SVD optical sight technical specifications. The best sniper rifles in Russia

The Dragunov SVD sniper rifle, nicknamed “the whip” for the characteristic sound of a shot, has been in service with the Russian army for more than half a century and meets many modern requirements for weapons of this class.

In terms of the number of copies produced and prevalence in the world, the SVD ranks confidently in second place among sniper weapons, second only to the American M24. The rifle has become an invariable external attribute of soldiers of the Soviet and Russian armies; the only rival can be the rifle, which appeared in service 15 years earlier.

History of the Dragunov sniper rifle

The development of a specialized sniper rifle for the Soviet Army began in the second half of the 50s of the last century.

The impetus for the development was a change in the staffing of motorized rifle units, which included a sniper. The general requirements for the rifle were formalized in the form of technical specifications of the GRAU of the General Staff of the SA by 1958:

• use as ammunition (7.62*54 mm);
• have a self-loading principle of operation and not exceed the Mosin standard;
• the stock of cartridges in the store is at least 10 pieces;
• the ability to conduct effective fire at a distance of up to 600 m.

Rifles from several design bureaus, including E.F., were presented for competitive testing. Dragunova, S.G. Simonov and A.S. Konstantinov. Comparative shooting took place at the training ground in Shchurovo (Moscow region).

The samples of Simonov and Konstantinov demonstrated good automatic performance along with low combat accuracy.

The SSV-58 self-loading rifle designed by Dragunov showed high accuracy characteristics, but at the same time the commission noted the low reliability of the weapon, which became unsuitable for use after 500...600 rounds.

All three versions of the rifle received recommendations for improvement and were tested again in 1960. After this cycle of tests, Simonov Design Bureau’s weapon was considered unsuccessful (due to low accuracy compared to the standard), and the remaining two samples were sent for revision.

In particular, there were complaints about the operation of the cartridge feeding mechanism on the Dragunov rifle.

The third cycle of tests took place at the end of 1961 - beginning of 1962 and revealed the final winner - the Dragunov rifle, which surpassed its competitor in terms of fire accuracy.

Konstantinov’s weapon was rejected for the ability to fire only with an optical sight and the location of the cartridge ejection window too close to the shooter’s face.

By mid-1962, the first batch of 40 copies of the SSV-58 entered the troops. Based on operating experience, adjustments were made to the design, and in 1963 mass production of weapons began under the designation Dragunov self-loading rifle (GRAU code 6B1). At the same time, the PSO-1 model optical sight (code 6Ts1) entered service.

Early samples of the SVD had a barrel with a rifling pitch of 320 mm, which corresponded to conventional bullets and provided high accuracy parameters. When using the modernized B-32 armor-piercing incendiary bullets, increased dispersion began to be observed.

Therefore, in 1975, the pitch was reduced to 240 mm, which somewhat reduced the accuracy when using conventional bullets, but significantly improved the accuracy of fire.

Device and main characteristics

To drive the reloading mechanism, part of the powder gases is diverted from the barrel into a separate chamber with a piston. The mechanism contains a two-position gas regulator, which determines the speed of movement of the frame during rollback.

Under normal conditions, the regulator is in position 1. When using the weapon for a long time without lubrication and cleaning, delays in operation may occur. In this case, the regulator is moved to position 2 by rotating the lever with the flange part of the sleeve.

After the shot, the gases expand and push the bullet out of the barrel.

After the bullet passes through the gas outlet hole on the surface of the barrel, part of the gases enters the chamber and sets in motion the piston, made in the form of a single part together with the pusher. The pusher moves the frame to its rearmost position, compressing the return springs.

When the frame moves, the bolt opens and the cartridge case is removed from the chamber. The empty cartridge case is ejected from the cavity of the receiver and at the same time the hammer is cocked and set to self-timer mode. Then the frame reaches the stop and begins to move back under the force of the springs.

After the frame begins to reverse, the bolt takes the upper cartridge from the clip, feeds it into the chamber and locks the barrel. When locked, the bolt part rotates to the left, which allows the protrusions on the bolt to engage with the slots in the receiver.

Additional protrusions on the frame activate the self-timer sear rod, which moves the trigger to the firing position.

By pressing the trigger, the rod is activated, which is engaged with the sear rod. Due to this, the sear turns and releases the trigger, which begins to rotate around its axis under the influence of the force of the compressed mainspring.

The trigger strikes the firing pin and moves it forward. The sharp end of the firing pin breaks the primer and ignites the powder charge in the cartridge case.

After the last shot is fired and the frame moves to the rear point, a feeder comes out of the magazine, which turns on the shutter stop. The stop locks the shutter in the open position and prevents the frame from starting the recoil movement.

Based on the SVD, since the early 90s, it has been produced, designed to fire semi-jacketed bullets weighing about 13 grams (cartridge type 7.62 * 54R).

The weapon is used for hunting large and medium-sized animals. There are options with non-self-loading cartridges, as well as export versions chambered for .308Win (7.62*51), .30-06 Springfield (7.62*63) or 9.3*64 (Brenneke cartridge). The Tiger differs from the basic version in having a shortened barrel and a removed flash suppressor and gas regulator.

Combat use

Despite the fact that the rifle began to enter service in the 60s, it was not reported anywhere until the outbreak of hostilities in Afghanistan. After the collapse of the USSR, the rifle was used in many local conflicts in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Today, the 7.62 mm Dragunov sniper rifle is in service with the Russian army and the armies of several dozen countries.

Opinion about weapons

Despite the age of the weapon, it remains competitive today. Over the more than 50-year history of use, the Dragunov sniper rifle has not received any obvious negative reviews.

SVD is used by snipers in many military conflicts, despite the possibility of acquiring more modern products.

The difficulties that arise when firing at long distances are associated with incorrect calculation of the initial data by inexperienced shooters.

There are also some disadvantages of the SVD, first of all, it is a self-loading mechanism of operation, which is suitable for army snipers for shooting at distances of up to 500-600 meters, but is absolutely not suitable for sniper shooting at long distances, since the operation of the automatic system confuses the aim.

In addition, a rigid barrel mount is also noted as a disadvantage; it is believed that a floating barrel is optimal for a sniper weapon. The tide on the barrel and the bayonet itself in the rifle kit are puzzling. Sniper and bayonet attack are a rather strange combination.

The high level of performance of the rifle can be confirmed by the officially registered record for the distance to hit the target (for weapons with a caliber of 7.62 mm). This happened in 1985 in Afghanistan, when sniper V. Ilyin shot a dushman at a distance of 1350 m. The record has not been broken to this day.

Modern SVD replicas

On sale is a Dragunov air rifle manufactured by MWM Gillmann GmbH. Bullets with a caliber of 4.5 mm are installed in simulators of a real cartridge, which are located in the magazine. The gas reservoir is installed in the rifle bolt.

Thanks to this arrangement, it was possible to provide visualization of firing similar to a real weapon - with reloading and ejection of the “case” outward.

Today, work is underway to create modern sniper rifles (for example, OTs-129), but the prospects for their adoption are not clear. Therefore, for the near future, the main weapon of snipers in the Russian Army will remain the good old Russian SVD rifle.

Video

This year, the entire arms community celebrated a significant date - the 95th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding domestic small arms designer - Evgeniy Fedorovich Dragunov. The main work of Evgeniy Fedorovich’s life, which required incredible effort over several years not only creatively, but also physically, by his own admission, was the creation of the SVD self-loading sniper rifle.

When starting to develop a promising rifle, the Izhmash management appointed Dragunov as the head of the creative team for a reason, because he was already a mature designer, had considerable experience in developing target weapons and even received a government award (Order of the Badge of Honor) for its creation. In this issue of the magazine, we begin the publication of a series of articles designed to highlight the history of the creation of the most legendary sniper rifle of the 20th century, which still stands guard over the Fatherland.

