Sniper Golf Est. 1996 by Sniper's Paradise

 

By David M. Fortier

 

Recovering from recoil I automatically worked the rifle's bolt and then peered through the 7x scope. The first four rounds were clustered nicely in one small hole. Now the pressure was on not to blow it with the last shot. Settling down again I placed the scope's aiming dot over the group and took a couple of deep breaths. Unfortunately for me the aiming dot was substantially larger than the group, which was my aiming point. Ignoring this minor inconvenience I slowly exhaled and relaxed as I gradually took up slack on the trigger. The rifle let out a muffled report through its suppressor. I had fudged the last shot a little and knew it. Opening the bolt I sent a 7N14 sniper empty spinning into the air and then stood up and wiped the dust from my dress pants. One of the Russians demonstrating the rifle to us was eager to go and check the target so we took a 100 meter walk. Even pulling the last one I had still plunked five rounds into 5/8". My Russian host smiled broadly looking at the target and congratulated me on my fine shooting. While it was a good group I could tell that the rifle would shoot into less than 1/2". While my shooting performance was OK, the rifle itself was impressively accurate.

Everyone has weaknesses. Mine is sniper rifles. Just something about a precision rifle designed and intended for the ultimate hunt. On this day my weakness had brought me and two others half way around the world to a small shooting range in Izhevsk, Russia. Our desire? To have a first hand look at something out of the ordinary for the Russians to be producing, their new SV-98 bolt action sniper rifle.

Our small team consisted of Marc Krebs, Mark Vorobiev, and your humble yarn spinner. We each brought a needed skill to the team. Krebs is a nationally recognized gunsmith known for building IPSC pistols as well as custom Kalashnikovs. He brought a gunsmiths experience to our team. Vorobiev was born in Russia and served during the 1980's in the Soviet Army as a sniper. He brought the insight of having "been and done" to our team, as well as serving as guide and translator. Me? I reckon I know a thing or two about sniper rifles in general, and Russian equipment in particular. So with this experience the three of us felt we could bring back a valuable first look at Russia's new SV-98.

Our journey was no short one though. I flew from Bangor, Maine to New York where I met Krebs. Then we flew to Moscow where we linked up with Vorobiev. From Moscow, with the help of Eric Mustafin who made our arrangements and carted us around in his trusty Lada, we flew to Izhevsk. Located in the Udmurt Republic, Izhevsk is approximately 1200 kilometers east of Moscow on the European side of the Western Urals. With a population of over 700,000 it's the capital of this Russian province that numbers approximately 1.5 million. It's also the home to Russia's most respected arms factory, Izhmash. Originally founded in 1807 to provide weapons to the Imperial Russian Army to fight Napoleon, it has since played a major role in the defense of Russia. Readers of GUNS Magazine know Izhmash for its Kalashnikov assault rifles and Dragunov sniper rifles, but the plant produces much more than that. In addition to a wide array of military weapons they also produce sporting and competition rifles as well. And it is on one of their competition rifles that the new SV-98 is based.

We arrived in Izhevsk in a sad state of affairs after spending the previous night up late celebrating with a Russian SPETsNAZ unit. Still a little green around the gills we were met by Ahat Khisamutdinov, the personal photographer of Mikhail Kalashnikov, and Andrei Vishnyakov, the Head of Public Relations for Izhmash International Trading Center Ltd.. These two men would spend the next few days going out of their way showing us this fascinating city, taking us to numerous gunshops, and putting up with innumerable questions. With their help we were able to meet with the General Director of Izhmash, Alexander G. Likhachev. Mr. Likhachev upon hearing of our desire to test the SV-98 not only granted us permission, but also arranged for its designer, Vladimir Stronskiy, to be there as well. Within a few hours of our meeting we were pulling into a small shooting range where a small group awaited us. Among them was Mr. Stronskiy, and his SV-98.

Why was I so interested in testing the SV-98? Well I suppose the main reason is that it's a complete departure from the norm for the Russians. Experience garnered during World War II led them to believe that for their purposes a self-loading sniper rifle was preferred over a bolt gun. So while the Mosin-Nagant can be a fantastically accurate rifle (it has after all won Olympic Gold) their needs led to the development and adoption of the semi-auto SVD Dragunov. Since the adoption of the SVD in 1963 the Russians have not looked back. Whereas the Kalashnikov has been continually "Modernized" from the AK-47 to AKM to AK-74 to its current AK-74M model the SVD has remained basically the same. Other than the adoption of the current synthetic furniture and an improved 7.62x54R sniper load the SVD remains pretty much unchanged. In Russian service the SVD, nicknamed "Oar" by the troops, is overwhelmingly popular. All the Russian snipers I have been able to talk to were extremely impressed by it and preferred it over a bolt gun. So where does the SV-98 fit into the scheme of things? That was one of many things we wanted to find out.

