Sighting range of a modern sniper rifle. Dragunov sniper rifle. Design features of the SVD

SVD sniper rifle with wooden stock and forend, PSO-1 optical sight

SVDM sniper rifle with plastic stock and fore-end, PSO-1 optical sight

Until the beginning of the 1960s, the 7.62-mm magazine sniper rifle mod. 1891/30 Meanwhile, qualitative changes in military affairs and the experience of local wars set a number of new requirements for sniper weapons. A new stage in the development of sniper rifles has begun - now all elements of the "weapon-cartridge-sight" complex were specially developed and manufactured. In 1958, the Main Artillery Directorate of the Ministry of Defense issued a tactical and technical assignment for the development of a 7.62-mm self-loading sniper rifle. The main competitors were the Izhevsk designer E.F. Dragunov and Kovrovskiy A.S. Konstantinov, S.G. Simonov and the design team of M.T. Kalashnikov also presented their samples. The experimental SSV-58 rifle presented by Dragunov in 1959 was the first to meet the stringent accuracy requirements set by the military, then a modified version of the SSV-61 appeared. After long comparative tests of the Dragunov and Konstantinov samples, in 1963 the “7.62-mm Dragunov sniper rifle” (SVD, index 6V1) was put into service.
The development of the 7.62-mm sniper cartridge was carried out at NII-61 by V. M. Sabelnikov, P. F. Sazonov and V. N. Dvoryaninov. The cartridge was put into service later than the rifle itself - in 1967 - and received the index 7N1. The optical sight PSO-1 was developed by A.I. Ovchinnikov and L.A. Glyzov.
I. A. Samoilov worked out the technology for manufacturing a high-precision rifle barrel. The similarity of the SVD system with the AK assault rifle is often mentioned, namely: automation with a gas engine with the removal of powder gases through a side hole in the barrel wall; locking by turning the bolt, the sleeve is pulled when the bolt is unlocked, a similar shape of the bolt; hammer-type percussion mechanism with the same shape of the mainspring; flag non-automatic fuse double action. But much more interesting are the differences between the SVD associated with "sniper" tasks and making it independent system. The SVD bolt frame is not combined with a gas piston - the piston and pusher are made as separate parts with their own return spring and return to the forward position after the frame is thrown back (“short piston stroke”). The movement of automation is "decomposed" into successive movements of individual parts and stretched in time, the total mass of the parts moving together decreases. All this increases the smoothness of the automation, smoothes impulse loads. The gas outlet is equipped with gas regulator to adapt automation to work in difficult operating conditions.
The SVD shutter has three symmetrically located lugs, which makes the locking more reliable and reduces the angle of rotation of the shutter. The reloading handle is located on the right and is integral with the bolt carrier. The combination of a relatively massive bolt carrier with a light bolt ensures reliable operation of the locking unit. The receiver is milled. A slotted flame arrester is attached to the muzzle of the barrel.
The trigger mechanism provides only a single fire and is assembled in a separate housing. The original feature is the use of the trigger as a sear uncoupler with a trigger pull. The flag non-automatic fuse, when turned on, blocks the trigger and thrust and blocks the cutout of the receiver.
Lodge SVD - split. The cutout in the buttstock and its front face form a pistol grip. The frame shape of the butt allows you to hold the rifle with your left hand when firing from the stop. A removable "cheek" is attached to the butt. The "cheek" and the back of the butt are not regulated. The forearm is formed by two symmetrical barrel linings with slots for better and, moreover, symmetrical barrel cooling. The pads are spring-loaded on the barrel, so that the fulcrum of the forearm is on the axis of the bore, and the force from the supporting hand does not affect the shooting results. In addition, when the forearm moves forward during the lengthening of the barrel (caused by its heating), the conditions for its fastening do not change, and there is no shift in the middle point of hits. During the production process, in the manufacture of the buttstock, the wood was replaced with pressed glued plywood, and in the manufacture of the overlays, with veneer. Then the rifle received a plastic buttstock and black glass-filled polyamide handguard.