The profession of a gunsmith designer is thankless by its nature: after all, in this area of ​​creative activity, unlike, for example, sports, even second place is tantamount to complete defeat - there is only one step on the “podium” and there is no place for second place there. So any experimental design work is not only an examination of professional competence, but also a test of the designer’s talent.

The fact that there are no “silver” and “bronze” medals in weapons R&D apparently leaves its mark on the character of weapons designers. Most of them are extremely reserved, taciturn, have “dictatorial habits” and are somewhat far from the ordinary joys of life and human weaknesses. Personality E.F. Dragunova fits into this stereotype exactly the opposite - sociable, talkative (an excellent storyteller), friendly not only with colleagues, but also with competitors, completely devoid of arrogance and rudeness, a lover of life and the soul of any company, not alien to simple human weaknesses.

Probably Evgeniy Fedorovich was lucky when in 1958 a competition was announced to create an army self-loading sniper rifle, because he already had serious experience in developing targeted sporting weapons and an army non-automatic sniper rifle. If he had participated at that time in a competition to create a single machine gun, the entire history of weapons would apparently have changed its trajectory. And so, possessing proven fundamental principles for building weapons for accurate shooting, Dragunov was “in the right place at the right time.” All that remained was “nothing at all” - to work out the automation and assemble the sample. This is where the talent of the designer was fully demonstrated, presenting a largely revolutionary model of the rifle. But victory did not come suddenly; the main competitor also turned out to be “no brainer” and promoted an equally innovative concept for building a model. So, in order.

Since the beginning of the 30s, the Red Army (later the Soviet Army) has been armed with a 7.62-mm repeating rifle mod. 1891/30 Mosin designs. Repeated attempts to replace it with more effective automatic weapons were not very successful for a long time. The sniper rifles of Simonov (1936-1938) and Tokarev (1939-1942) did not stand the test of time, because inferior to a magazine rifle not only in terms of trouble-free operation, but also in terms of accuracy characteristics. Attempts to develop sniper rifles in the first post-war years were unsuccessful (Simonov self-loading rifle 1945 and KB-21946 self-loading rifle). In the early 50s (1949-1950), the possibility of using the 7.62 mm Simonov self-loading carbine (SKS) as a sniper was also tested. However, as a result, it was established that the 7.62-mm cartridge mod. 1943 does not allow creating a sample with the required bullet dispersion characteristics. At the same time, in a difficult international situation that threatened the outbreak of another world war, this issue was more than relevant.

7.62 mm self-loading sniper rifle mod. 1891/30

The share of sniper fire in the unit does not exceed one percent, but the effectiveness is inversely proportional. The experience of the Patriotic War and those carried out in the post-war showed that in the defense of a company-battalion, of the total number of targets hit by small arms, sniper fire accounts for 60-80%. And in the offensive, fire support from snipers, who promptly detect and destroy the most dangerous targets, significantly reduces personnel losses.

That is why, at the beginning of 1958, in the bowels of the Main Artillery Directorate of the USSR Ministry of Defense (GAU MO), tactical and technical requirements (TTT No. 007596) for a promising sniper rifle and an optical sight for it were born. The expansion of work immediately began - on June 6, 1958, Resolution No. 609-294 of the Council of Ministers of the USSR was issued, and on June 14, order No. 200 of the State Committee of the Council of Ministers of the USSR for defense equipment was issued, which determined the circle of participants. The development of the optical sight was entrusted to Plant No. 69 named after Lenin of the Novosibirsk Economic Council, and weapons - to the Kovrov OKB-575, the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant (No. 74) and the Klimov OKB-180 at NII-61. Already at the beginning of 1959, all participants (leading designer of plant No. 69 A. I. Ovchinnikov with documentation for the PSO and PSO-1 sights, chief designer of the project from OKB-575 A. S. Konstantinov with the project of the 2B-V-10 rifle, the head of the sector of plant No. 74 E.F. Dragunov with the project of the SSV-58 rifle and the leading designer of OKB-180 S.G. Simonov with the project of the SSV rifle) were ready to defend the technical projects.

Their defense, very similar to the defense of diplomas by university graduates, was successfully held in the scientific and technical committee of the State Agrarian University on April 6 - all projects were allowed for further production of work, subject to the wishes and proposals of the commission. The concepts for constructing samples by each designer became clear to the customer. It's time to turn ideas into metal. And this task turned out to be not only difficult, but, as time has shown, not feasible for everyone. The reason for this was the general course of development of weapons science. With the adoption of the Kalashnikov AKM and its introduction into production to replace the AK-47, the requirements for promising models in terms of trouble-free operation of the automation, service life and manufacturability of production have become significantly stricter. Yes, in terms of simplicity of design and ease of maintenance, Kalash already then became a criterion that is still relevant today. More “advanced” designers Konstantinov and Dragunov, perfectly understanding all the advantages and disadvantages of the Kalashnikov design, tried to weed out everything that interfered with achieving the best results and bring something of their own into it, which was obliged to ensure the achievement of the final result. The third participant in the competition, Simonov, was unable to appreciate the principle of locking the barrel bore with a rotating bolt, which was actively making its way to absolute recognition, persistently promoting its distortion (already outdated) and, in connection with this, took the position of a potential outsider even from the stage of defending the technical project.

All three were in agreement only on three fundamental principles - accurate and trouble-free shooting can only be ensured by a rifle with a separate stock (the butt and fore-end are separate parts), built on an automatic operation scheme with a short stroke of the piston, and the trigger mechanism must be be completely removable. None of the designers failed to take advantage of another characteristic feature of ensuring an accurate shot - ballistic studies showed that the best dispersion characteristics of bullets with lead and steel cores without damaging the barrel with a rifling pitch of 320 mm versus 240 mm for all standard systems chambered for a rifle cartridge, including including the standard sniper “mosinka”.

General view of the 2B-V-10 rifle designed by Konstantinov of the first modification.

Incomplete disassembly of the 2B-V-10 rifle designed by Konstantinov of the first modification.

The development of design documentation, the production of prototypes and their factory tests (including repeated tests) took a little more than six months. November 26, 1959 GAU MO represented by assistant. The chairman of the scientific and technical committee issued an assignment to the small arms research range (NIPSVO) to organize field tests of promising sniper rifles. At the same time, a supervisor of the work was appointed from the GAU - an experienced and competent officer who, even in the post-war years, oversaw the development of machine guns chambered for mod. 1943, engineer-colonel B.C. Dakin.

OKB-575 was the first to report (December 11, 1959) about its readiness for field testing, notifying the State Autonomous Administration of the production of four rifles designed by Konstantinov in two versions. The ideology of building the 2B-V-10 rifle, which Konstantinov relied on, seems mundane from today’s perspective - to reduce the vertical disturbing moments that arise during a shot. For this purpose, a low-profile gas outlet was used, and the comb of the butt was raised to its level. The idea is not revolutionary, but until then it was rarely implemented. True, this had to be paid for by excluding the possibility of firing using a mechanical sight with an optical sight installed, and by developing a folding rack-mount sight (on which a rear sight with either a diopter or a slot can be mounted) and a folding front sight base.

Structurally, the rifle is very simple and technologically advanced in production. Characteristic features of the design are: a receiver, consisting of two stamped halves (right and left), riveted to a milled liner, into which a barrel with fittings is pressed (front sight base, gas chamber, front support ring of the forend with a gas tube, sight block and rear support fore-end ring). A base for an optical (night) sight is riveted to the left side of the receiver. Mounted at the bottom of the receiver are a pistol grip fire control, a safety bracket, a magazine latch and a butt pin latch. The receiver cover and recoil spring guide are mounted on the compact buttstock. A birch veneer plate curved along its profile is riveted to the receiver cover to ensure easy fitting.

