Dragunov SVU

Interestingly, in 1975, all the Russians wanted was to slightly modernize their SVD rifles little realizing that so much of the configuration would have to be altered. Since only an upgrade of the SVD was intended, only basic alterations like replacement of butt stock, pistol grip, trigger and the mounting for the sight were made. After this the balance of the weapon were taken into account as also the issue of the high-energy recoil since the rifle used such powerful ammunition.

For the purpose of handling the recoil, a muzzle brake was added which could absorb up to 40% of the energy and an elastic butt stock with lamellar spring was non-rigidly attached to the receiver. The elastic nature of the butt stock due to the integral spring together with the slight play between the stock and the receiver also helped to reduce the force of recoil. The acoustics of the rifle were also improved by adding a sound suppressor that could reduce the level of sound by 150 decibels thereby making it easier on the shooter. Shortening the length of the barrel by 100mm and pushing the gas chamber back achieved the balance of the SVU. The shorter barrel of the SVU has reduced its effective range as the muzzle velocity has been compromised by about 15%. The piston rod was made to rest in a reinforced tube to counter the increased load on the gas piston due to the fact that it had been pushed back. The trigger hook is connected to the trigger mechanism through a shaft mounted on the wall of the receiver.

The SVU or Snaiperskaya Vintovka Ukorochennaya (Short Sniper Rifle) is a gas operated semi automatic sniper rifle with a rotating bolt. The rifle uses 7.62 x 54 mm Rimmed Russian ammunition from a 10 round detachable magazine. Mechanical sights are built into the SVU and standard dovetail mount for optical sights has been incorporated. The SVU comes with a PSO - 1 optical scope with illuminated reticle but other Russian scopes can also be mounted. The SVU also comes with an adjustable bipod.

Around 1991 the Russians added a few more features into the SVU and a slight variant the SVU-A was developed. Whereas the SVU is semi-automatic, the SVU-A is a fully automatic rifle. In this rifle the center of gravity was increased by the addition of a forward extended bipod mounted on the receiver. Developing 20 and 30 round magazines increased the capacity of the magazine and better optics were incorporated into the SVU-A.

The SVU weighs 3.6 kg empty with an overall length of 870 mm and barrel length of 520 mm. The maximum effective range of 400 m is relatively short due to the compact nature of the weapon. The maximum rate of fire is 30 rpm but as a sniper rifle its aimed rate of fire is between 3 to 5 rpm.