Food - from a two-row metal box-shaped detachable sector-shaped magazine with a capacity of 10 rounds. The center of gravity of a loaded rifle is located above the magazine, and the consumption of cartridges has little effect on the balance of the weapon, and therefore on the displacement of the midpoint of hits. For shooting, in addition to the 7N1 sniper cartridge (with an SI bullet and tighter manufacturing tolerances), rifle cartridges 57-N-223 with a light ordinary bullet (LPS), 7T2 with a tracer bullet (T-46) are also used. 7BZ with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet (B-32), etc.
The optical sight PSO-1 (index 1P43) has a magnification of 4x, a field of view of 6% is equipped with a rubber eyecup and a retractable protective hood. The aiming reticle includes the main square for shooting at ranges up to 1000 m. Additional lateral correction scales for ranges of 1100, 1200 and 1300 m, as well as a rangefinder scale for determining the range at a visible target 1.7 m high ( average height person) with an accuracy of 50 m. The grid illumination device is powered by a battery inserted into the case. A special luminescent plate is introduced into the field of view of the sight, which makes it possible to detect sources of IR radiation.
Mechanical sights are used as auxiliary devices - a sector sight, notched at a distance of up to 1200 m, and an adjustable front sight with a fuse.
The PSO-1 sight served as the basis for a whole family of optical sights, including the PSO-1 M2. Sighting scales PSO-1 M2 are designed for firing at a distance of 100 to 1300 m. The weight of the sight is 0.58 kg, the magnification is 4x, the field of view is 6 °.
In 1989, the 1P21 sight weighing 1.25 kg appeared (the theme of the development work “Minute”, also known as the “pancratic sniper sight” PSP-1). The sight is distinguished by variable magnification from 3x to 9x, its field of view is 6 ° 11 "- 2 ° 23", respectively. Mesh illumination with brightness adjustment is possible. The sight can be used on SVD.
For hand-to-hand combat, a standard 6X4 bayonet-knife can be attached to a rifle, although a bayonet on a sniper rifle is a rare attribute and hardly needed. However, it should be noted that the SVD was created as a sniper weapon for small units, and this required that it be used in close combat as well.
The design of the SVD as a whole was a fairly successful compromise between "sniper" and "general combat" requirements. It is also worth noting that the SVD became one of the first "army" rifles, the design of which clearly showed "sports" features. For the 60-70s of the XX century, the SVD had a good accuracy. Experience has shown that the SVD allows you to hit small targets at a distance of up to 800 m. For the “chest figure” (500x500 mm) target, the SVD reliably works up to 600 m, the “head figure” (250x300 mm) - up to 300 m.
The SVD gained high popularity during the fighting in Afghanistan and Chechnya - it is relatively high power turned out to be very useful in mountainous conditions. Almost no type of battle could do without the active participation of snipers; SVD, with minor design changes, is in service with the armies of another fifteen countries. Its variants were produced, for example, in Romania, China, Iraq.
The fate of the SVD showed the mutual influence of sports, sniper and hunting weapons. Created using the "sports" experience, the SVD rifle also served as the basis for hunting carbines - the Izhevsk series "Bear" (no longer produced) and "Tiger" and the Tula OTs-18.
The SVD has proven to be a reliable and powerful weapon, remaining for many years the best combined arms sniper rifle. However, the expansion and complication of the tasks solved by snipers in modern military conflicts required the SVD to be supplemented with a rifle with significantly improved firing accuracy and a sight with a higher magnification factor.

