Passing State Trial, Chukavin Ready To Replace Legendary Russian Sniper Dragunov SVD

JAKARTA - One of the symbols of the weaponry of the Soviet Union and then Russia, the Dragunov SVD sniper rifle, now has a successor, the Snaiperskaya Vintovka Chuvakin alias SVCh or simply Chukavin.

Passing state trials last October 5, Chukavin is in preparation to soon enter service in the Russian Army. Like SVD, Chukavin is also produced by the Kalashnikov consortium.

The more obsolete the SVD, although it continues to get updates, making the presence of SVCh necessary according to the manufacturer, as quoted by Sputnik News October 8th.

The only thing these two sniper rifles have in common is that their cartridges use the typical Soviet 7.62x51 mm size. There is also a version of the rifle that can fire standard NATO 7.62x51mm caliber rounds, but in this case the magazine is different. Meanwhile, the magazine is available in a capacity of 10, 15 or 20 bullets.

The new rifle is significantly shorter than its predecessor, 995-1015 mm compared to the SVD's 1155 mm, weighing only 4.2 kilograms versus the SVD's 5.3 kilograms. Kalasnikov said the Chukavin's effective range was 1,200 meters.

The barrel is manufactured using the so-called radial pressure method, which enables superior precision and quality to be achieved. In addition, all moving parts are positioned so that they are on the same line, reducing lateral movement that could affect the accuracy of your shooting.

Also, unlike the SVD, the SVCh is equipped with Picatinny rails, making it possible to use a wider variety of accessories and equipment. Equally important, the safety trigger is completely different: it is now operated by the thumb in a completely ergonomic way.

The entire design and development process for the new rifle is done digitally, as the Kalashnikov consortium demonstrates in one of its videos. Throughout this process, components with optimal characteristics are created and dynamically tested for any inconsistencies even before the rifle itself is manufactured.

The SVCh sniper rifle was first introduced at the 2017 Army forum, where Russian President Vladimir Putin fired several shots with it. Since then, the rifle has been tested by various branches of the Russian Armed Forces in the framework of the state homologation process, which it successfully passed.

"The Chukavin sniper rifle is being developed for the Russian Ministry of Defense under the Zhnets development program. There will be only one variant of the army weapon," a Kalashnikov spokesman said, citing TASS Aug. 24.