That or a SVD is going to be my next major purchase, but I don't know the differnce.

 

PSL is similar to the AK and has some of the same parts infact (have heard some parts are actually interchangable).

The SVD has a different system/operation and is not interchangeable with the AK at all.
The SVD for instance has a remarkably light gas piston that is seperate from the block, it flies back and "taps" the block to in-turn send it rear-ward.
AK (and PSL as far as I know) have the block and heavy gas piston/rod all as one integral piece that slams back and forth each time the rifle cycles.

Result is the SVD/Tigr has less material slamming back and forth when the rifle cycles, less 'trauma' and you can re-acquire your target a little faster.

The 7.62x54R is often compared to .308 but as far as I know it's a little more beefy (not shot .308 before so can't compare personally.)

SVD (true military version) has a manual variable gas-pressure adjustor so if you want a little extra gas bled off to cycle the rifle - you can do it.
This feature is absent on the Tigr civilian model (along with bayonent mount) other than that they are identical.

If you want to get the most out of you SVD/Tigr would pay to handload unless you can get some 7N1 russian sniper ammo.
The commercially available hunting ammo is hotter than it was originally designed for ie; about 185-205 grain.
The original accuracy inclined ammo is approx' 150 grain (do a search for '7N1 silvertip' ammo).

You can also get a decent range of Belarus optics for the SVD (or PSL) that mount straight onto the custom soviet sidemount (optics are built like a brick-proverbial).
There have also been some passive night optics available online over the last few years which are pretty cheap and very sturdy as far as nightvision optics go.

There is a very nice scope in particular, "1P21" - has range finding mil reticle and is a variable magnification scope with the rangefinding reticule moving relative to any magnifycation you dial up.

As someone else pointed out - SVD/Tigr isn't intended as a true sniper rifle, but it makes one hell of an accurate hunting rifle and if you get the right load ammo you can get some very good performance out of it.
Theres vid on Youtube of guys managing to shoot way out to 900m/1000m with it (the regular optics for the rifles are ranged out to 1200/1300 metres!) although I'd hazard a guess that anything over 800m is stretching.

I don't personally know about PSL's, - but I love my Tigr to bits - it rocks, is alot lighter than you'd think too if you haven't handled one before.
If you get one I'd be VERY supprised if you weren't happy.

As far as I know in the States the SVD can be pretty pricey due to the lack of them in circulation - after some import exclusion cut off law was passed in the 80's or 90's.

 

Sold out in 24hrs at 579.00 that should tell you if you want one or not. 729.00 is the average price.

 

Almost bought one, kicking myself for not since it was selling for 410
Fires the same 7.62x54mmR Ammo as the Mosin-Nagant which means cheap shooting. :thumb:

 

barrel is tooo longggggg

 

It's a sniper rifle. They have longgggg bbls.

 

Looks like a keeper. And that ammo is one of my faves.

 

I thought about getting one myself. Before I got one I read an article about them. I think it was in Shotgun News. Basically how to make one accurate.

I think after all the custom work the guy got it to shoot an 8" group at 500 yards. Not very good for a sniper rifle but it was much better than when he first got it.

Any of the 60-70 year old Mosin Naggant sniper rifles will probably out shoot it all day long.

I bought an AR 10 instead. $1050 delivered and will be ringing it out shortly. I've been told it'll shoot 1/2 minute with the right ammo. In other words it'll shoot a 3" group at 500 yards. (supposed to if I do my job behind the scope)

They are pretty cool rifles though I must say.

 

Don't know about any cool factor or whatever, but if they're as accurate as the other Romanian PSLs, it's be a sweet gun to have. I've seen some relatively impressive groups from them when one considers that they aren't really a sniper rifle, but a designated marksman one. Wouldn't mind having one myself.

 

The quality Ive seen on a lot of the Romanian stuff is pretty poor, a lot of cobbled together parts kits and bad craftsmanship.. all things considered i highly recommend the Mosin nagant if your looking for a 7.62X54R.

 

Nothing wrong with the quality of Romanian firearms, except for the stuff they purposefully cobble together to export to us.

 

hmm... 10 rounds of 7.62x54 that can be let loose as fast as you can pull the trigger??? that is pretty appealing, even if it shoots 8-12 inch groups at 500, you could always use bracketing fire.

dont think i would get one, it just reminded me of COD4 :thumb:

 

That is pretty much a glorified AK type rifle that uses longer cased ammo. Pretty reliable and will reach out realistically to about 700 - 750 meters to hit a human silhouette. The M-1A and the AR-10(T) rifles will outdistance it with when using higher quality (match grade) ammo in the American rifles. If I remember right the SVD Draganov rifle is more accurate when using their sniper grade ammo. That's not a real bad price for that rifle. For a number of years they were selling them at about $900.00 if I remember right.

 

Any of the really good one run $1200-1900.