The Diada-Arms online store sells modern air rifles with optical sights. For you - big choice models, manufacturer's warranty, optimal price. Contact us! Shop specialists will select a rifle for various budgets and applications.

Pneumatics with a sight: description, features and benefits

Optics serve to visually enlarge a distant target and facilitate aiming. This allows you to use the high degree of precision inherent in pneumatics to one hundred percent.

There are two main types of optical sights:

1. Unregulated. The degree of magnification of such sights is not configurable. It is designated, for example, 4x15 or 4x32. Where 4x means objects in the viewfinder are magnified 4 times as compared to the naked eye. The main advantage of such sights is that they do not need to be adjusted. The main drawback is that there is no way to enlarge objects even more if necessary. These scopes are suitable for medium range sport shooting, hunting small birds and rodents.
2. Pancratic. Such optics can magnify objects within 3-15x. They are marked as follows: for example, 3-9x32. This means that objects can be magnified from 3x to 9x, and 32 is the diameter of the lens in millimeters. Regarding the latter - the larger it is, the clearer and brighter the "picture" will be. Accordingly, the cost is higher. This type of optic is excellent for long range shooting and hunting moving game. various sizes. Its main drawback is the need for periodic adjustment and adjustment due to the high complexity of the device.

It should be noted that in the manufacture of air rifles with optics, manufacturers pay Special attention sight designs. This is due to difficult operating conditions, the presence of vibrations and double recoil.

Among the main advantages of models with pre-installed optics are:

• high accuracy and accuracy of fire;
• no problems with the choice of fasteners;
• the ability to hit targets at long distances;
• ease of use and much more.

Would you like to buy pneumatic weapons from leading manufacturers with a reliable and high-quality optical sight? Contact a Diada-Arms consultant at the contact number.

Dragunov sniper rifle has been in service since 1963 and, apparently, they do not intend to change it to something else yet. Despite the fact that this weapon is already quite old, it still copes with the tasks that it faces, although many are of the opinion that this weapon is already outdated and urgently needs to be changed. Let's try to figure out whether this rifle model is so outdated, and whether it is worth looking for a replacement for it, provided that there are more relevant gaps in armament, both for the army and for the police. At the same time, let's take a brief look at the design of this weapon, since for many it turned out to be unknown in its structure.

At the end of the fifties, namely in 1958, the Main Rocket and Artillery Directorate (GRAU) formulated a task for designers to create a new self-loading sniper rifle for the Soviet Army. Such famous designers as Kalashnikov, Barinov, Konstantinov and, of course, Dragunov participated in the competition. The weapons of other designers will be discussed in separate articles, especially since the samples were presented quite interesting. For a sniper rifle, in the usual sense of most people, the basic requirements that were set for the designers were not entirely clear.

So, the weapon was required to be able to fire confidently at the enemy at a distance of only 600 meters, that is, at this distance the enemy had to be guaranteed to be hit from this weapon. But now it’s fashionable to talk about weapons that shoot at 1000 meters and further, while they usually forget that the distances for accurate fire in battle even in open areas for a sniper who works as part of a unit are much less. In other words, he has completely different tasks, or rather their implementation, in comparison with those of a sniper crew working separately.

Naturally, for those who need to hit a target at a distance of 1500 meters, the SVD will be a completely inappropriate weapon, but these snipers are not armed with such rifles. Consequently, the SVD copes with its tasks, and taking into account the unpretentiousness of the weapon to the operating conditions, ease of maintenance and well-established production, it makes no sense to change this weapon.

For an example, you can look at those that are on this moment in service with other armies of other countries. Despite the fact that more accurate and long-range models are being adopted, no one is in a hurry to refuse weapons similar in their characteristics to the SVD, and it coexists quite peacefully with long-range and accurate samples.

Of course, I would like to see a more advanced weapon, with more high performance, light and compact, but no one will allocate funds to remove the rifle from service in one day and replace it with another model. And this problem is not so acute as to raise a fuss around it. It would be wiser to work with the ammunition of the weapon in order to increase its armor-piercing properties, it is both cheaper and more relevant at the moment, and after that to make weapons based on it.

What exactly is an SVD? This is a self-loading rifle, the automation of which is based on the use of powder gases discharged from the weapon's barrel bore and with the barrel bore locked when the bolt is turned by 3 lugs. The weapon is fed from a detachable box magazine with a capacity of 10 rounds of 7.62x54R. For firing from the SVD, rifle cartridges with ordinary, tracer and armor-piercing incendiary bullets, as well as sniper cartridges (7N1, 7N14) are used. The SVD can also fire JHP and JSP expansion bullets.

The weight of the weapon without ammunition is 4.2 kg with a total rifle length of 1220 mm. Barrel length - 620 mm. The initial speed of the bullet is 830 m / s. Muzzle energy of a bullet 4064 Joule. Quite often, the design of a rifle is compared with the design of a Kalashnikov assault rifle, however, despite the same main points, this weapon has its own characteristics.

First of all, it should be noted that the gas piston is not rigidly connected to the bolt carrier, which reduces the total weight of the moving parts of the weapon when firing. In addition, the barrel bore is locked by three lugs (one of which is a rammer) when the bolt is turned counterclockwise. The trigger mechanism of a hammer-type weapon is assembled in one housing.