Walking up to the group that awaited us on the rifle range I was introduced to Vladimir Stronskiy and his rifle. Mr. Stronskiy is an engineer at Izhmash and known for creating superbly accurate target rifles. One of his designs being the Record-1, which is well respected in Europe, and in the form of the Record CISM, has won the World Military Games. Very friendly and good natured, Mr. Stronskiy is the type of man any serious rifleman would love to talk to. Although I had to speak to him through an interpreter, it was abundantly evident that this was a man who had spent his life crafting wood and steel into fantastically accurate rifles. Snuffing out a non-filtered cigarette he proceeded to show me his rifle.

The SV-98 is based on the action of the successful Record-1 competition rifle. At first glance it reminded me of Sako's TRG-22 due to the shape of its cold hammer forged receiver. Like the Sako the SV-98 utilizes an enclosed receiver with an ejection port. This type of design is of course stiffer than a conventional open receiver like a Remington 700. Inside the fairly massive receiver rides a bolt with three symmetrical lugs at its front, again like a TRG-22. However in place of a conventional plunger style ejector is a bar ejector. This I personally liked as it is not only more reliable but also allows an operator the ability to dictate how far he wants his brass to eject. The bolt features a cocking indicator and short 60 degree lift. The trigger is adjustable from approximately 2.2-3.3 lbs and can be adjusted for travel as well as its position relative to the pistolgrip. The rifle's safety is located on the right rear of the receiver.

The top of the receiver has a 17mm dovetail machined into it for mounting optics. Feed is from a fairly massive synthetic10 round staggered dual feed detachable box magazine. Of interest is the fact that the magazine fits onto a guide rod in the mag well for fast and easy mag changes. Also the magazine release itself is a button on the right side of the magazine. To the receiver is mated a 24" cold hammer forged Match barrel. This is pressed into the receiver, like a Steyr's, and then locked with four transverse pins. Barrel diameter is 22.5mm with no taper and it is not chrome lined to improve accuracy. It features rifling with 4 grooves and a RH twist of 1-12.6". The muzzle features a 60 degree target crown and is threaded. Normally a cone shaped "muzzle compressor" is affixed to the muzzle. This enhances accuracy by changing the barrel's harmonics. However during testing this was replaced by a small suppressor. This unit was self centering via two cones and had a small hood to prevent mirage. The suppressor was attached or removed with two wrenches.

The barreled action is mounted in a green laminated wood stock. However the rifle is also available on special order with a stock molded from fiberglass reinforced polyamide. While a laminated wood stock may seem a bit old fashioned such is not the case when it comes to extreme accuracy. There are a number of ultra long range competition shooters who claim a wood stock provides superior accuracy over a modern synthetic stock. I was also quite interested in exactly how the rifle was bedded as it's the bedding that often makes or breaks a rifle. The SV-98 does not feature glass bedding nor pillars. Instead the lower part of the receiver has a wafer checkering and is mated to the stock via a special thermal setting synthetic bedding compound. Anyone who has ever played with a Remington 700 based sniper rifle knows that the torque on the action screws effects accuracy so I asked if this was the case with the SV-98. "Nyet", Mr. Stronskiy replied. Torquing the action screws to different values had no effect, you simply tightened them down.
Like many current European sniper rifles the SV-98's stock belies its competition rifle heritage. The butt is adjustable for length of pull via spacers. It is also adjustable both vertically and horizontally. Likewise the cheekrest is adjustable for height as well. This makes for a comfortable rifle that an operator can set up to suite his physical characteristics. The front of the rifle features a stud to which a simplified and improved version of a Parker-Hale bipod may be easily attached or removed. When not in use the bipod folds conveniently out of the way into the rifle's forend. To the rear of the cutout for the bipod is a short accessory rail. To the right side of the forend is mounted a simple carrying handle. Provisions are made for mounting an SVD's sling onto the left side of the stock.

Something not seen very often anymore on sniper rifles are back-up iron sights. The SV-98 has them. They consist of a protected front post and a simple tangent rear and are similar to the ones used on the SVD. On our test rifle though the rear sight had been temporarily removed. Iron sights on sniper rifles are for emergencies only though, as its optics that make this type of weapon truly effective. While a Schmidt undt Bender Tactical scope would have looked right at home such was not the case. Instead the SV-98 mounted a strange porro-prism unit, the PKS-07. While out of the ordinary today porro-prism rifle scopes are nothing new. Our snipers fielded them on Springfields during World War I, and the French tested one on their MAS Mle 1940 trials rifle in May 1940. The unit mounted on our test SV-98 was a fixed 7x with 1 cm elevation and windage adjustments. The reticle was quite different, even for the Russians, and consisted of a simple aiming dot of approximately 1 MOA inside of a large oval. That was it. No choke rangefinder, no Mil marks, no windage or lead marks, no stadia to help prevent cant, nothing. The scope attached to the rifle via two levers and was said to retain its zero if removed and then remounted.

