Modern "gun drama" of Russia
At present, the problem of choosing a modern sniper rifle with the specifics of the discussions that have arisen and the provocative statements begin to resemble the situation that took place in Russia in the middle of the XNUMXth century and was called the “gun drama”. Almost throughout the nineteenth century, the armies of many countries of Europe, America and partly Asia were actively rearming. Fast development armory industry, new design ideas all this led to the fact that some rifles, which were adopted and sent to the troops, were already outdated by the time they arrived. At the same time, a new rifle was urgently needed to rearm the army.
In the 19th century, muzzle-loading flint rifles were replaced by capsules, capsules were replaced by breech-loading, and they, in turn, were needle-like rifles with the prototype of a unitary cartridge. More or less, everything calmed down only by the 1890 years. In Russia, this arms race and leapfrog with interchangeable rifles received the unofficial name of “gun drama”. At the same time, spending on rearmament of Russia was enormous. To this day, accusations of embezzlement, short-sightedness, incompetence, adventurism, sabotage, etc., have been voiced on this occasion. Delivered naturally and "rotten autocracy."
But all this was long enough. Currently, the problem has narrowed somewhat. The modern Russian army needs a long-range sniper rifle for professionals. For those who can hit a target at a distance of 1 kilometer, hitting it from the first shot. According to professional shooters, at present, a trained shooter should hit an A800 format target from a distance of 4 meters with almost 100% probability. Missing the fault of a cartridge or weapon is not allowed.
With this approach, the army needs high-quality rifles manufactured in relatively small batches (not more than 10 000 units), which are manufactured on modern high-precision equipment. In addition, the army needs specialists who can be trusted with these rifles. We need masters who can effectively hit targets at long range. In addition, the equipment of any sniper involves the purchase of a set of special equipment: various sights, including thermal imaging, laser range finders, ballistic calculators, binoculars, etc. Often the purchase of this kit is more expensive than the cost of the rifle itself. At the same time, without all this equipment, a sniper cannot be an effective tool of modern warfare.
The solution to this problem in the modern Russian army was approached through the acquisition of a number of foreign sniper rifles and the creation of special units of snipers - individual sniper companies. Such units have not yet been either in the Soviet or in the Russian armed forces. To their final appearance, they will be brought to the 2016 year and will consist of professional contract servicemen who will be equipped with modern equipment and weapons. The creation of these units is carried out within the framework of the concept of improving the system of training and using snipers in the types and kinds of arms of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The implementation of this program will allow forming a corps of highly professional snipers in the Russian army.
Currently, a multilevel, phased system for the selection and subsequent training of snipers for their use in the sniper unit, as well as independently, is being created. All snipers will undergo special training in training centers with a frequency of once every 3-4 years. For these centers, special training programs have been developed that provide for the mastery of a diverse set of skills, knowledge and skills. Among other things, snipers teach how to adjust artillery fire, direct army targets Aviation, special attention will be given to counter-sniper training. These training centers are equipped with instructors who recently passed a special cycle of fire training in Solnechnogorsk.
Due to the large variety of tasks on the battlefield, armed with sniper mouths, it is supposed to have several types of sniper rifles with different combat properties. In addition, each sniper will be issued a personal weapon - a pistol. It is the question of equipping units with sniper rifles in recent years, more and more raised in the media and on the Internet.
For several years now, a strange campaign has been carried out in the media, which is aimed at discrediting the Dragunov sniper rifle, which has suddenly become outdated and does not meet the requirements of the times. Allegedly, the rifle does not provide the necessary accuracy of shooting at distances more than 400 meters, it has poor-quality assembly, poor barrels. Secondly, there are rifles abroad, which are much better and it is necessary to buy them. Thirdly, Russian enterprises are not able to ensure the development of a new sniper rifle and sights for it. However, recently the same information campaigns have been launched against various small arms, for example, the same Kalashnikov assault rifle or Makarov pistol. Of course, all these types of weapons have their drawbacks, but there are undeniable advantages that have been fully tested by time.
Naturally, since its creation, the SVD has not become younger, but today several of its updated versions have been developed, and the build quality has increased significantly. No wonder, in spite of all the hysteria in the media, this rifle remains in service with the Russian army and special forces snipers as well. Sniper companies use SVD and VSS rifles, which are also known as Vintorez.
SVD still has a place on the battlefield. This clearly demonstrates the combat experience of the expeditionary forces of the United States and Germany, which encountered in Iraq and Afghanistan that mobile groups are in dire need of soldiers armed with self-loading sniper rifles who are able to effectively hit targets at a distance of 500-700 meters. In the event that fire contact begins at this distance, the fire of small-caliber automatic weapons is not effective enough. That is why the Germans created and adopted the self-loading rifle G-28, and the Americans returned to service their old M-14 rifles, which were created back in the 1950s and after that were modernized.
