Insurgent Sniping In Iraq

[ericire12]

Interesting read:

http://www.gunsandammomag.com/cs/Satellite/IMO_GA/Story_C/Insurgent+Sniping+In+Iraq?packedargs=pagenum%3D1

[Badgersmilk]

An SVD is one thing.  But using a PSL for sniper duty???  Bone heads.

[fightingquaker13]

Let me highly reccomend a movie, called The Battle of Algiers. A french movie made in the early sixties. Not a great flick in terms of acting and a typical anti-war piece. BUT, about the most realistic depiction of urban guerilla war ever made, documentaries included. There was one scene, where two French gendarmes passed by a market. A revolotionary pulls a pistol from his waist band, shoots one in the back, takes two steps, drops it under a vegetable sellers cart, and calmy walks away. The rest of the crowd saw nothing. The article is correct, take one key shot, fade from the scene, and come back to do the same thing tomorow.
FQ13

[tombogan03884]

An SVD is one thing.  But using a PSL for sniper duty???  Bone heads.

The PSL was DESIGNED for sniping.
2 good books on Soviet snipers, Enemy at the Gates, and War of the Rats both deal with the same incident during the siege of Stalingrad, the duel between Zaitsev and Koenig that ended with Col. Koenigs death, Vasili Zaitsev survived the war.
The Soviets did a post war study of sniping, (all Soviet snipers were required to maintain a record book of their shots)
The results of the study found that even when fighting on the Steppes nearly all shots were made at less than 600 meters, and the 2 most important factors for the snipers rifle was the ability to make fast follow up shots, and absolute reliability, these were found to be more important than extreme accuracy as in most cases a severe wound is as effective if not more so than an instantly fatal shot.

[PegLeg45]

The PSL was DESIGNED for sniping.
2 good books on Soviet snipers, Enemy at the Gates, and War of the Rats both deal with the same indecent during the siege of Stalingrad, the duel between Zaitsev and Koenig that ended with Col. Koenigs death, Vasili Zaitsev survived the war.
The Soviets did a post war study of sniping, (all Soviet snipers were required to maintain a record book of their shots)
The results of the study found that even when fighting on the Steppes nearly all shots were made at less than 600 meters, and the 2 most important factors for the snipers rifle was the ability to make fast follow up shots, and absolute reliability, these were found to be more important than extreme accuracy as in most cases a severe wound is as effective if not more so than an instantly fatal shot.

Thanks, now I have yet another book on my to-read list.

[Sponsor]

[fightingquaker13]

Agreed on the "to read" list. Tom, and the Soviets (sounds like great name for a band ), are correct here though. In urban, or suburban, combat (about all thats available here in So. Fl. (sigh) a 200 meter shot is going to be pushing it. Going bang all the time, 4" at two hundred yards, and a quick follow up are going to be key. That's why I was going to go AK until I got an offer I couldn't refuse on an AR. I'm still going to scope it, but irons and an issue semi would do just fine in these parts.
FQ13

[Badgersmilk]

The SVD is a great gun!  The Romanian PSL is a POS!  See the extra metal around the back of the receiver?  Added because the receivers are so weak they were twisting and cracking from the stress of the round.  Their made cheap = accuracy for crap.

Enemy at the Gates...  AWSUME MOVIE!!!  Have it in my collection.  Watched it many times.  You wont find a bigger Mosin Nagant / 7.62 X 54 fan than me!  Great stuff!  And the Mauser's are great in their own right too (used in movie as well).  Still, the Romanian PSL is a POS.  Not hard to find all the bad information on them you could ever want to read.  And it all due to crap quality / materials / assembly.  I'd KILL for an SVD (not so much for an STD  ), but for the same money the camels spent on crap PSL's they could have gotten a dozen Mosin Nagants.  At least they wont give your position away by throwing brass around, blow up in your face, jam, just plane fall apart in pieces.

[tombogan03884]

The SVD is a great gun!  The Romanian PSL is a POS!  See the extra metal around the back of the receiver?  Added because the receivers are so weak they were twisting and cracking from the stress of the round.  Their made cheap = accuracy for crap.

Enemy at the Gates...  AWSUME MOVIE!!!  Have it in my collection.  Watched it many times.  You wont find a bigger Mosin Nagant / 7.62 X 54 fan than me!  Great stuff!  And the Mauser's are great in their own right too.  Still, the Romanian PSL is a POS.  Not hard to find all the bad information on them you could ever want to read.  And it all due to crap quality / materials / assembly.  I'd KILL for an SVD (not so much for an STD  ), but for the same money the camels spent on crap PSL's they could have gotten a dozen Mosin Nagants.  At least they wont give your position away by throwing brass around, blow up in your face, jam, just plane fall apart in pieces.

Don't tell me you the the SVD is some kind of Ultra accurate rifle ?

[ericire12]

The PSL was DESIGNED for sniping.
2 good books on Soviet snipers, Enemy at the Gates, and War of the Rats both deal with the same incident during the siege of Stalingrad, the duel between Zaitsev and Koenig that ended with Col. Koenigs death, Vasili Zaitsev survived the war.
The Soviets did a post war study of sniping, (all Soviet snipers were required to maintain a record book of their shots)
The results of the study found that even when fighting on the Steppes nearly all shots were made at less than 600 meters, and the 2 most important factors for the snipers rifle was the ability to make fast follow up shots, and absolute reliability, these were found to be more important than extreme accuracy as in most cases a severe wound is as effective if not more so than an instantly fatal shot.

Consider the source, Tom

[Badgersmilk]

I think it does amazingly well considering its using a combat rifle semi-auto action!  That kind of power in the ubber reliable AK action?  LOVE IT!  Wish like heck I had 3K+ to drop on a good one.