The design of the bolt and its parts, as well as the principle of their operation, are similar to the corresponding parts of the Kalashnikov assault rifle. The bolt frame has a very simple shape and is a semi-cylindrical part, inside of which a stand is riveted to accommodate the bolt and a shaped groove is formed to interact with the leading protrusion of the bolt. A charging handle is riveted to the front of the frame.

The principle of operation of the aggregate-removable firing mechanism is the same as that of an AK assault rifle with single fire. The impulse of the powder gases is transferred to the moving parts after the shot in the same way as with the Simonov carbine - through a piston with a rod and a pusher.

The forend consists of two halves - right and left - which are fixed using a movable front stop of the forend (made integral with the gas tube) with a stop lock flag. The rifle does not have a gas regulator; instead, to ensure stability of the cartridge case extraction force under different conditions, there are three semicircular (0.3 mm radius) grooves 52 mm long in the barrel chamber. Magazines for 10, 15 and 20 rounds have been developed for the rifle. To increase the practical rate of fire, the rifle is equipped with a bolt stop.

Disassembling a rifle for maintenance, even from a modern standpoint, is very simple - after separating the magazine and checking that it is not loaded, unscrew the muzzle nut and separate the cleaning rod; by pressing the latch of the butt pin, separate the pin by grasping the swivel mounted on it (the swivel, while remaining on the gun belt, insures the pin against loss); moving backwards, separate the butt with the receiver cover and the return spring; separate the bolt frame and bolt from the receiver by sliding them back; turn the fuse box down and remove it from the receiver to the right; By pressing the trigger upward, remove the trigger assembly from the receiver.

The first modification of the rifle (meaning a viable version, since in the process of its development 5 prototypes were manufactured and tested at the plant) was born a month before the report on readiness for field tests. However, after assembling two samples, their mass turned out to be half a kilogram more than the specified TTT, and the OKB-575 management decided to urgently refine the design. As a result, by December 11, the technical documentation was worked out and two rifles of the second modification, “thinner” by half a kilo, were manufactured, which successfully passed acceptance tests. This surgical operation did not affect the automatic parts; the butt, the receiver cover (shortened by almost half) and other not very important parts were truncated. In addition, one of the rifles received four parts (two of which are the sight block and the front sight base), made of VT-5 titanium alloy instead of 50 steel, which made it possible to gain another 77 g. Another side, but positive aspect of the “weight loss” was the reduction in the overall length of the rifle by 45 mm.

The Izhevsk Machine Plant reported to the State Autonomous Institution of the Moscow Region that it was ready to conduct field tests on January 25, 1960. Some delay in timing occurred not through the fault of the designer or the plant, but due to the sending of the fourth prototype of the SSV-58 rifle for preliminary tests to the Klimovsky Research Institute-61 (the previous three passed factory tests according to their program). Upon receipt of the reporting materials from NII-61, two samples for field tests were collected and passed acceptance tests, which, together with technical documentation, were sent to the test site. At the same time, in the acceptance test report, despite the admission to field testing, delays in firing with degreased parts due to the fault of the magazines are especially noted - jamming of two cartridges in the neck when feeding the next cartridge. The way to eliminate them was also indicated - “... the defect is eliminated by increasing the depth of the cuts on both sides of the magazine neck.”

Evgeniy Fedorovich Dragunov saw the ideology of building a sniper rifle somewhat differently than Konstantinov. Initially, he redesigned the Kalashnikov locking unit, adding a third lug, rightly believing that this would more evenly distribute the load from the shot, thereby reducing system vibrations. The Kalashnikov-type rotary bolt (locked to the left with three lugs) received a firing pin lock to prevent inertial punctures of the primer. Structurally, it was implemented by a protrusion on the tail of the firing pin, a cutout on the shank of the bolt, and transverse and longitudinal grooves on the inner surface of the bolt frame (the firing pin could go beyond the bolt mirror only when fully locked - to ensure safety when chambering the cartridge). As well as a damping spring to ensure safety at the moment of locking and in case of breakage of the striker protrusion.

Dragunov's gas exhaust engine turned out to be even lower profile than Konstantinov's due to the reduced piston diameter, but no less effective due to the transfer of the energy of powder gases from the piston to the bolt frame instead of a two-link design like Konstantinov's 2B-V-10 and Simonov's S KS (rod piston - pusher - bolt frame), with one long pusher, thus eliminating one collision of intermediate parts. And there was a reason for this - the upper part of the butt plate of the SSV-58 stock is located below the axis of the bore, so it was not possible to avoid the barrel being thrown up under the influence of recoil (although the introduction of a two-position gas regulator somewhat smoothed out this situation). It was necessary, as soon as possible, to reduce the influence on it of at least the overturning moment of forces that occurs when the gas exhaust engine starts operating.

In addition to the noted disadvantage of the butt, which has a comb lowered relative to the barrel, there was also an important advantage of this design - it provided the possibility of firing using a mechanical sight with an optical sight installed, or the possibility of adjusting the optics relative to the mechanics. As they say, there is always a silver lining, and multifunctional things are always a compromise. To ensure accurate aiming, Evgeniy Fedorovich tried to introduce a sector-type diopter sight into the domestic army model, which he placed on the receiver cover. As stated in the description of the SSV-58, “The accuracy of shooting with a ring sight at a clearly visible target in normal lighting conditions is not much inferior to shooting with an optical sight.” The trigger mechanism with a warning was also supposed to facilitate accurate shooting.

Another distinctive feature of the SSV-58 was the design of the orthopedic type stock - quite rigid, but light and ergonomic. Here, as in the saying, “The gun shoots, but the stock hits.” This butt design later received the name of the creator, becoming a technical term throughout the world - Dragunov style. But at this stage the butt has not yet been perfected: the sling swivel for the gun sling is attached with screws and it is not intended to use a “cheek” on the comb of the butt when shooting with optics.

The forend and the barrel guard located above it are attached to the rifle using a tip, tightened by a nut rotating along the thread in the middle part of the barrel. The barrel itself is screwed with axial tension into a rigid milled receiver, on the left side of which the mounting for sights (optical or night) is milled. This design, if it did not improve the accuracy characteristics of the rifle, certainly should have contributed to their preservation during operation. The receiver cover is fixed in the “proprietary” Kalashnikov method using the heel of the return mechanism lock that fits into the slot in the rear wall of the cover. The rifle is equipped with magazines for 10 rounds, and to increase the practical rate of fire - a bolt stop.

Partial disassembly (after separating the magazine and checking for unloading) is carried out in the following order: by pressing on the heel of the return mechanism, moving forward and upward, separate the receiver cover with the return mechanism; by sliding back the bolt frame with the bolt upwards, separate them from the receiver; according to the AK principle, separate the bolt from the frame; by turning the fuse up, move it to the right to separate it from the receiver, after which it becomes possible to separate the trigger assembly by moving it down and forward.

In general, even with the naked eye it is clear that in terms of simplicity of design and ease of maintenance, the Konstantinov and Dragunov rifles are very close. But Konstantinov’s rifle was still somewhat simpler. Evgeniy Fedorovich was a little overzealous with some mechanisms (the return mechanism is much more complicated, and the presence of a firing pin lock did not simplify the design). So, after all the ups and downs, without waiting for the Simonov model to be ready, field tests started on January 26.

What about Simonov? Preliminary tests of SVS rifles designed by S. G. Simonov, their modification, production of two samples for field testing and acceptance tests were completed at the end of January. And on February 2, NII-61 reported to the State Autonomous Institution of the Moscow Region that the SAF was ready to conduct field tests. The delay of the SHS was explained by the results of factory tests - it had to be “treated” for four types of delays associated with cartridge feeding and cartridge extraction. Three of them seemed to have been won (during the acceptance tests of only 180 shots per barrel, they did not appear), but with the fourth, everything turned out to be not so simple.