That is why the pessimistic insolvency statements of the SVD can be regarded as more provocative than objective. Currently, snipers often work in pairs or even as part of small tactical groups. Therefore, the arming of the second number of the sniper calculation with a self-loading rifle is very well justified. At the same time, the first calculation number uses a much more long-range and accurate tool. Today, Russian special forces are most often used by domestic rifles such as the Tula MC-116, Izhevsk CB-98, as well as the British Accuracy International L96 and the Austrian Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 04. The latter are in service with the created separate units of snipers and are not present in the army in single copies.
All of these rifles have a manual reloading mechanism. The longitudinal sliding bolt is still the best to ensure accurate shooting. These rifles use 2 type cartridges - rifle .308 Win and more powerful .338 Lapua Magnum. And if the first could theoretically be patriotically replaced by a domestic patron (7,62х54R), then the full-fledged analogues to the second in Russia simply do not exist. At the same time, the fact that the Ministry of Defense is already rectifying this shortcoming, even if acquiring foreign weapons, is not so bad. Yes, in Russia they have created and are talking a lot about the ORSIS T-5000 rifle, but it is clear to everyone that she has been without a year for a week. At the same time, Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 04 has already proven itself in the market. It is possible that the time ORSIS T-5000, like some other modern domestic developments, just has not come yet. In this case, the purchase of Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 04 - this is not a reason, not to tear his hair and sprinkle ashes on his head. It is unlikely that anyone will argue with the fact that this rifle is very good for its role.
The Mannlicher sniper rifle model 04, which is produced by the world-famous Austrian company Steyr-Mannlicher AG, is intended for snipers who are faced with the task of hitting targets at distances that are out of reach for SVD. The Mannlicher rifles, which today are armed with some Russian units, have the same caliber as the SVD - 7,62 mm and use the same 10-charging magazine. This is where the similarity of the two rifles ends, since the Austrian rifle uses a more powerful cartridge, which allows it to provide a greater aiming and lethal range. While effective fire from SVD is limited to 800 meters, the Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 04 is able to effectively hit targets at a distance of more than a kilometer.
Yes, the longitudinally sliding bolt of this rifle requires constant manual reloading, but at the same time it provides better fire accuracy than SVD. Also among the undoubted advantages of the Austrian rifle is the build quality, a more advanced sight, having an 14 multiple approximation and a fundamentally different way of its attachment. The creators of this rifle provided for individual settings for use by its specific sniper, based on its anatomical features.
Despite the superiority of Mannlicher before the SVD, it is necessary to understand that these rifles have different goals on the battlefield and no one is going to write off the SVD from the service, especially its new modifications. At present, snipers are working on the possibility of using these rifles in combination to solve various combat missions.
Sources used:
www.odnako.org/blogs/show_17905/
www.warandpeace.ru/ru/news/view/64580/
www.army-news.ru/2012/03/snajper-eto-prizvanie/
In the 19th century, muzzle-loading flint rifles were replaced by capsules, capsules were replaced by breech-loading, and they, in turn, were needle-like rifles with the prototype of a unitary cartridge. More or less, everything calmed down only by the 1890 years. In Russia, this arms race and leapfrog with interchangeable rifles received the unofficial name of “gun drama”. At the same time, spending on rearmament of Russia was enormous. To this day, accusations of embezzlement, short-sightedness, incompetence, adventurism, sabotage, etc., have been voiced on this occasion. Delivered naturally and "rotten autocracy."
But all this was long enough. Currently, the problem has narrowed somewhat. The modern Russian army needs a long-range sniper rifle for professionals. For those who can hit a target at a distance of 1 kilometer, hitting it from the first shot. According to professional shooters, at present, a trained shooter should hit an A800 format target from a distance of 4 meters with almost 100% probability. Missing the fault of a cartridge or weapon is not allowed.
VSS "Vintorez"
With this approach, the army needs high-quality rifles manufactured in relatively small batches (not more than 10 000 units), which are manufactured on modern high-precision equipment. In addition, the army needs specialists who can be trusted with these rifles. We need masters who can effectively hit targets at long range. In addition, the equipment of any sniper involves the purchase of a set of special equipment: various sights, including thermal imaging, laser range finders, ballistic calculators, binoculars, etc. Often the purchase of this kit is more expensive than the cost of the rifle itself. At the same time, without all this equipment, a sniper cannot be an effective tool of modern warfare.
The solution to this problem in the modern Russian army was approached through the acquisition of a number of foreign sniper rifles and the creation of special units of snipers - individual sniper companies. Such units have not yet been either in the Soviet or in the Russian armed forces. To their final appearance, they will be brought to the 2016 year and will consist of professional contract servicemen who will be equipped with modern equipment and weapons. The creation of these units is carried out within the framework of the concept of improving the system of training and using snipers in the types and kinds of arms of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The implementation of this program will allow forming a corps of highly professional snipers in the Russian army.
