SVCh Sniper Rifle – The SVD Replacement

By Lynndon Schooler

SVCh Sniper Rifle. Photo by Lynndon Schooler.

SVCh, the new sniper rifle that will replace the famous SVD started its life as a commercial hunting carbine in 2016, designed by Andrei Chukavin. The hunting carbine was chambered in the .308 Win. (7.62×51 mm) caliber. The project was shown to the Russian Military in 2018; they showed interest in it as a military weapon. The experimental design program called “Reaper” was opened to create a weapon in the domestic 7.62×54 mm caliber. In the early stages, the rifle was a short barrel one, what we would colloquially call a battle rifle.

7.62×54 SVCh. Photo by Lynndon Schooler.

After gaining the Russian military’s interest, the Defense Ministry submitted its technical specifications, and work started on the sniper rifle, which received the GRAU index 6V14. The Chukavin Sniper Rifle (SVCh) primarily surpasses the SVD in ergonomics, its ability to mount modern optics to the upper receiver, and an appropriately located and attached

Source: The Firearm Blog