NII-61 tried to correct the defectiveness of the magazine by “bending” the cartridge industry - “... to completely eliminate the non-advancement of the cartridge from the magazine, it is necessary to apply a 0.1-0.2 mm chamfer on the rim of the cartridge case, as was done for the SVT rifle.” . The conclusion about the supposed insensitivity of the automation to changes in operating conditions became a revelation for the test site specialists. But the fact is that in 1957, Simonov assault rifles, which had a similar design and showed absolutely disastrous reliability, were tested at the test site. But, as they say, the morning is wiser than the evening. By the way, like the machine gun, the apparent simplicity of the design turned into very difficult disassembly and assembly techniques.

Complete disassembly of SVS rifles designed by Simonov.

The automatic operation of a rifle with a short stroke of the piston is structurally implemented in a very unusual way - the pressure of the powder gases is transmitted to the bolt stem by means of a gas piston, a rod and its contactor (which also acts as a reloading handle). A spring is placed on the rod (in the free state its length is 1050 mm (!)), which acts as a return spring for both the gas piston and the stem with the shutter. The moment of unlocking the rod and stem during rollback (and their subsequent blocking) is controlled by a forced transversely moving lock, interacting with the beveled protrusions on the left (right) side of the receiver. The barrel bore is locked by tilting the bolt downwards, but unlike the SKS, using bevels on the inner surfaces of the receiver walls.

The rifle has a two-position gas regulator, a muzzle brake, a bolt stop and a dust shield. The bolt stem contains a felt gasket to lubricate the moving parts. There is a roller on the top of the hammer designed to reduce friction between the hammer and the bolt. A safety catch is mounted on the rear wall of the trigger guard. The magazine lock is mounted on the left wall of the receiver (when the magazine is separated, it is recessed to the left). The design of the mechanical sight copies the SKS sight.

It seemed that the end of the work was already near. The two or three months allotted for testing will pass, and the lucky winner will reap the “laurels of success.” No one could have imagined that there were still three long and difficult years before the end of this story. But we'll talk about this later.

Tactical and technical characteristics of rifles
Characteristic	Rifle 2B-V-10	SSV-58
Weight of the rifle without optical sight and magazine, kg
The same with an optical sight and a magazine for 10 rounds, kg
Weight of moving parts including rod and pusher, kg
Total length, mm
Barrel length, mm
Sighting line length, mm
Trigger force, kg
Initial speed of a bullet with a steel core, m/s
Sighting range (with mechanical sight), m

SVD, GRAU Index - 6B1

A self-loading sniper rifle, created in 1957-1963 by a group of designers led by Evgeniy Dragunov.

Story

In the mid-1960s, changes were made to the technical processes for producing the SVD rifle: gunsmiths I. A. Samoilov and V. Nikitin created a new barrel manufacturing technology.

In the 1990s, the rifle began to be equipped with a plastic forend. In addition, the production of a conversion version of the rifle was mastered - the Tiger self-loading carbine (structurally distinguished by a shorter barrel, the absence of a flash suppressor, a gas regulator and a lug for attaching a bayonet, and modified fittings).

Ammunition and equipment

For firing from the SVD, rifle cartridges 7.62x54 mm R with ordinary, tracer and armor-piercing incendiary bullets, as well as sniper cartridges (7N1, 7N14) are used; it is also capable of firing cartridges with expansive bullets JHP and JSP.

Fire from the SVD is carried out in single shots. When firing, cartridges are supplied from a box magazine with a capacity of 10 rounds. A flash suppressor with five longitudinal slots is attached to the muzzle of the barrel, which also masks the shot during night operations and protects the barrel from contamination. The presence of a gas regulator for changing the recoil speed of moving parts ensures the reliability of the rifle in operation.

The rifle is equipped with a PSO-1M2 optical sight; it is possible to install NSPUM or NSPU-3 night sights.

Operating principle

When fired, part of the powder gases following the bullet rushes through the gas outlet hole in the barrel wall into the gas chamber, presses on the front wall of the gas piston and throws the piston with the pusher, and with them the bolt frame, to the rear position.

When the bolt frame moves back, the bolt opens the barrel, removes the cartridge case from the chamber and throws it out of the receiver, and the bolt frame compresses the return spring and cocks the hammer (puts it on the self-timer).

The bolt frame with the bolt returns to the forward position under the action of the return mechanism, while the bolt sends the next cartridge from the magazine into the chamber and closes the bore, and the bolt frame removes the self-timer sear from under the self-timer cocking of the hammer and the hammer is cocked. The bolt is locked by turning it to the left and inserting the bolt lugs into the cutouts of the receiver.

To fire the next shot, you must release the trigger and press it again. After releasing the trigger, the rod moves forward and its hook jumps behind the sear, and when you press the trigger, the rod hook turns the sear and disconnects it from the cocking of the hammer. The trigger, turning on its axis under the action of the mainspring, strikes the firing pin, and the latter moves forward and punctures the igniter primer of the cartridge. A shot occurs.

When firing the last cartridge, when the bolt moves back, the magazine feeder raises the bolt stop, the bolt rests on it and the bolt frame stops in the rear position. This is a signal that you need to load the rifle again.

Accuracy and accuracy

in accordance with the “Manual on Shooting”, the accuracy of a rifle’s firing is considered normal if, when firing four shots from a prone position at a distance of 100 m, all four holes fit into a circle with a diameter of 8 cm. Shooting is carried out with cartridges taken from a hermetically sealed closure from the same batch with ordinary bullets with steel core.

Initially, the SVD was produced with a rifling pitch of 320 mm, similar to sporting weapons and ensuring high accuracy of fire, however, when the rifle was put into service, it was discovered that with such a pitch the dispersion of the B-32 armor-piercing incendiary bullets doubled. As a result, it was decided to change the rifling pitch to 240 mm, which led to an increase in the dispersion standard at a distance of 100 m from 8 cm to 10 cm (which, however, was not reflected in the NSD). When firing with a 7N1 sniper cartridge, the dispersion is (depending on the rifling pitch) no more than 10-12 cm at a distance of 300 m.

Direct shot range is:

According to the head figure, height 30 cm - 350 m,
-according to the chest figure, height 50 cm - 430 m,
- according to a running figure, height 150 cm - 640 m.
The PSO-1 sight is designed for shooting up to 1300 meters, but at such a range you can only effectively shoot at a group target, or conduct harassing fire.

The main difficulty when shooting at long ranges is the errors in preparing the initial data for shooting (this is true for all sniper rifles). At a range of 600 meters, the median error in height (in determining the range equal to 0.1% of the range) is 63 cm, the median error in the lateral direction (determining crosswind speed equal to 1.5 m/s) is 43 cm. For comparison, the median deviation of bullet dispersion for the best snipers for 600 m is 9.4 cm in height, 8.8 cm in lateral.

Good sniper training allows you to conduct targeted fire even at targets such as helicopters and low-speed aircraft. For example, there is a known case when a fighter of the FMLN partisan detachment managed to shoot down a jet attack aircraft of the El Salvadoran Air Force with a shot from an SVD. This happened on November 12, 1989 near the village of San Miguel. The Cessna A-37B aircraft coming into the attack successfully fit into the sight and was hit (later the successful sniper said that he was aiming at the cockpit). The bullet hit the pilot, after which the plane lost control and crashed. Iraqi militants used SVD in a similar way, claiming to have destroyed RQ-11 Raven small reconnaissance UAVs with sniper rifle fire.

Modifications

SVD variant with a folding stock and a shortened barrel.

Large-caliber version of the SVD chambered for 9.3x64 mm with a folding stock, the same as that of the SVDS.

SVD variant with bullpup layout.

A training rifle chambered for .22 Long Rifle, created by Evgeny Dragunov for initial training of snipers. In fact, this is an independent weapon, only repeating in general terms the appearance of the SVD.