JGsales.com has the cheapos PLS $750 and the good ones M76 for $1700 right now.

 

Suarez recommends them as a designated marksman rifle...

 

They are similar to the AK series of rifles, not sure if they were designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov or not.

But they are basically beefed up, more accurate AK variants in 7.62x54R. And that is a GOOD thing!

 

They say things change drastically when you handload for them. Don't know myself.

 

The PSL are fairly accurate if using the 148gr silver tip ammo that they were designed to shoot.
Heavy loads fly everywhere, hence the 8" groups.
These are a cheaper knock off version of the Droganov Rifles.
No interchanges for parts or magazines with the SVD either.
Not a great rifle, but not bad either considering the cost vs benefit factor.
They are heavy in weight, but fairly reliable.
Remember most surplus ammo available is corrosive, and since these have more parts then a Nagant, there will be much more to clean.
Ballistically they are about the same as a 30.06 in trajectory.
There is a lot of steel core surplus ammo available in the 148gr silver tip, so cost factor is good.
There are many better medium to long range rifles available on the market, but they tend to run 2-3 times the money.
Save the money on the rifle and have more ammo, or
Buy a better rifle with less ammo.
The choice is yours:
Accuracy by volume, or accuracy.

 

I would like to point out that this is NOT a sniper rifle!
the PSL is a modified AKM with a long barrel, a skeleton stock, and a scope, and thats about it.

Many people think that this is a Dragunov just because it looks like it, but not a single part is exchangeable between them. This rifle was made as a designated marksman's weapon; someone that could shoot farther and more accurately then the others in his unit.

And the main reason that the imported Romanian weapons are so shoddily made is because its old stock(mainly made during the Communist era...) purchased by importers; the guns used by the Romanian soldiers themselves are much newer.
Hope that helps with your decision!!

 

How do they mod an AKM to fire 7.62x54R?

The Russian concept of sniping is basically the same as our designated marksman concept..

 

Sorry; I messed up :xeye:

The PSL uses a reciever similar to the RPK

 

i would probably never buy one anyways... no "made in the USA" sticker on it

 

While this is by no means a Precision rifle, it definately serves a purpose as a designated marksman weapon. Their accuracy can range anywhere from 2-4 moa. Which is good enough. For the money, this is a good buy and Bryan at AIM Surplus is good people. If you would like some personal experiance info about them, go to www.ar15.com in their Romanian AK section. Lots of reviews and such there.

 

Both rifles shoot the same 54r round and look similar but thats where the differences end none of the parts between the PSL and the SVD are interchangeable.

PSL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSL_(rifle)

SVD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragunov_sniper_rifle

 

So does the PSL the "puck" type gas piston like saiga shotguns?

 

The PSL is just a long barreled AK that was designed to fire the 7.62X54 cartridge.

The true Soviet SVD is worth having, as it has an operation system very much like an SKS. The Romanian "Dragunov" would make a nice boat anchor though...

I would NOT waste my money on the thing. I would save my money and get a SOCOM M1A.

 

PSL's are fun to shoot, I have one

Couple of things though, first off, they are NOT draganov's, not even close. Drags have a different gas/bolt and are built on a milled receiver. The PSL is built on a RPK receiver that is reinforced with some back plates that are riveted on.

They are also NOT a sniper rifle, they are considered a designated marksman rifle. Mainly they are not as accurate as other true sniper systems. You can expect to get between 2-3 MOA maybe better using typical 147 gr. surplus ammo.

It is rather hard to find proper, good, scope mounts for these if you plan on going for different glass than the mil-surp 4x that it comes with.

Mine has been a pretty good shooter although I tend to get jams in ejection/feeding from time to time when using the 147 gr. surp rounds. Using 174 gr. Brown Bear functions flawlessly though, so I am thinking it is a powder/load issue. It is advised though to not use anything more than 150 gr. as the higher loads can damage the receiver. I have used recoil buffers and the 174's end up causing the buffer to get smashed.

 

sticky follower?

PSL's are fun to shoot, I have one



Mine has been a pretty good shooter although I tend to get jams in ejection/feeding from time to time when using the 147 gr. surp rounds. Using 174 gr. Brown Bear functions flawlessly though, so I am thinking it is a powder/load issue. It is advised though to not use anything more than 150 gr. as the higher loads can damage the receiver. I have used recoil buffers and the 174's end up causing the buffer to get smashed.

the only problem i can recall was a sticking magazine follower....i have 7 mags,i took everyone apart dehorned and polished with sand paper all the sticky edges,feed ramp and lips untill i was satisfied mud couldnt stop'um.....it has worked....also cases with rims are known for being finicky feeders thats why semi-auto 54r rifles are limited to 10 rnds,so they need all the help they can get.....last but not least surplus ammo does degrade, on occasion over the years i have found underpowered ammo along with the old crunchclick...........BANG!