Soviet SVD Sniper Rifle
The SVD sniper rifle, officially known as the Dragunov Snayperskaya Vintovka, was developed in the Soviet Union during the late 1950s and early 1960s to provide long-range precision fire support to infantry squads. Unlike Western sniper rifles built for elite sharpshooters, the SVD was designed to be a rugged, semi-automatic designated marksman rifle usable by ordinary troops with minimal extra training. The rifle was created by Yevgeny Fyodorovich Dragunov, a skilled Soviet weapons designer with a background in sporting and competition firearms. Dragunov's design won out over competing entries from other prominent Soviet engineers such as Sergei Simonov and Aleksandr Konstantinov in a 1958 design competition. After a thorough testing process, the SVD was officially adopted by the Soviet military in July 1963.
Production began shortly thereafter at the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant, which later became known as Izhmash and is now part of the Kalashnikov Concern. This factory has produced the majority of SVD rifles ever made. While exact numbers remain classified, the rifle has been manufactured in very large quantities over the past six decades and has been licensed for production in countries such as China, Iran, and others, with local versions like the Chinese Type 79 and Type 85 and the Iranian Nakhjir-3. As of the 2020s, Russia continues to produce the SVD and its variants to meet both domestic demand and international contracts, with production even increasing in some recent years.
The SVD is chambered for the 7.62×54mmR cartridge, a rimmed round originally developed in Tsarist Russia in the late 19th century and still used today in several Russian weapons. The rifle is compatible with standard ball ammunition, but is most effective when firing specialized sniper-grade rounds such as the 7N1 and later 7N14. These cartridges use carefully selected components and more consistent manufacturing tolerances to improve accuracy at longer ranges. The SVD operates using a gas-operated, short-stroke piston system with a rotating bolt. This action is more refined than the AK series and contributes to better recoil control and shot-to-shot consistency. A detachable 10-round magazine feeds the rifle, and the barrel is chrome-lined to resist wear and corrosion. The standard optic used is the PSO-1 4x24 scope, which includes a built-in illuminated rangefinder, bullet drop compensator, and infrared detection filter. Iron sights are also fitted as a backup.
In terms of accuracy, the SVD is not a precision sniper rifle by Western standards, but it performs admirably in its intended role. With standard military ball ammunition, the SVD typically produces accuracy in the range of 2 to 2.5 MOA (minutes of angle), which allows effective fire on man-sized targets out to 800 meters. When firing sniper-grade ammunition such as the 7N1, the rifle's performance can improve significantly, reaching around 1.0 to 1.2 MOA under optimal conditions. While bolt-action sniper rifles are generally more accurate, the SVD offers a valuable balance between precision and rapid follow-up capability, thanks to its semi-automatic action.
Over the decades, the SVD has seen extensive use in nearly every major conflict involving Soviet or Russian forces, as well as in the arsenals of many former Soviet states, Middle Eastern countries, and various insurgent and paramilitary groups around the world. Its robust construction, long effective range, and ease of use have made it a favorite in rugged terrain and challenging combat conditions. The rifle’s design has spawned multiple variants, including the shorter and folding-stock SVDS for airborne troops and more compact rifles like the SVU for urban combat.
Though newer sniper systems are gradually replacing it in some units—such as the Chukavin SVCh rifle—the SVD remains widely used and in production, a testament to the durability and practicality of Dragunov’s original design. Even more than 60 years after its introduction, it continues to fulfill the role for which it was created: giving the average infantry squad the ability to engage targets at distances far beyond standard assault rifle range.