Operating countries

USSR
-Russia
-Azerbaijan

Armenia
-Albania
-Afghanistan
-Belarus
-Bulgaria
-Vietnam

Hungary
-Venezuela: purchased for the Venezuelan armed forces
-Georgia
-India: produced under license.
-Iraq: Al-Qadissiya or Al-Gadissiya - local version.

Iran: Nakhjir - Locally Produced Variant
-Kazakhstan
-Kyrgyzstan
-PRC: Type 79, a clone produced by Norinco, as well as a modernized version of Type 85 and several variants for the civilian market.
-Nicaragua
-Mongolia
-Poland
-Romania: produced under license.
-Slovakia
-Tajikistan
-Turkmenistan
-Turkey: operated by the army gendarmerie.
-Uzbekistan
-Ukraine

Finland: under the designation 7.62 TKIV Dragunov.
-Czech Republic: in service with the army

TTX

Weight, kg:
-4.3 (SVD, early release, without a bayonet, with an optical sight, an unloaded magazine and a butt cheek)
-4.5 (SVD, modern version, without a bayonet, with an optical sight, an empty magazine and a butt cheek)
-4.68 (SVDS with an optical sight and an empty magazine)
-0.21 (store)
-0.26 (bayonet without scabbard)
-0.58 (PSO-1 sight)

Length, mm:
-1225 (SVD without bayonet)
-1370 (SVD with bayonet)
-1135/875 (SVDS with stock extended/folded)
-Barrel length, mm:
-620 (SVD, general)
-547 (SVD, rifled part)
-565 (SVDS)
-Width, mm: 88
-Height, mm: 230
-Cartridge: 7.62x54 mm R
-Caliber, mm: 7.62
-Principles of operation: Rotary bolt, removal of powder gases
-Rate of fire, rounds/min: 30 (combat)

Initial bullet speed, m/s:
-830 (SVD)
-810 (SVDS)
-Sighting range, m:
-1200 (open sight)
-1300 (optical sight)
-300 (night sights NSPUM and NSPU-3)
-Maximum range, m:
-800 (effective)
-3800 (lethal effect of a bullet)
-Type of ammunition: box magazine for 10 rounds
-Sight: open sector (reserve), sighting line length - 587 mm, there is a mount for installing optical (for example, PSO-1) or night (for example, NSPU-3 or NSPUM) sights

I want to add a little of my own. The first time I saw an SVD was in the army, it was 95-97. Then I did my military service in the ranks of the RA in the distant and beautiful ZABVO, not far from the city of Chita, the village of Ugdan. I don’t know how it is now, but in those days, in the combat units of the Republic of Armenia, we were taken to shooting 4 to 5 times a month. Maybe our unit was lucky that the shooting range was 10 km away, or indeed in those days, it was the responsibility of all normal commanders to prepare their soldiers and make men out of them, not only at shooting, but also in everyday life.

I always remember my military service only with warmth and bright memories. Let there be some negativity somewhere in the service, but it’s all such a trifle, from true memories. Those who, of course, have not served are far from reality and for some reason, in the last 5-7 years, they are generally afraid as hell to serve. It’s clear what this is connected with, and there are oh so few guys (men and husbands) left in Mother Rus' who could stand up for her, my dear........ oh so few.

Yes, sorry I got distracted. A sore subject for me, but still...

So, I shot with this machine only twice in my life. All this happened in the army and then under demobilization: the first time he fired three shots, and the next time only seven. But I want to tell you - this will never be forgotten! At least for me! I’ve had to shoot in my life with AKM, AKSU, PM, we don’t take Saiga, IZH (with periodic consistency), but this...............it’s just...well, unforgettable! I can’t explain to you in words... Only after so many years, I understand why they occupied positions that were not the same as the standard for rank and file 100 meters. The lying distance was from 300 meters.

Technical description and operating instructions for the 7.62 mm Dragunov sniper rifle

Purpose of the rifle The 7.62 mm Dragunov sniper rifle (index 6B1) is a sniper weapon and is designed to destroy various emerging, moving, open and camouflaged single targets. The sniper optical sight (index 6Ts1) is used for precise aiming from a sniper rifle at various targets.

Composition of the rifle. The sniper rifle kit includes (picture above):
Optical sniper sight, index 6Ts1- 1 PC.
Bayonet, index 6X5- 1 PC.
Bag for scope and magazines, index 6Ш18- 1 PC.
Bag for spare parts, index 6Ш26- 1 PC.
Belt for carrying small arms, index 6Ш5- 1 PC.
The optical sniper sight is equipped with a case, a winter lighting system and individual spare parts.

Technical data.
Basic design ballistic characteristics
rifle, rifle cartridge and design data of the optical sight.

1. Caliber, m................................................... ................7.62
2. Number of grooves................................................... ........4
3. Sighting range, m:
with optical sight...................................................1300
with open sights........................................................ 1200
4. Initial bullet speed, m/s.................................... 830
5. Bullet range,
up to which it is maintained
lethal effect, m................................................... ....3800
6. Weight of the rifle without
bayonet with optical
sight, not equipped
magazine and cheek, kg................................................... ..4.3
7. Magazine capacity, cartridges.................................... 10
8. Rifle length, mm:
without a bayonet-knife................................................... ..........1220
with attached bayonet-knife....................................1370
9. Cartridge mass, g................................................... .......21.8
10. Mass of an ordinary bullet
with steel core, g...................................9.6
11. Mass of powder charge, g.................................... 3.1
12. Optical magnification
sight, times........................................................ .............4
13. Field of view of the sight, degrees.................................... 6
14. Exit pupil diameter, mm...................................6
15. Exit pupil relief, mm...................................68.2
16. Resolution,
second,................................................ ...................12
17. Sight length with eyecup
and extended lens hood, m.................................................... 375
18. Sight width, mm............................................ .70
19. Sight height, mm................................................. ..132
20. Sight mass, g................................................... ......616
21. Weight of sight with kit
Spare parts and cover, g................................................... .............926

Rifle cartridges

For shooting from a sniper rifle, rifle cartridges with ordinary, tracer and armor-piercing incendiary bullets, as well as sniper cartridges, are used. Fire from a sniper rifle is carried out in single shots.

7.62x53R mm rifle cartridge with a steel core bullet (57-N-323 C)
7.62x53R mm sniper rifle cartridge (7-N-1)
7.62x53R mm sniper rifle cartridge with armor-piercing bullet (7-N-14)
7.62x53R mm rifle cartridge with heat-strengthened core (7-N-13)
7.62x53R mm rifle cartridge with sighting and incendiary bullet (PZ)
7.62x53R mm rifle cartridge with T46 (T46M) tracer bullet (7-T-2 (7-T-2M))
7.62x53R mm rifle cartridge with armor-piercing bullet BP (7-N-26)
7.62x53R mm rifle cartridge with armor-piercing tracer bullet (7-BT-1)
7.62x53R mm rifle cartridge with armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32 (7-BZ-3)

Optical sight PSO-1

The optical sight allows you to fire at night using infrared sources, as well as under unfavorable lighting conditions, when it is difficult to shoot at targets with an open sight.

When observing infrared sources, the infrared rays emitted by the source pass through the scope lens and affect the screen located in the focal plane of the lens. At the location of the infrared rays, a glow appears on the screen, giving a visible image of the source in the form of a round greenish spot.

Technical characteristics of the PSO-1 sniper optical sight

Sight Zoom- 4x
line of sight- 6 degrees
Sight length with eyecup and hood- 375 mm
Eye relief- 68 mm
Exit pupil diameter- 6 mm
Lens luminous diameter, mm - 24
Resolution limit, arc/sec - 12
Supply voltage, V - 1,5
Weight of the PSO-1 optical sight- 0.58 kg/b]

Sniper optical sight device PSO-1

The optical sight is the main sight of the SVD sniper rifle.

It is sealed, filled with nitrogen, and prevents fogging of the optics due to temperature changes.

