Hunting Handbook

Do Dragunov SVD Rifles Make Good Deer Hunting Rifles?

I was thinking of getting a Dragunov SVD rifle for deer hunting, but i dont know if its a good caliber, if its accurate, if its safe, if its light enough, etc. i live in Wisconsin and its legal to have a semi-auto for hunting

Public Comments

1. well ya i live in iowa and the only rifle i can use is my muzzlelaoder but i do have a dragunov and i shoo target with it i would definitely reccomed it
2. It's an adequate caliber, better than 30-30, though not quite up to 308 ballistics (some claim it's better, but they haven't chronographed it). If you're only sitting in a stand all day, it should be OK. Like all semi-autos, it's a bit clunky and just plain unweildy for use still-hunting, but that may not apply to the kind of hunting you do.
3. The Dragunov and its clones are fairly massive guns. They are large, and they are heavy. Two things that most hunters prefer not to endure. If you are in love with the 7.62 x 54R cartridge, you can get a lovely Moisin-Nagant bolt action rifle for about $100 in fantastic shape. That cartridge, which was designed for Russian snipers, does not come in a wide variety of bullets. All of the affordable ammo is pointy full metal jacket, not usually considered ideal for a soft-bodied target like a deer. You can poke a .30 caliber hole straight thru 'em, and they'll run a couple of hundred yards before expiring. If it's the idea of a semi-auto you find appealing, there are plenty of offerings that are made to be hunting rifles. Browning has the Browning Automatic Rifle, chambered in just about any hunting caliber you can name. I'm partial to the .30-06 myself... there are so many different bullet and load choices available commercially that you can kill just about anything in North America with one.
4. Heres a more direct answer: Yes. The SVD comes in 7.62x51 and 7.62x54, but I know more about the x51 verison. Its accurate and safe, but it is not light. I've heald bigger guns before though, like barrets, m60's (semi auto, sadly) and other, large calier rifles and MGs.