The fuse of the weapon is controlled by a fairly large lever on the right side of the rifle. In the on position, the safety lock blocks the trigger, and also limits the movement of the bolt frame back, which provides protection from external contamination during transportation. The flash hider of the rifle also serves as a muzzle brake-recoil compensator, although it is difficult to give an example when this is not the case. The flame arrester has five slotted slots. The fore-end and butt of the weapon were previously made of wood, now they are made of plastic. An unadjustable cheek stop for the shooter is installed on the butt.

The Dragunov sniper rifle has both open sights and seat for various sighting devices. In addition to the optical sight, various night sights can be installed on the weapon, with such sight SVD turns into SVDN. In the event of a failure of the optical sight, the shooter can continue to perform his tasks with the help of open sights, which consist of an adjustable rear sight mounted in front of the receiver cover and a front sight in the front sight.

SVD has a high accuracy for this type of weapon. With a sniper cartridge, the SVD allows you to hit the following targets from the first shot:
head - 300 m
chest figure - 500 m
waist figure - 600 m
running figure - 800 m.

The PSO-1 sight is designed for shooting up to 1300 meters, however, at such a range you can only effectively shoot at a group target, or conduct harassing fire.

Let's try to briefly describe how the whole thing works. When fired, the powder gases push the bullet along the bore forward, reaching the hole in the barrel, to remove the powder gases, they enter the gas engine and push the piston back. Having dispersed the bolt frame, the piston stops. The frame, in the process of its movement back, turns the bolt, which unlocks the bore, removes and ejects the spent cartridge case. Actually, just like that, quite satisfactory performance of firing is achieved without any supernatural nuances.

Dragunov sniper rifle with folding stock (SVDS)

Armed Forces of Azerbaijan

Armed Forces of Armenia

Armed Forces of Bolivia

55 years ago, the 7.62-mm sniper rifle E.F. was adopted by the Soviet army. Dragunov - SVD. A high-precision self-loading rifle, standardly equipped with an optical sight and capable of confidently firing at considerable distances, had a positive effect on the capabilities of rifle units. And the mass production of this and full-scale deliveries affected the combat capability of the entire army as a whole. Despite their considerable age, the SVD do not even think about decommissioning. Moreover, the process of modernization of a very successful design continues, leading to the emergence of new samples.

At the time of its appearance, the SVD was the only self-loading rifle in the world with increased accuracy characteristics, originally equipped with an optical sight and intended for sniper shooting. In this regard, the SVD influenced not only the performance of the Soviet army, but also the development of small arms in foreign countries. Seeing the Soviet successes, they also began to develop their own line of specialized weapons for the so-called. infantry snipers.

Sniper with a rifle of the SVD family. Photo by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Meanwhile, the domestic arms industry continued to develop the existing design in order to improve the basic characteristics and obtain new capabilities. As a result, over half a century of work, several rifles were created at once, some of which should be considered a modification of the SVD, while others can claim the title of an independent model. Consider the ways of development of the basic design and the results of further design work.

OTs-03 / SVU

With all its positive features and advantages, the SVD rifle is quite large in size. The length of the product without a bayonet exceeds 1.2 m, which can make it difficult to transport. Such problems were especially pronounced in the airborne troops. In this regard, back in the seventies, a proposal appeared to create a special modification of the Dragunov rifle, which is distinguished by reduced dimensions and greater ease of transportation.

The gunsmiths of the Tula Central Design and Research Bureau of Sports and Hunting Weapons (TsKIB SOO) offered their own version of the shortened SVD. They determined that a significant reduction in size is possible only when using the bullpup layout. New project with the working designation OTs-03 provided for the restructuring of the SVD using this layout. The main tasks were successfully solved. When using a 520 mm barrel, the new rifle had a total length of only 900 mm.

A shortened rifle with automatic fire mode SVU-A. Photo Vitalykuzmin.net

However, at that time the project was not developed. He was remembered again only in 1990, when TsKIB SOO offered a shortened rifle to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Snipers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have to work in urban conditions, and in their case, the dimensions of the weapon are special meaning. The Ministry of Internal Affairs approved the proposal, and soon the OTs-03 was put into service under the designation SVU (“Shortened Sniper Rifle”). At the same time, the ministry demanded the creation of a modification of weapons with the possibility of automatic fire. So the product OTs-03A / SVU-A appeared. Later, a standard folding bipod was installed on the rifle: this modification is known as the SVU-AS.