Currently, a multilevel, phased system for the selection and subsequent training of snipers for their use in the sniper unit, as well as independently, is being created. All snipers will undergo special training in training centers with a frequency of once every 3-4 years. For these centers, special training programs have been developed that provide for the mastery of a diverse set of skills, knowledge and skills. Among other things, snipers teach how to adjust artillery fire, direct army targets Aviation, special attention will be given to counter-sniper training. These training centers are equipped with instructors who recently passed a special cycle of fire training in Solnechnogorsk.
Due to the large variety of tasks on the battlefield, armed with sniper mouths, it is supposed to have several types of sniper rifles with different combat properties. In addition, each sniper will be issued a personal weapon - a pistol. It is the question of equipping units with sniper rifles in recent years, more and more raised in the media and on the Internet.
SVDSM
For several years now, a strange campaign has been carried out in the media, which is aimed at discrediting the Dragunov sniper rifle, which has suddenly become outdated and does not meet the requirements of the times. Allegedly, the rifle does not provide the necessary accuracy of shooting at distances more than 400 meters, it has poor-quality assembly, poor barrels. Secondly, there are rifles abroad, which are much better and it is necessary to buy them. Thirdly, Russian enterprises are not able to ensure the development of a new sniper rifle and sights for it. However, recently the same information campaigns have been launched against various small arms, for example, the same Kalashnikov assault rifle or Makarov pistol. Of course, all these types of weapons have their drawbacks, but there are undeniable advantages that have been fully tested by time.
Naturally, since its creation, the SVD has not become younger, but today several of its updated versions have been developed, and the build quality has increased significantly. No wonder, in spite of all the hysteria in the media, this rifle remains in service with the Russian army and special forces snipers as well. Sniper companies use SVD and VSS rifles, which are also known as Vintorez.
SVD still has a place on the battlefield. This clearly demonstrates the combat experience of the expeditionary forces of the United States and Germany, which encountered in Iraq and Afghanistan that mobile groups are in dire need of soldiers armed with self-loading sniper rifles who are able to effectively hit targets at a distance of 500-700 meters. In the event that fire contact begins at this distance, the fire of small-caliber automatic weapons is not effective enough. That is why the Germans created and adopted the self-loading rifle G-28, and the Americans returned to service their old M-14 rifles, which were created back in the 1950s and after that were modernized.
That is why the pessimistic insolvency statements of the SVD can be regarded as more provocative than objective. Currently, snipers often work in pairs or even as part of small tactical groups. Therefore, the arming of the second number of the sniper calculation with a self-loading rifle is very well justified. At the same time, the first calculation number uses a much more long-range and accurate tool. Today, Russian special forces are most often used by domestic rifles such as the Tula MC-116, Izhevsk CB-98, as well as the British Accuracy International L96 and the Austrian Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 04. The latter are in service with the created separate units of snipers and are not present in the army in single copies.
Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 04
All of these rifles have a manual reloading mechanism. The longitudinal sliding bolt is still the best to ensure accurate shooting. These rifles use 2 type cartridges - rifle .308 Win and more powerful .338 Lapua Magnum. And if the first could theoretically be patriotically replaced by a domestic patron (7,62х54R), then the full-fledged analogues to the second in Russia simply do not exist. At the same time, the fact that the Ministry of Defense is already rectifying this shortcoming, even if acquiring foreign weapons, is not so bad. Yes, in Russia they have created and are talking a lot about the ORSIS T-5000 rifle, but it is clear to everyone that she has been without a year for a week. At the same time, Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 04 has already proven itself in the market. It is possible that the time ORSIS T-5000, like some other modern domestic developments, just has not come yet. In this case, the purchase of Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 04 - this is not a reason, not to tear his hair and sprinkle ashes on his head. It is unlikely that anyone will argue with the fact that this rifle is very good for its role.
The Mannlicher sniper rifle model 04, which is produced by the world-famous Austrian company Steyr-Mannlicher AG, is intended for snipers who are faced with the task of hitting targets at distances that are out of reach for SVD. The Mannlicher rifles, which today are armed with some Russian units, have the same caliber as the SVD - 7,62 mm and use the same 10-charging magazine. This is where the similarity of the two rifles ends, since the Austrian rifle uses a more powerful cartridge, which allows it to provide a greater aiming and lethal range. While effective fire from SVD is limited to 800 meters, the Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 04 is able to effectively hit targets at a distance of more than a kilometer.
Yes, the longitudinally sliding bolt of this rifle requires constant manual reloading, but at the same time it provides better fire accuracy than SVD. Also among the undoubted advantages of the Austrian rifle is the build quality, a more advanced sight, having an 14 multiple approximation and a fundamentally different way of its attachment. The creators of this rifle provided for individual settings for use by its specific sniper, based on its anatomical features.
Despite the superiority of Mannlicher before the SVD, it is necessary to understand that these rifles have different goals on the battlefield and no one is going to write off the SVD from the service, especially its new modifications. At present, snipers are working on the possibility of using these rifles in combination to solve various combat missions.
Sources used:
www.odnako.org/blogs/show_17905/
www.warandpeace.ru/ru/news/view/64580/
www.army-news.ru/2012/03/snajper-eto-prizvanie/
Information