I'm back. With a new thread, too! (Mosin stock)

[lazycommie]

Thanks y'all.


Pancake, an SVD'll set you back several grand. A PSL has similar looks and is pretty nice, but not as accurate. Alternately, a yugo M76 will cost you about 1200-2500$, but is even more accurate than an SVD and in a better caliber.  

[AlcoholicPancake]

Ehhh, it's not about Caliber when it comes to my Dragunov though. I'm a huge fan of that sexy rifle, so it'd be more of a " Holy s**t I own one and now I want to take it out to the range and shoot s**t with it biggrin DDD "

Any game I've ever played that's had a Dragunov in it, it has been one of my main guns. Plus, the actual gun looks great, and from what I hear, is still a great gun and very reliable.  

[lazycommie]

The Dragunov is very reliable and passably accurate for a DM rifle. Heavy, though. The PSL is similar in looks, but is really just a scaled up AK. The M76 is similar to a Dragunov, but improved(like the yugoslavians did with every gun they produced), but doesn't look the same.  

[AlcoholicPancake]

lazycommie

The Dragunov is very reliable and passably accurate for a DM rifle. Heavy, though. The PSL is similar in looks, but is really just a scaled up AK. The M76 is similar to a Dragunov, but improved(like the yugoslavians did with every gun they produced), but doesn't look the same.

Ahh, I heard right then. Ehh, oh well, I still like the Dragunov.

As for what I have bolded:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's not exactly a bad thing. The AK is one of the most reliable and trustworthy guns out there when it comes to any type of rifle. Far better than half the guns they give American soldiers when heading out to war. This is just what I've come to understand through reading, though... Like I said, if I'm incorrect, PLEASE correct me, because I do like to have my information straight.  

[lazycommie]

AlcoholicPancake

lazycommie

The Dragunov is very reliable and passably accurate for a DM rifle. Heavy, though. The PSL is similar in looks, but is really just a scaled up AK. The M76 is similar to a Dragunov, but improved(like the yugoslavians did with every gun they produced), but doesn't look the same.

Ahh, I heard right then. Ehh, oh well, I still like the Dragunov.

As for what I have bolded:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's not exactly a bad thing. The AK is one of the most reliable and trustworthy guns out there when it comes to any type of rifle. Far better than half the guns they give American soldiers when heading out to war. This is just what I've come to understand through reading, though... Like I said, if I'm incorrect, PLEASE correct me, because I do like to have my information straight.

The AK is very, rock solid reliable. That is due largely to loose tolerances in the action. The same things that make it "cover it in mud for a decade and it still works" reliable are the things that make it inaccurate. It is also quite heavy IRL. The PSL shares both those advantages and drawbacks, in addition to having a rather skinny barrel for it's length(meaning greater deflection and heat warping). It's a DM rifle, not a sniper rifle, so the drawbacks are definitely acceptable, since it's only intended for use out to 4-600yds.

The AR platform(such as the M16 and M4) has tighter tolerances, but is considerably more reliable than common internet myth states. While it is more sensitive to dust and fouling than the AK platform, it's ammo is also cleaner(fouls less) and when properly made is still extremely reliable. Modern AR's are largely "self cleaning" enough to require very little maintenance.

The myth that the AR platform of weapons is unreliable stems from Robert McNamara's dicking around during Vietnam that ended up issuing ammunition with the wrong powder and altering the rifle's design to cut costs. The end result(the original M16) suffered from excessive fouling due to usage of one of the worst powders possible for the load and a lack of hard chrome lining on the chamber and bore. Both the AK and AR platform weapons in military issue globally today use chrome lining for increased reliability.

The supposed "more reliable" piston AR's(the Ruger SR-556, H&K 416, etc.) are actually considerably LESS reliable due to the action not being intended for piston actuation and causing greatly increased wear on all the parts, including parts that don't wear on regular AR's due to carrier tilt. They are also less accurate by far. They're an attempt to combine the two weapons, and the end result is the drawbacks of both with none of the advantages.

The AR platform weapons are significantly lighter and handier than AK platform weapons, due to design. AK platform weapons are cheaper to mass produce due to their design and loose tolerances, and the Soviets gave them out virtually gratis to insurgents around the world, hence their commonality.

A standard AK will shoot somewhere between 2 and 3 MOA(minutes of angle, 1/60th of a degree or 1" at 100 yds). A standard AR will shoot around 0.5 to 1 MOA. Part of that is higher standards of ammunition quality, and part is the design of the weapon.

Caliber-wise, the 5.56 is more effective at killing, and more accurate, but it is inefficient in it's design. The overall length is too short to really get the maximum potential out of the round. The 7.62x39mm round that the AK fires does not tumble or expand(or fragment like the 5.56 does), and so it is less effective at killing. It is, however, a greatly superior penetrator of cover due to the bullet being roughly twice the weight. 5.45x39, what the AK 74 fires, is the Soviet's attempt at making a round on par with the 5.56, and they did so very admirably. The round tumbles like crazy in the body and makes gaping holes in things. It is also more accurate than 7.62x39, so there is a slight improvement in accuracy. Currently Smith & Wesson sells an AR-15 in 5.45x39mm, and a friend of mine owns one. He considers it just about as accurate as his other AR's, but much cheaper to shoot(and therefore more fun).



The SVD(short stroke piston action) is entirely different internally from the AK(long stroke piston) platform or AR(direct impingement) platform. It's action is considerably heavier in design and has more parts than either. A short stroke piston design, however, is one of the most mechanically reliable means of driving an action, and one of the cleanest. The SVD's pirmary drawback was that it's barrel suffers from the same fault as the PSL, being entirely too long and skinny. If the barrel were shortened(and the action adjusted to accommodate) to around 18" and were slightly thicker it would be a very accurate rifle. The SVD was never designed for precision work, though, and is also a DM rifle like the PSL, although more accurate. The round it fires is 7.62x54r, which is roughly comparable to the US's .308 Winchester(7.62 NATO), although certain loads(Hungarian heavy ball steel core, Yugo heavy ball and Lapua Match ball) greatly exceed .308 performance at long range. It's primary drawback is a lack of accurate ammunition for it. If you want to shoot at extreme range with it, expect to handload. If you just want to blast at intermediate ranges(400 yds or so), surplus will do you fine.


NOTE: The PSL was not designed for heavy ball(heavy bulleted, usually 180gr or so compared to light ball at 140gr) ammunition, and using such in it will damage the rifle. Leave the heavy ball to the guys with SG43s and Mosins.