I bought my first one about three years ago or so and my second one arrive in the mail a few days ago. Both are 1941 Tulas so you would think that they would be the same but they aren't.
One has a four port muzzle break and the other has a six.One has a cross bolt in the handgrip the other doesn't.One has sniper rails the other doesn't.
Anyone know why the differences?

I'll take it to the range in a few days when it's warmer.

That is a pair a full house could not beat.Wish they were mine....

Sonny:

I bet your hands are "super moisturized" after all that cosmoline.

Have fun.

Cosmoline....almost as good as Hoppes #9 

Can't help much with information sonny, but a good looking set. Look forward to the range report.

Ok so I called it a four port and six port muzzle brake..I should have called it a two port and six port..my bad.

Anyway the six port (early 1941) was found to be to loud to nearby soldiers so late 1941 they went with a two port muzzle brake.

Not as loud but 40% less effective at reducing recoil..

One mystery solved..

Muzzle brake. First version of SVT-40 muzzle brake had six ports. During January of 1941 two-port muzzle brake (and lower cut bayonet) were submitted for trials (Source: 1. Page 43). The reason for the proposed change of muzzle brake was to lower the volume of sound which was deafening to nearby shooters. With the new muzzle brake this goal was achieved, but side effect was that effectiveness of brake performance decreased by 40% (Source: 1. Page 43). This decrease in performance was acknowledged as acceptable and two port muzzle brake was recommended into production 18 Apr 1941 (Source: 3. Page 127), however was not implemented immediately. Factory No.460 NKV (Podolsk) first started mass production of new muzzle brakes and they are spotted on the rifles dated to September of 1941. Factory No.314 started production of two-port muzzle brakes only after evacuation to Mednogorsk at the end of 1941. However some experimental carbines manufactured prior to June of 1941 at No.314 also had the two-port muzzle brake. There are no known two-port muzzle brakes manufactured at Factory No.74 (Izhevsk) and it is not clear why this change was implemented originally in time only by Factory No.460 (Podolsk). Apart from the manufacturer markings one can see difference between Factory No.460 (Podolsk) and Factory No.314 (Mednogorsk) made two port muzzle brakes in the machining quality with No.460 being finely machined and No.314 very rough.

How are the bores on them Sonny?
I have never had one but considering getting one.
Allegedly 2 m.o.a should be fairly easy to squeeze out of them with some minor tuning and ammo they like.

The bore on the 6 port is really dark and frosted,rifleing is not very good.The 2 port is much better but it has seen some use for sure.
I can get 2 m.o.a. with some of my old enfields but getting 2 moa with these is going to pretty hard to do.

You should get one because not only is there a lot of history in these old warhorses but they are a blast to shoot.

So tempting but got a scratch i have to itch first that requires a tough choice between a win m70 vs Hawkeye.

Winchester model 70 all the way..lol 

But a svt 40 is a lot of fun...just sayin'