Despite the radically changed appearance, inside the OTs-03 / SVU rifle almost completely corresponds to the basic SVD. A rifled barrel with a gas outlet, a gas engine, a butterfly valve, etc. have been preserved. Only the layout has changed. The control stick was moved under the modified handguard, which is why the store was behind it. The transfer of the handle forced the designers to provide for a rod that transmits the force from the trigger to the trigger mechanism of the existing design. The SVU-A rifle features a modified USM. With a short pull of the trigger, it shoots single shots, with a long one - bursts. There is a special lever that limits the course of the hook and actually performs the functions of a fire translator.

A curious innovation of the project was a special muzzle device that performs the functions of a muzzle brake and a flash hider. Also on back the receiver had to install a butt plate. SVU-AS is equipped with a bracket for mounting a standard folding bipod. To avoid stress on the barrel, the bracket is mounted on the receiver.

The total length of all products of the OTs-03 family is 900 mm. The mass of the SVU-A rifle with a scope and an empty magazine is 4.4 kg. The bracket and bipod increase the weight of the SVU-AS by 1.1 kg. Due to the reduction in barrel length, the aiming range has been reduced to 800 m. In terms of accuracy and accuracy, the IED is similar to the basic SVD. The technical rate of fire of rifles with burst firing mode is 650 rounds per minute. At the same time, the effectiveness of automatic fire is limited by the small capacity of the magazine.

The OTs-03 rifle was developed for the Airborne Forces, but the Ministry of the Interior became the starting customer. Such weapons were supplied to various special forces. From a certain time, products of the IED family have been supplied to various structures of the Federal Security Service.

SIDS

In 1991, the Izhmash plant, which carried out the serial production of SVD rifles, developed new version assault rifles. The design team headed by A.I. Nesterov did not apply fundamentally new solutions and managed with relatively simple modifications. The result of these works was called SVDS - "Folding SVD".

SVDS rifle. Photo Concern "Kalashnikov" / kalashnikov.com

The barrel length has been reduced from the original 620 to 565 mm. The basic slotted flame arrester, which was distinguished by its long length, was replaced with a small-sized system with sufficient characteristics. Also, the SVDS project provided for the rejection of a wooden or plastic butt of a skeletal structure. Instead, it was proposed to use a separate plastic pistol grip and a folding triangular butt. The latter was built on the basis of curved metal tubes, equipped with a recoil pad and a cheek. The new stock was folded by turning to the right and placed along the receiver.

The SVDS rifle in combat position has a length of 1135 mm. With the stock folded, the length is reduced to 875 mm. At the same time, the mass of weapons without a sight and cartridges increased from the original 3.9 kg to 4.5 kg. Reducing the length of the barrel and the use of a new muzzle device did not have a significant impact on the firing characteristics of the weapon.

The SVDS folding sniper rifle entered service in the early nineties and is still in production. The main customer of such weapons was the Russian army. There is information about the supply of rifles abroad.

SVDK

In the middle of the last decade, a new version of a serious revision of the original design appeared. As part of the “Cracker” theme, the Russian army initiated the development of a promising sniper rifle capable of hitting the enemy with effective means personal protection or under the protection of the armor of a combat vehicle. One of the main results of the "Cracker" program was the appearance of the SVDK rifle ("Large-caliber SVD").

Large-caliber rifle SVDK. Photo Vitalykuzmin.net

A further increase in performance when using the standard 7.62x54 mm R cartridge was considered impossible, and therefore they began to build a new rifle for 9.3x64 mm 7N33 ammunition. The latter was developed at the Central Research Institute Tochmash on the basis of the 9.3x64 mm Brenneke hunting cartridge. Such a cartridge is equipped with a bullet weighing 16.5 g; the SVDK rifle accelerates it to 770 m / s, which gives a muzzle energy of 4.9 kJ. At a distance of 100 m, penetration of 10 mm of armor is ensured.

