SVD Dragunov Tigr04 sniping rifle

WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY. . .

Dear Oleg! well im the man who got the last SVD that was used for display in your store, i am extremely happy with the rifle, it is putting five rounds into 2.5-3cm at 100 meters with Seller + Bellot 180gr FMJ's. Thanks for getting it over to Hollow Farm Shooting Grounds in Northern Ireland so quickly too! Anyway, best regards always, Mark K. / e-mail / 19.02.08

After struggling like mad to reload for the SVD over the past 12 months with numerous issues, I have changed my load for the SVD and tested it today and got some excellent results (also fixed that problem with the miss-fires!):
Case: Lapua 7.62x53R (as you know, the Finns round down, Russia round up), I have also used PPU / Prvi cases and they also seem to work well
Powder: 48.0g Vihtavouri N140
Primer: Magtech Lg. Rifle
Bullet head (important): Lapua Scenar 155.0gr, FMJ HPBT, .308"
Crimp: Yes - moderate-to-heavy crimp
Overall length (C.O.A.L): 3.00"

Something I have learned (at a lot of expense!):
AVOID Sierra (Palma Match) bullet heads - they do not crimp well as they are quite soft compared to Lapua. If you crimp Sierras, as there is no cannelure, the bullet head is deformed after a crimp (hourglassed), resulting in the bullet head being loose and it "turns" in the case (loss of consistent pressure and accuracy).
The other good thing with the Lapua Scenars is that they are longer than the Sierra's, so you can seat the bullet out a little closer to the rifling (some say this improves accuracy).

(IMPORTANT) BULLET HEADS DISLODGING:
The chambering of the 7.62x54R in the SVD is quite violent if you don't "help" the cocking slide and let it do it with its own inertia. THIS FORCES THE HEADS OUT OF NON-CRIMPED ROUNDS, RESULTING IN "SQUIB" SHOTS: No bang, no bullet head leaves the barrel...
For me, I had HUGE problems where the primer goes, but because the bullet head is not seated in the round (after it is dislodged during chambering), the power of the primer is enough to push the bullet head up the barrel about 5-7". You then have to adopt a miss-fire procedure, then "tap" the bullet head out with a rod towards the chamber end. Not nice! Waste of powder (N140 isn't cheap), bullet (HP) head is ruined and valuable shooting time is wasted.
WHY .308"?
PPU / Prvi heads are .310" 182.0gr on their factory ammo, which shoots ok in the Dragunov to be honest and is consistent, but it it is not as comfortable to shoot (see your posted article with Pete Moore testing the SVD with PPU). A .308" head seems more accurate and even at 48.0gr., the rifle is still nice to shoot, whereas the 182.0gr. factory rounds are quite meaty with a heavier recoil. Why murder your shoulder and stress the SVD?

LENGTH:
The above load works well. If you create a "dummy" round with no primer and charge initially, you will find that you can chamber the dummy round 3 times (or more) without helping the ckicking slide back, before the head begins to slip forward slightly. But we obviously need only one chambering when a shot is to be fired, so that is good, as the head does not come off as it did with the weaker Sierra heads.
Hope this helps yourself and others Oleg, obviously anyone using the above recipe does so at their own risk. Note that 48.0 gr. is a fairly high load (7N14 Russian ammo is 47.5gr.), the Lee loading guides says to NEVER EXCEED 48.7gr. of powder with the bullet head in use here. If unsure, its always best to start lower than 48.0gr. and work up the powder, always looking for pressure signs.

All the best...
James (also with thanks to K.Conde)