Operable in the temperature range -50+C. Sights can be installed on the following weapon models: SVD sniper rifles, special VSS, VSK rifles and others.

Sniper optical sights are available in the following modifications: PSO-1, PSO-1-1,
PSO-1M2, PSO-2, PSO-3.

The optical sight consists of mechanical and optical parts.
The mechanical part of the sight includes: body, top and side handwheels, reticle illumination device, retractable lens hood, rubber eyecup and cap.
The optical part of the sight includes: lens, wrapping system, reticle, fluorescent screen and eyepiece.

1 - retractable hood, 2 - upper handwheel, 3 - body,
4 - rubber eyecup, 5 - cap with stop,
6 - battery housing, 7 - bracket, 8 - light bulb,
9 - toggle switch, 10 - lens cap, 11 - pointer,
12 - locking screw, 13 - side handwheel,
14 - stop, 15 - slider, 16 - clamping screw.

Mechanical part of PSO-1

The housing serves to connect all parts of the sight on the rifle. The bracket has grooves, a stop, a clamping screw, a clamping screw handle, a slider with a spring and an adjusting nut. Pointers (indices) for sight settings and lateral corrections and a lens cap are attached to the body. The upper handwheel is used to install the sight, the side handwheel is used to introduce lateral corrections. They are identical in design and have a handwheel housing, a spring washer, an end nut and a connecting (central) screw. There are three holes on top of each handwheel: the middle one is for the connecting screw, the two outer ones are for the locking screws.

The spring washer serves to hold the handwheel in position. The reticle illumination device is used to illuminate the sight reticle when shooting at dusk and at night. It consists of: a housing with a contact screw, a battery that serves as a current source, a cap with a stop and a spring for pressing the battery to the screw, wires connecting the screw (battery) to the light bulb through a toggle switch, a toggle switch for turning the light bulb on and off.

The battery is installed in the case so that the central electrode is connected to the screw, and the side electrode (displaced to the side) is connected to the case; To do this, the contact plate of the side electrode is bent over the edge of the housing, after which the cap is put on. To illuminate the grid at temperatures from +2? From and below it is necessary to use a winter mesh lighting device, consisting of a housing, a cap and a shielded wire. To prepare a winter reticle illumination device for shooting, you need to place the battery into the winter device body as indicated above, and put on it the cap removed from the body on the sight, and put the cap of the winter device on the body of the device on the sight. The body of the winter device with the battery is carried in the pocket of a sniper’s tunic or overcoat, and the shielded wire can be passed through the left sleeve of outerwear. The eyecup (rubber) is designed for correct installation of the eye and ease of aiming. In addition, it protects the eyepiece lenses from contamination and damage. A retractable lens hood serves to protect the objective lenses in inclement weather from rain, snow, and direct sunlight when shooting against the sun, thereby eliminating reflections that unmask the sniper.

The rubber cap protects the lens from contamination and damage.

1 - body,
2 - end nut,
3 - locking screws,
4 - connecting screw,
5 - additional scale,
6 - index,
7 - pointer.

On the body of the upper handwheel there is a main sight scale with divisions from 1 to 10; The scale numbers indicate firing ranges in hundreds of meters.
On the body of the side handwheel there is a scale of lateral corrections with divisions from 0 to 10 in both directions;
The value of each division corresponds to one thousandth, (0-01). On the upper part of the handwheel housings there is an additional scale used when aligning the sight; The price of scale divisions is 0.5 thousandths. The settings of the main scale of the upper handwheel up to division 3 are fixed after one division. From division 3 to division 10, the settings of this handwheel, as well as all settings of the side handwheel scale, are fixed every half division (one division corresponds to two clicks).

On the end nuts of the upper and side handwheels, an arrow indicates the direction of rotation of the handwheels or end nuts when making the necessary adjustment to the installation of the sight and side handwheel ("Up STP", "Down STP" - on the upper handwheel, "Right STP", "Left STP" - on the side handwheel). This means that when the handwheels or end nuts are rotated in the direction of the arrow, the midpoint of impact (MPO) moves in the corresponding direction (up, to the right, etc.).

A connecting screw connects the end nut to the carriage and, when the handwheel or nut rotates, moves the carriage with the sight reticle in the desired direction.

Spare parts, tools and accessories for the optical sight are: spare batteries and light bulbs, a light filter, a screwdriver key for screwing in and unscrewing light bulbs, a napkin and a rubber cap for the toggle switch.

A filter is placed on the eyepiece when there is haze in the air and the light level decreases.

Each sniper rifle comes with:
bag for carrying an optical sight and magazines;
case for optical sight;
a bag for carrying a winter grid lighting device, spare batteries and an oil can.

The bag for carrying the optical sight and magazines has:
pocket for optical sight;
four pockets for magazines;
pockets for cleaning rod, pencil case, cheek butt, screwdriver key, napkin and light filter.

Optical system PSO-1. Grids. Aiming.

The lens is used to obtain a reduced and inverted image of the observed object. It consists of three lenses, two of which are glued. The turning system is designed to give the image a normal (straight) position; it consists of four lenses glued in pairs. The sight reticle is used for aiming; it is made on glass mounted in a movable frame (carriage). The eyepiece is designed to view the observed object in a magnified and direct image; it consists of three lenses, two of which are glued.

The luminescent screen is used to detect infrared light sources; it is a thin plate of a special chemical composition, which is laid between two glasses. The screen has a window with a light filter in the frame for charging the screen and a flag for switching the screen: towards the light filter (horizontal position of the flag) - for recharging the screen and when shooting under normal conditions; towards the lens (vertical position of the flag) - when observing and shooting at targets that detect themselves by infrared radiation.

1 - eyepiece, 2 - carriage, 3 - wrapping system, 4 - reticle, 5 - luminescent screen, 6 - window
with filter, 7 - lens

1 - lateral correction scale,
2 - main square for shooting up to 1000 m,
3 - additional squares,
4 - rangefinder scale.

Table (normal) shooting conditions:
- lack of wind,
- air temperature +15? C,
- zero altitude above sea level; in case of significant deviations in external shooting conditions, amendments are made:
- correction for side wind
- correction for target movement (lead)
- correction for air temperature when shooting at a distance >500m.
- correction for shooting in the mountains above sea level above 2000m.

Aiming using an infrared spotlight (luminescent screen on) with scope 4 at all ranges up to 400m.

The price of dividing the reticle and mark (square) in thousandths.

The following are marked on the sight reticle:

main (upper) square for aiming when shooting up to 1000 m; lateral correction scale;
additional squares (below the lateral correction scale along the vertical line) for aiming when shooting at 1100, 1200 and 1300 m; rangefinder scale (solid horizontal and curved dotted lines).

To aim when shooting using additional squares, it is necessary to install sight 10 on the upper handwheel.

The lateral correction scale is marked below (to the left and right of the square) with the number 10, which corresponds to ten thousandths (0-10). The distance between two vertical lines of the scale corresponds to one thousandth (0-01).

The rangefinder scale is designed for a target height of 1.7 m (average human height). This target height value is indicated below the horizontal line. Above the upper dotted line is a scale with divisions, the distance between which corresponds to a distance to the target of 100 m. Scale numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 correspond to distances of 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000 m.

Range determination.

1. on the rangefinder scale:
2. by angular values ​​using the thousandth formula

Aiming

The sniper's eye is located on the optical axis of the sight and is 68 mm away from the eyepiece. The entire field of view is visible. If the eye is located close (far) from the eyepiece. A circular darkening is visible in the field of view.

When the eye moves to any side, a moon-shaped shadow is visible in the field of view. The holes will deviate in the direction opposite to the shadow!

SVD sniper rifle magazine.

The magazine is used to place cartridges and feed them into the receiver. Magazine capacity 10 rounds 7.62x53. It consists of a body, a cover, a locking bar, a spring and a feeder.