As part of the SVDK project, the existing design of the rifle was finalized and strengthened. The barrel, bolt group and receiver had to be redesigned in accordance with the dimensions and energy performance of the new cartridge. At the same time, the main features of the design and principles of operation remained the same. To reduce the load on the main parts, a special casing was introduced into the design of the rifle, covering the rear of the barrel and the gas engine tube. It is completely located inside the plastic forearm and takes on the main load, freeing the barrel.

The SVDK project provides for the use of a folding stock based on the details of the SVDS product. The buttstock has been slightly modified taking into account the improvement in ergonomics and the growth of the main loads. It is possible to install a lightweight folding bipod. The rifle has its own sights, but the standard sight is the product 1P70 "Hyperion" with a variable magnification of 3-10x.

The length of a large-caliber sniper rifle is only 1250 mm with a 620 mm barrel. The product without a sight and bipod weighs 6.5 kg. The aiming range is determined at 600 m. In terms of accuracy at short and medium distances, the SVDK is comparable to other rifles of the SVD family.

According to known data, the SVDK rifle became the subject of several contracts for mass production. The first customer of such weapons was the Russian army. Later, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus showed interest in a large-caliber rifle. Serial rifles are used by various units, primarily for special purposes.

SVDM

The newest version of the development of the Dragunov rifle is the SVDM product, presented by the Kalashnikov concern several years ago. In this modification of the rifle, several developments from previous projects are combined, as well as completely new solutions and components have been introduced. Due to this, as stated, SVDM surpasses its predecessors in some characteristics.

General view of the SVDM rifle. Photo Concern "Kalashnikov" / kalashnikov.com

First of all, the new SVDM differs from the basic SVD in a barrel shortened to 550 mm, which has thicker walls. This refinement made it possible to improve the ergonomics of the weapon while maintaining or improving the technical and combat characteristics. The barrel is equipped with a compact muzzle device. Automation and trigger mechanism remained unchanged. At the same time, the receiver was slightly modified. Its cover received a long longitudinal Picatinny rail, allowing the use of various compatible sights. The standard sight of the SVDM rifle is the product 1P88-4. The rifle's own open sight features a simplified design.

The rifle is equipped with a folding metal butt, which is a modified version of the butt for SVDS. It is also possible to use butts of a different design. In front of the plastic forearm there is a node for mounting a folding bipod.

SDVM in the hands of the shooter. Photo Arms-expo.ru

The total length of the SVDM in combat position is 1155 mm, in the folded position - 875 mm. The mass of the weapon without cartridges and sight is 5.3 kg. Technical and combat characteristics, in general, do not change, although the weighted barrel made it possible to increase the accuracy of fire.

Many-sided SVD

It should be noted that the above was only about the main modifications of the sniper rifle E.F. Dragunov, developed in the interests of the domestic military and security forces. At the same time, we should not forget that there are other models of weapons for one purpose or another based on the good old SVD.

First of all, we should recall the domestic series of self-loading hunting carbines "Tiger", intended for the civilian market. In fact, this weapon is a slightly modified SVD, adapted to solve non-military tasks. It is curious that it was in this line that the modification of the Dragunov rifle chambered for 9.3x64 mm first appeared. Subsequently, the developments on the product "Tiger 9" were used to create the SVDK rifle for the army. The Tiger series clearly demonstrated the broad prospects of a successful design, originally developed for combat use.

In the late seventies, China began to produce its own version of the Dragunov rifle called Type 79. Subsequently, Chinese gunsmiths developed several own projects upgrading this weapon. To date, NORINCO has launched the NSG-85 civilian carbine on the market, which can be considered a direct analogue of the Russian Tiger.

SVD in the basic configuration. Photo Concern "Kalashnikov" / kalashnikov.com

Also, SVD rifles were produced in Iraq under the name Al Kadesiah, in Iran (Nakhjir 3) and in Poland (SWD). Needing to update the material part, these countries not only produced weapons in the basic configuration, but also carried out their own modernization.

Waiting for the future

Currently, the SVD sniper rifle is in service with almost four dozen armies around the world. More importantly, it still remains the main and most mass weapons of his class in the armed forces of Russia. Despite the known shortcomings and complaints, this product still meets the requirements and is able to solve the tasks. Thus, the current situation will persist for a long time, and SVD will not retire soon.

