Dragunov Variations: Military SVD, Izhmash Tiger, Chinese NDM-86
Semiauto Rifles
•
22m
The SVD Dragunov was the Soviet marksman's rifle that finally replaced the failed attempt to issue the SVT-40 as a precision rifle. It was introduced in 1963, after about 5 years of development, and its scarcity in the United States has led to the development of a loyal and dedicated group of admirers. This, of course, has led to much spirited debate about the relative merits of the different variations of the SVD which have been imported into the US. Today, we will look at three in detail: a genuine Soviet military-issue SVD, a commercial Tiger SVD made in Russia, and a commercial Chinese NDM-86 in 7.62 NATO caliber (a commercial version of the Chinese Type 79/85 military rifle).
While these rifles really have negligible differences in actual shooting and handling performance, they do differ in some details. Specifically:
- firing pin
- gas regulator
- trigger mechanism (safety sear & disconnector)
- bolt machining
- mainspring and top cover
- receiver lightening cut(s)
Enjoy the video, and see the differences for yourself!
Up Next in Semiauto Rifles
-
Meunier A6: France's First Semiauto B...
France began experimenting with self-loading rifle designs in the late 1890s, although most of this work is mostly unknown today. The work was done by the State arsenals, and kept as military secrets, without patents being filed or commercial sales considered. All sorts of systems were developed ...
-
Communist Heresy: Norinco's M305A M14...
Norinco is a huge consortium of manufacturing plants in China that make all manner of goods for export, including military hardware. One of Norinco's factories has been making copies of the American M14 rifle for export for some time, although they are not seen in the United States because Chines...
-
SIG PE-57: Swiss Roller-Delay!
The SIG PE-57 is the civilian semiauto version of the Stgw57, Switzerland's first self-loading service rifle. Developed from the German MG-42 but incorporating a substantial influence form the FG-42 as well, the PE-57 is a roller-delayed blowback action chambered for the 7.5x55mm Swiss cartridge....