Our test rifle was chambered for the tried and true 7.62x54R, although it's also offered in 7.62x51. The oldest standard issue military cartridge in the world, the 7.62x54R has garnered a well deserved reputation for accuracy. Our test ammunition was the latest Russian sniper load designated 7N14. Stronskiy informed me that this load has replaced the earlier 7N1 which was developed specifically for use with the SVD Dragunov and adopted in 1965. It features a 152 grain FMJBT projectile with a steel jacket and penetrator core. Cases are copper washed steel with corrosive Berdan priming. Muzzle velocity is 2723 fps. Our test ammunition was manufactured by Factory 188 in 2000. Stronskiy said this new load offers a substantial increase in accuracy over the older sniper load due to higher consistency, especially in powder charges. However this military load is still not up to the accuracy level of commercial "EXTRA" Match ammunition used in competition he said.

An assistant to Stronskiy demonstrated the rifle and then offered me a place behind it at the bench. I asked if I could test it prone, off the bipod. They nodded smiling, as I was in a jacket and tie. Tossing my suite jacket aside I lay in the warm Russian sun behind the SV-98. After traveling how many thousands of miles the moment of truth was at hand. The magazine inserted easily and locked firmly in place. Working the bolt revealed a stiff action. The initial upward bolt lift was harder than expected. Chambering a round also required some effort. The stock itself was ergonomic and well designed. I soon felt right at home, except for the scope. While clear with good color rendition and acuity, I just did not like the scope, nor its reticle. Ignoring it for the time being I placed the aiming dot on the center of the target and squeezed the trigger. The recoil was very light, and the report was similar to a .22 LR. Working the bolt I had to break my checkweld and put some effort into it. Four rounds later a 5/8" group stared back at me. Without a doubt the Russians had themselves a precision rifle.

Vorobiev fired the SV-98 next and Krebs after him. Firing from the bench Krebs recorded the best group of the day plunking 5 rounds into 3/8" at 100m. That the rifle could print sub 1/2 MOA groups was impressive. That it could do it on demand with the issue sniper load said much both for the rifle and ammunition. With the question of accuracy answered we moved to shooting from alternate positions. While a shot from the supported prone is preferred, in the real world this is often not possible. So I was interested in seeing how the rifle handled. To humor me the Russians set up some bricks at 100 meters, the extent of the range, and I had at them both kneeling and offhand. While long, especially with the suppressor attached, the SV-98 proved well balanced and able. The bricks turned to dust as fast as I could work the bolt, place the aiming dot on them and squeeze the trigger.

So what did I think of the SV-98? On the positive side of course is that its superbly accurate. The weapon itself is ergonomic, well balanced, and chambered for a fine cartridge. The bipod is an improvement over the Parker-Hale, and I liked how it folded neatly out of the way. The basic rifle is simple and rugged. The supressor was small yet effective. On the negative side the action was slow and stiff. If all you have is a bolt gun, you want a damn fast one. Damn fast the SV-98 is not. I talked to two Russian snipers who had deployed in combat with the SV-98 and both preferred the SVD for this very reason. The greatest drawback though in my mind is the scope. While the optics are clear the reticle is useless. Equipped with a better scope this rifle would run with any of its Western equivalents, and out shoot many of them.
The SV-98 will not be replacing the SVD in Russian military service any time soon. Rather it's intended for those special situations, such as counter-terrorist work, that require surgical accuracy. For these situations the SV-98 should do quite well.

Acknowledgments: Much thanks to Eric Mustafin, Ahat Khisamutdinov, and Vladimir Makarov. Also much thanks to Alexander G. Likhachev, Vladimir Stronskiy and everyone from Izhmash that aided us to make this article possible.

 

SV-98 SPECIFICATIONS

Type: Manual turn bolt
Caliber: 7.62x54R and 7.62x51
Barrel: 25" Cold Hammer Forged Match w/ 4 grooves 1-12.6 RH
Overall Length: 47.25"
Weight: 12.8 lbs without optics
Feed: 10 round detachable box
Stock: Laminated wood or synthetic, fully adjustable
Standard Day Optic: PKS-07 fixed 7x
Manufacturer: Izhmash OJSC, Izhevsk, Russia