However, attempts are already being made in our country to create a fundamentally new rifle for infantry snipers, capable of replacing the existing SVD. Certain successes have been achieved, but full-fledged rearmament is still far away. Perhaps in the future, new samples will still take the place of the E.F. rifle. Dragunov, but this should not be expected anytime soon. Moreover, it can be assumed that by the time such weapons are abandoned in favor of newer models, domestic and foreign industries will be able to create new modifications that have certain advantages over their predecessors. And this, in turn, will continue the long life of the entire SVD family.

According to the websites:
https://kalashnikov.com/
http://modernfirearms.net/
http://arms-expo.ru/
http://guns.com/
http://kalashnikov.ru/
https://ria.ru/

The TrackingPoint company presented an ultra-precise small arms equipped with a computerized sight. With the M1400 rifle, even novice shooters will be able to hit targets over a kilometer more effectively than professional snipers with weapons equipped with classic optical sights.

The new model is a .338 Lapua Magnum magazine-fed, bolt-action sniper rifle.
According to technical description, using the M1400, the shooter can hit targets at a distance of 1400 yards (1280 m), moving at speeds up to 32 km / h.

At the same time, the probability of hitting a target from the first shot is 91% - an unattainable performance for other small arms with optical sights.

A family of hunting and sniper rifles under the general name "Precision Guided Firearms" (high-precision guided weapons) is being developed and sold in the USA private company tracking point. The concept of Tracking Point's weapons was based on the experience of its founder John McHale, who repeatedly and without much success tried to hit a fast-moving target located at a distance of about 300 meters large enough for hunting during an African hunt. As a result, in 2009, McHale developed the concept of a shooting complex designed to automate as much as possible and thereby simplify the process of preparing and firing a shot at a target located at a distance unknown to the shooter and moving at an unknown speed to the shooter. To implement this idea, the shooting complex must automatically be able to determine the range to the target, atmospheric conditions (temperature, air pressure), take into account the ballistic characteristics of the weapon and cartridge used. However, this approach, which has long been implemented in a number of computerized sighting systems, still does not exclude shooter errors caused, say, by hand trembling due to fatigue or stress, or by erroneous determination of corrections for target speed. Therefore, in its developments, TrackingPoint went further, using a number of ideas and technologies for automatic recognition and tracking of targets that have long been used in combat aviation.

The Tracking Point Precision Guided Firearm system consists of two basic components - a computerized sighting system and a specially modified rifle.

The sighting complex includes a television camera with an optical lens of variable magnification, a computing unit, an interface unit and a liquid crystal color display, which displays the image from the camera with information superimposed on it from the built-in computer. In addition, the sight includes a laser rangefinder, environmental sensors (temperature, pressure), weapon position sensors, a low-power laser "zero control" sensor (for automatic adjustment of the sight according to the position of the weapon barrel). The sighting system also contains a block of interfaces, including a wired interface for controlling the trigger mechanism of the rifle and a wireless Wi-Fi interface for two-way communication with external devices (tablet computer, smartphone, smart glasses, etc.). External devices can be used to duplicate and record the image from the sight, and also, in the future, to control the shooting complex or exchange data between several complexes and devices in a group.

this is how the image on the display of the Tracking Point rifle looks at the time of the shot

The computerized TrackingPoint sight mounted on the M1400 is equipped with a variable zoom range from 3x to 21x. In addition, it has sensors that take into account the shaking of the hands of the shooter, the direction and speed of the wind, air humidity, as well as a rangefinder and an electric trigger. The total length of the M1400 rifle is 114 cm, the barrel length is 56 cm. The sight is able to calculate all ballistic edits in 1 second, and the time from the moment the target is captured to its destruction is 2.5 seconds. The claimed accuracy of the rifle is 0.047 MOA (minutes of arc). The model is compatible with wireless ShotView goggles that transmit images from a computerized sight to hit targets from cover.

What is a TrackingPoint Computerized Sight

The M1400 is a precision weapon in TrackingPoint's line of military rifles designed for the U.S. military and other American power structures. This series also includes the M600 (smart M4) and M800 (smart replacement for the M110 sniper rifle). The M600, M800 and M1400 models are also sold on the civilian arms market.

