as jam free.

 

[Shadow 7D]

no, not really
it's still the interrupter, and out of all my MN's every feeding problem has been ultimately traced to the interrupter (all two out of the many I've owned)

 

[hang fire]

If it is always an interrupter problem, why did the Finn's rework the magazines to rectify an interrupter problem?

 

[Shadow 7D]

I would have to look at a fin made mag (which I don't have right now, I have 'Finned' not Finish MN's)

However, from the position, the indent appears to be at a place that would help hold the round to the rear of the mag, which wouldn't really matter if an interrupter is working, but would prevent rim jump if it didn't...

Properly working the interrupter holds a single round ABOVE the magazine, and prevents it from hanging on the lower round NO MATTER rim position (infront (proper) or behind)

 

[stubbicatt]

OK. So I loaded the cartridges in the SMLE clips wrong. That helps explain that. However, when loading with a stripper clip, how does one assure that round one from clip two gets in front of round five from clip one?

Even so, I still don't know why I cannot even force rimlock in the SVT 40. That is an amazing magazine design.