Questions about Dragunov rifles

F

Futo Inu

New member
First, does the rather large rim of the 7.62x54 cartridge cause any feeding problems in this rifle? If not, why not? Any other comments on reliability.

Second. Okay, the Dragunov was designed to be a sniper rifle, not an ordinary battle rifle. Now, I have read that, among sniper rifles, it is probably the least accurate of them all - but that's AMONG sniper rifles. So, as a sniper rifle, shouldn't it still be far more accurate that a standard ol' battle rifle like an FAL, G3, M14, or AR? It seems to be about the same price as an FAL.

Third, which Dragunovs are good, bad, better, best?

[This message has been edited by Futo Inu (edited January 12, 2000).]
 
Hi Futo.

The Russian is the original and IMHO, best. The things work well with the big-rimmed 7.62X54. Remember, it's been the Rusky MG round since the CZAR, and still remains, to my knowledge.

Accuracy? All I know is I've fired 3/4" 5 shot groups using surplus ball ammo loaded who knows when and where. The best group I got was 5/8" at 100 yards from the bench. Of course, that is nothing according to the accuracy gurus, i.e. benchrest types. They do not consider a group unless it is tighter than a rodent's rectum, but for me, it shoots up to my potential. I know my M1A never shot a 3/4" group using ball ammo. More like 2 or 3 inches. LOL :D

Do a search on the word Dragunov on this site and AR15.com to see comments on the Dragunov.

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Be mentally deliberate but muscularly fast. Aim for just above the belt buckle Wyatt Earp
"It is error alone that needs government support; truth can stand by itself." Tom Jefferson
If you have to shoot a man, shoot him in the guts, it may not kill him... sometimes they die slow, but it'll paralyze his brain and arm and the fight is all but over Wild Bill Hickok
Remember: When you attempt to rationalize two inconsistent positions, you risk drowning as your own sewage backs up.
45 ACP: Give 'em a new navel! BigG
 
One thing I have noticed is that there are people who own Romak 3s and then some who own SVDs and depending on what they own is what they like. I have seen SVD owners tell Romak 3 owners that the Romak was a piece of junk. Then again I seen people claim that they could drive nails at 100 meters with either one. Some people like to rant on how the svd/romak 3 are not accurate enough for a sniper rifle while that might be partially true, remember east block countries used these rifles for fire support for the machine guns not a true sniper role. A friend chatted with a marine sniper one night and he indicate that he had seen hits on man sized targets at 1000m consistently on training ranges with both the Romak 3 and SVDs. I think that’s good enough. Now the first Dragunovs had milled receivers and the later ones were stamped, the Dragunov used a shot stroke gas system and had an adjustable gas compensator. The Romak is built on a milled, modified RPK machine gun frame with a long stroke gas piston like an AK and has a built in gas compensator. Other than that the main difference is price, a true used Dragunov will run over $2000 (they stopped imports on new ones a few years back) while you can get a new Romak 3 for around $850 delivered.
It feeds ammunition fine and why, I don’t know but the Brit 303 is a rimed cartridge and it feeds too.
The 54R ammunition has been feeding out of box mags into Mosin-Nagants since 1891.
 
Sorry, but Back To Top.

Thanks for the excellent responses. But does anyone else have input about Dragunovs? I was saving for an FAL, but seems like a Dragunov might be a good choice for next "assault" gun, before they get too rare (real ones).
 
Get it now, the Russky, I mean. The SVD is the real one and they come with about 5 mags, bayonet, case, scope case, parts and accessories. I have the Tiger which is a sporter built on the Dragunov action (no flash hider). I like it almost better than my AR15s (except for weight) and definitely better than my M1A! Forget Romaks and Chineses. Think Russky SVD Dragunov! HTH

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Be mentally deliberate but muscularly fast. Aim for just above the belt buckle Wyatt Earp
"It is error alone that needs government support; truth can stand by itself." Tom Jefferson
If you have to shoot a man, shoot him in the guts, it may not kill him... sometimes they die slow, but it'll paralyze his brain and arm and the fight is all but over Wild Bill Hickok
Remember: When you attempt to rationalize two inconsistent positions, you risk drowning as your own sewage backs up.
45 ACP: Give 'em a new navel! BigG
 
I believe that the Romanian version is built from a modified RPK receiver and not a completely different design like the SVD (Soviet and Chinese). That's why people complain about them and the price is usually quite a bit lower.

The 7.62x54 should be the best round for the Dragunov, as that was the original chambering. Just make sure that the rim of the upper cartridge is forward of the one below and there shouldn't be any problems. That cartridge in my relatively light M44 is absolutely brutal, but surprisingly accurate and incredibly cheap (about $3-$4 for 20). For the price, I'll venture to say that the Chinese version is the better value (but the Russian is always the coolest).
 
Boy, I just returned after shooting my Polish M44 in 7.62x54, Garand, and Enfield #4Mk2. That little M44 is a killer. My father could only stand 7 rounds from it, but could hit anything he could see. The Garand is a pussycat compared to the M44.

Back to the subject. The Dragunov isn't a benchrest gun. It's designed to give reasonable accuracy after being dragged around in the dirt and mud for a few hours. In 7.62x54, it should be pretty good.
 
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