"Smart" rifles for the American army

“The M1400, in combination with the M600 and M800, will provide the Army and Marine Corps with complete superiority on the battlefield. Extreme distances are no longer the exclusive preserve of skilled snipers. With a minimum level of training, any soldier can, with a high probability, hit targets at distances beyond the reach of skilled snipers with classic rifles,” said John McHale, CEO of TrackingPoint.

The manufacturer's declared cost of the M1400 is $16,995. For this money, the buyer will receive a sniper rifle with two sets of bipods, three replaceable batteries increased power(each provides 3.5 hours of continuous use), one five-round magazine and battery charger. TrackingPoint is currently accepting orders for the new rifle, with deliveries to customers starting September 1, 2016.

In general, the operation of the Tracking Point system in the main firing mode is as follows. When the sighting system is on, the shooter, observing the target on the display, aims the aiming marker at the desired point of impact and presses the “mark target” button located in front of the trigger guard. At this moment, the sighting system remembers the image of the target and the position of the desired point of impact on it, determines the range to the target and calculates the ballistic solution for the "rifle + cartridge" complex, taking into account the current conditions external environment. At the same time, the computer begins to track the position of the target and point of impact marker, updating the ballistic solution in real time, taking into account the movement of the target and weapon. When the trigger is pressed, the system switches to the shooting mode - the aiming mark in the form of an X-shaped crosshair, located on the display, taking into account the current ballistic solution, changes color, and then the shooter must combine the crosshairs of the sight (the calculated bullet hit point) with the target marker, also displayed by the computer. Exactly at the moment when the computer-calculated point of impact of the bullet coincides with the tracked target mark, the computer will give a signal to the trigger to fire a shot (provided that the shooter still holds the trigger pressed). Thus, it provides a very high efficiency firing at targets not only located at considerable distances, but also actively moving at significant speeds.

In particular, for rifles of .308 Winchester caliber, the possibility of hitting targets at ranges up to 800 meters at a speed of up to 24 km / h is declared, for rifles chambered for .338 Lapua, these characteristics reach 1200 meters and 40 km / h. When shooting with conventional weapons, such conditions require extremely high marksmanship skills and a fair amount of luck; using the Tracking Point system, such shots become available to medium-skilled shooters.

Currently, the Tracking Point system is only at the beginning of its development. It has a number of disadvantages, such as the very high cost of the complex (from 15 thousand dollars and more), binding to a specific type of ammunition for each rifle, a relatively short battery life, but all of them can be solved in the near future. For military use, this system will need to receive backup sights in case of failure of electronics or batteries, full-fledged secure wireless communication interfaces and the ability to work in electronic warfare, increased reliability and resistance to external conditions.

However, there is nothing impossible in this, and such complexes can have the most various applications not only on sniper rifles, but also on various automatic weapons. For example, such a complex, after improvement, can be used for aimed fire at several targets marked in advance in one series of shots. The shooter in this version, after marking the targets, will simply transfer the weapon from one target to another, keeping the trigger pressed, and the weapon itself will shoot only exactly at the selected targets, automatically stopping fire as soon as the next target has disappeared from the crosshairs, and automatically resuming firing after accurately aiming at the next target. And this is far from the only possible scenario for using TrackingPoint technologies in the near future.

Back in 2015, American cybersecurity experts found a way to intercept control of the sight of a Tracking Point homing rifle.

As you know, the Tracking Point sight allows you to mark the target using a special button and set various variables (air temperature, wind speed and cartridge weight). Then the shooter must press the trigger and align the aiming mark with the mark made. When aligned, the reticle will turn red and the rifle will fire automatically, according to Wired.

To intercept control of the sight, the experts took advantage of the fact that the rifle has a Wi-Fi module, which is designed to allow its owner to wirelessly transfer images from the sight to an iPad or iPhone.

When Wi-Fi is turned on, the network connection is protected by a standard password, if cracked, you can gain access to the rifle, and using vulnerabilities in installed software, you can, for example, make adjustments to the variables that determine which target will be hit.

The hackers were able to find out what these variables were after they dismantled one of the two rifles they had.

The experts removed special video, which demonstrated how accurately a rifle can be reconfigured. The reprogrammed weapon hit a bull's-eye on a target that was near the original target, and it was also shown how to completely cancel a shot or permanently disable a computerized sight.

At the same time, it is noted that the vulnerabilities do not allow the weapon to fire spontaneously.

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