SVD Dragunov

The Dragunov sniper rifle is a semi-automatic designated marksman rifle chambered in 7.62×54mmR, developed in the Soviet Union between 1957 and 1963. It was chosen as the winning design from a competition involving three design teams. After extensive field testing in various environmental conditions, Dragunov's rifle was officially adopted in July 1963. An initial pre-production batch of 200 rifles was assembled for evaluation, and serial production began in 1964 at Izhmash, later known as Kalashnikov Concern. Since then, the Dragunov has become a standard squad support weapon in numerous countries, including former Warsaw Pact nations.