| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
Based on the Kalashnikov rifle family ( AK-47 and variants), the design for the Dragunov was requested in 1958 and delivered in 1963 by Evgeniy Fedorovich Dragunov (Russian: Евгений Федорович Драгунов). It fires a cartridge dating back to 1891 - 7.62 x 54R Russian "rimmed" cartridge from the early Mosin-Nagant bolt action design - with the semi-automatic gas actuated design of the AK-47. The weapon was commissioned in order to extent the range of a typical Soviet infantry platoon, and was required to be cheap, rugged and effective at its intended job. Long after the demise of Russia's command economy, it remains in production, testament to its success.
The Dragunov SVD features Russian 7.62×54 mm 'Rimmed' cartridge, firing at approximately 830 metres/second. Although the rifle is lethal at ranges above 1000m, it is not really intended or designed for ultimate accuracy and can only reasonably engage targets at up to 600m. The weapon handles nearly as well as an AK-47 and is designed to be very durable; it has a bayonet socket for close-quarters combat.
The SVD comes standard with a PSO-1 (4×24) scope, a purpose-build device which includes a battery-operated reticule and a passive infrared filter. Others are available, increasing the optical power to about 9×. The SVD also comes with a bayonet, which is mounted in a similar fashion to the AK-47. There is also a chin rest, a carrying strap and magazine pouch.
This weapon features non-detatchable iron sights for instances of scope failure, a feature that does not exist on most sniper rifles.
The weapon also comes with basic cleaning utensils and maintenence tools.
While the SovietThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR ( Russian: ; tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik (SSSR) also called the Soviet Union ( ; tr. Sovetsky Soyuz , was a state in much of the northern region of Eurasia that existed from 1922 until 1 army was in operation each squadA squad is a military unit consisting of several soldiers, larger than a fire team but smaller than a platoon. In most armies a squad consists of between eight (8) and twelve (12) soldiers, sometimes as many as fourteen (14). In the United States Army, a was issued one man with an SVD. Soldiers issued a Dragunov typically are specially trained for the weapon. They move with their squad and are intended only to increase the range of their infantry squad up to and above 600 m (without a Dragunov, the effective range of a squad when the rifle began production would have been 300 m with AK-47s). As such, it is not a sniper's rifle in the general sense.
Designed with the simple purpose of extending a squad's range, the gun is rugged and durable. This shows in the fact the gun is designed to have a mounted bayonet and has backup iron sights in case the scope fails. The gun's reliability is still recognized, and the weapon is still fielded by the RussianThe Russian Federation ( Russian: , transliteration: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya or Rossijskaja Federacija , or Russia (Russian: , transliteration: Rossiya or Rossija , is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of eastern Europe and northern Asia. With army and Russian law enforcement agencies.