Not so long ago, gunsmiths celebrating the centenary of the birth of Soviet weapons designer Yevgeny Fedorovich Dragunov. He worked both in the military and in the sports sphere, adding to the variety of Soviet weapons with its excellent samples. But one of his sniper rifles turned out to be actually legendary, because despite the long history, the SVD and today it is successfully operated by the army, remaining simple, effective, and in some cases still irreplaceable.
The history of the famous weapon began back in 1958, when Evgeny Dragunov applied to participate in a competition to create an army self-loading sniper rifle. His brainchild turned out to be the most suitable. Among the advantages of the weapons presented by Dragunov were ease of operation and maintenance, a high level of accuracy of the battle, and low cost.
The uniqueness of the sniper rifle, invented by Dragunov "from scratch", was also understood and appreciated by military officials. At the Izhevsk plant, in view of the fact that for the production of SVDs, parts were needed that were different from the Kalashnikov assault rifle, a separate workshop was allocated, sharpened specifically for the manufacture of new weapons.
The revision of the SVD continued until 1963, after which it became the first specialized sniper rifle adopted by the Soviet army. In addition, the weapon had another unique record - it turned out to be the world's first self-loading high-precision rifle for army snipers.
In the future, the rifle proved to be so successful that it was modernized several times. So, several modifications of weapons are known - SVD-S, SVU, SVDK, they are still in service with the Russian army. The last modified version of the rifle is the SVDM model, which has been supplied to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation since 2016. Thus, the brainchild of Dragunov remains the main and most massive weapon of the RF Armed Forces today.
Interesting fact: In a sense, Dragunov turned out to be a real predictor: he predicted a shift in priorities in sniper weapons towards semi-automatic models forty years before this happened. That is why in the 1960-1990s, the SVD remained an advanced weapon, and after that it did not lose its relevance even if the market expanded with more modern models.
For its time, the SVD was one of the most effective rifles. So, it is distinguished by the absolute accuracy of the shot at a distance of 500-600 meters. In addition, it is easy to handle and operate. Experts note that the rifle is the best weapon for training future snipers and teaching them basic skills - no complex design and sensitivity to dirt and mechanical damage allows you to put it in the hands of a novice fighter without fear that he will break.
Its other undoubted advantage is its self-loading. This fact has been proven more than once during various tests by test gunsmiths: the rifle works so fast that while other models make one shot, the SVD manages to hit the target twice.
READ ALSO: Why did the German submachine gunners not take off their gloves even in summer
Thus, the rifle, in a sense, turned the idea of the sniper's work. After all, it was considered as: "one sniper - one shot", and then it is necessary to change the position. SVD allows you to make several shots, being in one place before the enemy detects it.
In terms of versatility, the Dragunov sniper rifle is often compared to the no less legendary Kalashnikov assault rifle - both weapons in their areas of application are considered "generally accepted standard". At the same time, the military says that highly trained snipers are likely to stop the choice on other rifles, however, is ideal for mass use in the army units of the SVD.
>>>>Ideas for life | NOVATE.RU<<<
And yet, experts note a lot of shortcomings in such a functional rifle. So, it is poorly adapted for shooting from the left shoulder, which is sometimes simply necessary in combat conditions. In addition, the rifle was designed for a single scope, and also has a rather small lens compared to more modern models.
Another drawback is some limitations in the conditions of night shooting, despite the possibility of installing a night sight. Another problem in the same conditions is the lack of a silencer, later the so-called "sight illumination" happens, after which you have to change the position.
And yet, despite the shortcomings, the Dragunov sniper rifle, and sixty years later, continues to hold its position as the most massive sniper weapon of the Russian army. And experts rightly consider it to be the best in the arms history of the twentieth century.
Do you want to know the fate of the weapon that was sent to the "dustbin of history"? Then read: What is being done with the many obsolete weapons that have already been removed from service?
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/090420/54057/