1 - feeder;
2 - feeder protrusion;
3 - support protrusion;
4 - body;
5 - cover;
6 - locking strip;
7 - spring;
8 - hook;
9 - bends.

The magazine body connects all parts of the magazine. Its side walls have bends to keep the cartridges from falling out and limit the rise of the feeder and protrusions that limit the recessing of the magazine in the receiver window; there is a hook on the front wall, and a support protrusion on the rear wall, through which the magazine is attached to the receiver. On the rear wall of the case at the bottom there is a control hole to determine whether the magazine is fully loaded with cartridges. The walls of the body are ribbed for strength.

The bottom of the case is closed with a lid. The cover has a hole for the protrusion of the locking bar. Inside the housing there is a feeder and a spring with a locking bar. The feeder provides a staggered arrangement of cartridges in the magazine and has a protrusion, which, when feeding the last cartridge from the magazine, raises the shutter stop upward. The locking bar is attached to the lower end of the spring and, with its protrusion, keeps the magazine cover from moving.

SVD parts and mechanisms. Incomplete disassembly and assembly.

A sniper rifle consists of the following main parts and mechanisms:
- barrel with receiver, open sight and butt,
- receiver covers,
- return mechanism,
- bolt frame,
- shutter,
- a gas tube with a regulator, a gas piston and a pusher with its spring,
- barrel linings,
- firing mechanism,
- fuse,
- store,
- butt cheeks,
- optical sight.

1 - gas piston,
2 - pusher,
3 - pusher spring,
4 - receiver cover
with return
mechanism
5 - butt cheek,
6 - trigger mechanism,
7 - store,
8 - fuse,
9 - bolt frame,
10 - shutter,
11 - barrel linings,
12 - sight PSO-1,
13 - barrel with receiver
box, open
sight and butt.

7.62 mm Dragunov SVD self-loading sniper rifle (index 6B1)

1 - butt plate 7-2; 2 - butt plate screw 5-4/6P1; 3 - butt 7-1; 4 - swivel axis 7-3; 5 - tube
swivels 7-4; 6 - cheek Sb 3/6Yu7; 7 - butt Sb 7; 8 - earring axis 5-9; 9 - earring 5-7; 10 -
guide rod 5-6; 11 - rear liner 5-2; 12 - cover check Sat 1-2; 13 - cover with
return mechanism Sat 5; 14 - box 1-2; 15 - return spring guide bushing 5-
5; 16 - return spring 5-4; 17 - shutter stop 1-4; 18 - shutter stop spring 1-5; 19 -
shutter assembly Sat 2-1; 20 - shutter with frame Sb 2; 21 - frame 2-7; 22 - barrel with box Sb 1; 23 -
clamp latch 1-36; 24 - sighting bar clamp 2-2/56-A-212; 25 - latch spring
clamp 2-4/56-A-212; 26 - sighting bar 1-21; 27 - sighting bar assembly Sb 1-9; 28 -
sighting bar spring 0-23/56-A-212; 29 - sighting block 1-10; 30 - spring
pusher 1-24; 31 - pusher 1-23; 32 - barrel 1-1; 33 - left overlay assembly Sat 1-3; 34 -
right overlay assembly Sat 1-4; 35 - oil seal pin 1-18; 36 - oil seal assembly Sb 1-8; 37 -
ring check Sat 1-7; 38 - upper ring assembly Sat 1-1; 39 - gas piston 1-22; 40 - gas
tube 1-25; 41 - gas regulator 1-53; 42 - gas tube latch 1-38; 43 - latch axis
gas tube 1-37; 44 - gas chamber latch spring 1-40; 45 - gas chamber 1-15; 46 -
gas chamber pin 1-46; 47 - front sight 1-17; 48 - front sight body 1-20; 49 - base of front sight 1-16;
50 - front sight base pin 1-45; 51 - ejector 2-2; 52 - ejector axis 2-3; 53 -
ejector spring 2-4; 54 - striker pin 2-6; 55 - shutter 2-1; 56 - drummer 2-5; 57 -
trigger 4-6; 58 - mainspring 4-7; 59 - trigger axis 4-8: 60 - magazine latch spring 4-22; 61 -
magazine latch axis 4-16; 62 - magazine latch 4-15; 63 - self-timer Sat 4-3; 64 - sear axis,
hook and self-timer 4-10; 65 - sear 4-9; 66 - thrust 4-12; 67 - trigger 4-11; 68 -
trigger with pull rod Sat 4-4; 69 - traction axis 4-14; 70 - trigger housing Sb 4-1;
71 - hook spring 4-13; 72 - shield limiter 4-20; 73 - rivet for the spring of the linings 1-39;

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In 1950, Soviet gunsmiths began design work on the legendary Dragunov sniper rifle. Eight years later, a test copy was ready. After successful testing, the model entered the Soviet Army. From 1963 to the present day, the SVD has been in service with Russia. Sniper rifles are designed to effectively hit targets at long ranges. Many have special units that use this type of weapon. According to experts, the SVD is by no means the only type used by Russian specialists.

There are also new ones in Russia. They have a high firing range, accuracy and increased destructive effect. The description and tactical and technical characteristics of modern Russian sniper rifles are contained in the article.

A little about the history of precision weapons

The creation of Russian sniper rifles was carried out in several stages. Initially, these were ordinary rifles, the combat of which had the highest accuracy of the entire batch. Such a rifle unit was then equipped with an optical sight. Later, standard models, which were subject to minor design changes, became the basis for Russian sniper rifles. The weapon was characterized by increased accuracy. An optical sight was designed specifically for such a rifle. Today, a sniper weapon is a special complex that combines ammunition, a small firearm and an aiming device. The best sniper rifles in Russia, due to the presence of optical sights and the use of special cartridges, have improved ergonomics, which has a positive effect on combat accuracy.

What tasks do army snipers perform?

Employees of special units use high-precision weapons to hit small targets from a distance of 600 m. Large ones are destroyed from 800 m. Precision fire is carried out on command personnel, observers, messengers, enemy snipers, crews and tank crews, as well as on means providing observation and communications. In addition, in an effort to demoralize the enemy, limit movement and impede his activities, many snipers conduct harassing fire from a distance of more than 1 km. Large-caliber sniper rifles in Russia belong to a special category of precision weapons. The calibers of these shooting units vary between 9-20 mm. Unlike conventional sniper rifles, large-caliber rifles have a high effective firing range. In addition, such models have increased dimensions, weight and recoil.

Unarmored or lightly armored enemy equipment, low-flying or grounded helicopters and airplanes, protected firing points and points responsible for control and satellite communications are disabled by an accurate shot from a large-caliber sniper rifle. In Russia, both state and private manufacturers are involved in the design of such weapons.

About types of precision weapons

Russian sniper rifles can be divided into two types: weapons based on an assault rifle or light machine gun, and high-precision rifle units. The first type is used by the best shooters, while the second is used exclusively by professionals. There are two approaches to weapon design. The essence of the first is that the rifle should be used not only as a special target weapon, but also have a high rate of fire, be maneuverable, reliable and effective in hand-to-hand combat. This type includes self-loading units. One of such models is considered to be SVD. Judging by the reviews of experts, in terms of accuracy, repeating rifles are slightly superior to self-loading rifles. In addition, specimens of the first type “work” noisily, are too heavy and bulky.

As for the second approach, in this case rifles are created as highly specialized weapons. For such models, a store layout is mainly provided. Structurally, they are very similar to sporting target rifles. These specimens must have high accuracy and accuracy, the ability to be used at long distances, and also provide a sufficiently penetrating effect of the projectile. It is with these requirements in mind that Russian designers are designing new sniper rifles. The products provide the ability to adjust the butt and cheek rest. With the increase in the number of local conflicts and counter-terrorism operations, the need for professional snipers, who work either alone or in pairs, or as part of special units, has increased.

