Russia chooses 60-year-old SVD rifle instead of the latest SVCh

Russia is increasing the production of Dragunov sniper rifles, forgetting about the latest developments and the promising SVCh rifle.

The news was made public by the Russian concern Kalashnikov.

The company’s press service announced the shipment of all Dragunov sniper rifles ordered this year and the conclusion of the first contracts for 2025.

The concern said that production volumes of SVD rifles would be increased several times, which might indicate a growing demand from the warring Russian army.

The SVD is a 7.62x54Rmm sniper rifle developed by Soviet designer Yevgeny Dragunov in 1958-1963. At the same time, it was put into mass production at the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant and is still in production today.

Despite its inherent potential, the rifle is considered obsolete, so in 2017, the Russian concern Kalashnikov introduced its successor, the Chukavin sniper rifle (SVCh).

The rifle’s developer, Andrii Chukavin, noted that his product outperformed the Dragunov rifle by 25-30 percent in terms of accuracy. This is achieved due to the optimal design of the rifle itself, as well as better quality ammunition.

“The SVCh is superior to the old rifle [SVD] primarily in ergonomics. You need to understand that the cartridge remains the same, so there is no need to say that the penetration or range has changed,” he explained.

The new rifle, in particular, has a modern interface for attaching equipment that allows the use of modern sighting systems, including those made in the West. At the same time, the SVD is largely limited to Soviet- or Russian-made sights with dovetail mounts.

In 2022, Kalashnikov Concern President Alan Lushnikov announced the completion of testing of the new rifle and the start of deliveries to replace the archaic SVD by the end of the same year. However, since then, their massive appearance in the army has not been noticed.

It was reported that a certain number of SVCh rifles in the basic 7.62x54R caliber had been tested in combat conditions as part of Special Forces units that had been engaged in combat operations on the territory of Ukraine. At the same time, it was said to had received positive feedback from users.

However, based on the concern’s announcement, it is clear that the supply of microwave in commercial quantities for the next year and their mass production should be forgotten.

The reasons for the abandonment of this promising development are unknown. This may be due to the presence of unresolved “childhood diseases” of the product, or its too high cost, which may be typical for new products. Finally, difficulties in setting up a new production line under international sanctions should not be ruled out.