OSV-96

This model is one of the most powerful sniper rifles in Russia. This is the first Russian model of high-precision large-caliber weapons, used to destroy from a long distance not only manpower, but also various enemy equipment. The rifle was developed in 1990 by KPB employees under the leadership of designer A.G. Shipunov in the city of Tula. Has been a member since 2000. Using this shooting model, you can hit unarmored and lightly armored targets at a distance of up to 1800 m. Among professionals, OSV-96 is also called the “Burglar”. In addition, with the help of this rifle you can eliminate enemy personnel located in a shelter and dressed in personal protective equipment. However, this will be possible from a distance of 1 km to the target.

Since firing from the Burglar is quite loud, experts recommend using special headphones. OSV-96 is a self-loading large-caliber sniper rifle. Automation uses powder gases. Weapons of this class are characterized by large dimensions. However, the design of the Burglar provides the ability to fold the rifle. To do this, you need to tilt the barrel and gas system back and to the right. You can prevent clogging of the breech barrel by placing the weapon in a special case. A folded rifle will not take up much space in a vehicle or military armored vehicle. It will take a few seconds to deploy the weapon. Judging by the reviews of experts, the Burglar is characterized by a high rate of fire. Ease of use is possible due to the presence of height-adjustable bipods in the design. Various optical sights and night vision devices have been developed for the OSV-96, so the rifle can be used at any time of the day. Since this model is effective at shooting from long distances, the sniper himself is inaccessible to enemy shooters using conventional calibers.

About the characteristics

• The dimensions of the unfolded rifle are 174.6 x 43.1 x 42.5 cm. When folded, the dimensions are 115.4 x 13.2 x 19 cm.
• With empty ammunition and without optics, the Burglar weighs 13 kg.
• The rifle is effective at a distance of no more than 1800 m.
• The weapon works in single player mode.
• Ammo is contained in magazines with a capacity of 5 rounds.
• Shooting is carried out with special sniper SPTs-12.7 mm.

About VSK "Vykhlop"

In 1999, under the leadership of designer Vladimir Zlobin, work began on the creation of a new high-precision sniper weapon. This model is listed in the technical documentation as VSSK “Vykhlop”. Unlike other small arms of this class, this rifle has a reduced firing range. Aimed fire from the “Exhaust” is only possible at a distance of no more than 600 m. However, due to the 12.7 x 55 mm STs-130 caliber ammunition used, equipped with a projectile weighing 76 g, silent destruction of almost any target is possible. In addition, the weight of this sniper system is almost three times less than that of other “loud” models of the same caliber.

The customer of this weapon was the Special Forces Center of the Russian FSB. Since 2004, “Vykhlop” has been produced in the Tula TsKIB SOO. A special STs-130 ammunition has been developed for the sniper system. With this cartridge you can pierce a 15mm steel plate from 200m. From 100 m the bullet penetrates class 5 personal protective equipment. The purpose of the sniper system is to hit targets that are in cover or wearing class. Also, with “Exhaust” you can disable enemy vehicles, unarmored or lightly armored military equipment. Since high-power ammunition is equipped with projectiles that are characterized by subsonic velocities, integrated suppressors can be used in the shooting system. As a result, shooting at a distance of 600 m is completely silent and flameless. During transportation, the silent shooting attachments are removed.

VSK "Exhaust" is a non-automatic weapon. The system design provides for manual reloading. The bullpup system was used to assemble the parts.

About performance characteristics

• The dimensions of the sniper system, which does not use an optical sight, are 112.5 x 22 x 22 cm.
• The weapon is equipped with an SPTs-130 cartridge of 12.7 x 55 mm caliber.
• The rifle operates in single player mode.
• SVK "Vykhlop", not equipped with an optical sight and without ammunition, weighs 650 g.
• Cartridges are contained in a magazine of 5 pieces.
• Effective shooting is possible at a distance of no more than 600 m.

O 6S8

In 1997, employees created the 6S8 sniper rifle of 12.7 mm caliber. This model is an army sniper large-caliber rifle (ASVK).

Its serial production was launched only in 2013. With the help of 6S8, Russian specialists solve special fire missions from a distance of 1500 m: hitting enemy equipment and manpower. Shooting is carried out with a special sniper cartridge 7N34. Also suitable for the rifle are regular 12.7 x 108 mm ammunition. In the design of the weapon, the developers used the bullpup design. It is characterized by the location of the trigger in front of the firing mechanism. As a result, this design feature had a positive effect on the dimensions and weight of the rifle. Judging by the reviews of experts, the 6S8 is quite compact, maneuverable, reliable and easy to operate.

About the characteristics

• Special ammunition 7N34 12.7 x 108 mm is intended for the rifle.
• The target range is 1500 m.
• The rifle, not equipped with an optical sight and without ammunition, weighs 12.5 kg.
• The sniper system is equipped with a 100 cm long barrel. The total length of the weapon is 142 cm.
• Ammunition is contained in special magazines designed for 5 rounds.
• The weapon allows shooting in single mode.

About the new Russian sniper rifle “Twilight”

In 2005, the Russian company “Tsar Cannon” of Vladislav Lobaev created a shooting model, which in September 2017 became a record holder for long-range shooting. Russia's SVLK-14S "Twilight" was produced by Andrey Ryabinsky. The distance to the target was 4210 m. The scale of the target was 1 x 2 m. The ammunition used was 408.CheyTac cartridge. The shooting site was a training ground in the Tula region in Russia. The Twilight sniper rifle was developed as an ultra-long-range rifle. For this reason, the model is characterized by the most rigid design. Store food is not provided. “Twilight” is a single-shot rifle. The bolt box contains a minimum number of grooves. The index "14" indicates that the weapon was created in 2014.

(SVL) is Lobaev Arms’ own brand. The letter “K” indicates that the design of the model uses the King v.3 bolt group. It is presented with an aluminum case with a receiver and a fixed steel insert. The triggers on these rifles are very sensitive. If necessary, the shooter can independently adjust the trigger forces. According to experts, 2 thousand meters is considered an prohibitive distance for a sniper weapon. Nevertheless, there were cases when the shooter managed to hit the target from such a distance. However, experts are convinced that luck played a bigger role here than the actual capabilities of the rifle. Effectively hitting a target from a very long distance is possible for a shooter with high skill. It is also necessary to have a specialized high-precision small arms system. "Twilight" was originally designed for effective shooting at very long distances. Today it is the most powerful sniper rifle in Russia.

About tactical and technical characteristics

• SVLK-14S belongs to the type of sniper rifles.
• Country of origin - Russia.
• Manufacturer: Tsar Cannon arms company and Integrated Systems Design Bureau.
• The rifle was created under the leadership of designer V. Lobaev.
• Shooting is carried out with 408 CheyTac, 338LM and 300WM cartridges.
• The rifle weighs 960 g.
• Size 143 x 9.6 x 17.5 cm.
• Works in single mode.
• There is no ammunition magazine.
• The rifle is equipped with a longitudinally sliding rotary bolt.
• The shooter has the ability to reload manually.
• The technical accuracy indicator is 0.3 MO/9mm.
• The weapon is effective at a distance of 2300 m.

About IC "Accuracy"

Today, employees of the federal security service and the FSO, as well as military personnel of the Russian National Guard, use the latest sniper rifle “Accuracy”. This complex is produced in two versions, designed for ammunition of 8.6 x 69 (NATO) and 7.62 x 51 mm calibers. According to weapons experts, the maximum firing range is influenced by the size of the bolt mechanism and what cartridge is used. With NATO-style ammunition, shooting will be effective at a distance of up to 800 m. For the second cartridge, this figure is twice as high.

Two types of magazines with a capacity of 5 and 10 rounds have been developed for the sniper complex. The rifles are equipped with optical sights and laser rangefinders.