#Chassis

The Dragunov Sniping Rifle System, Year of 1963, or SVD or “Dragunov” for short, has since the early 1960s (like its name implies) been one of the premier squad designated marksman weapons in the world. The longest-serving purpose-designed squad marksman rifle in the world, the SVD is chambered for the powerful and plentiful 7.62x54mmR cartridge (itself a record-setter, as it is the military service cartridge that has served its parent country the longest, of all time) and feeds from a 10-shot detachable box magazine. Given its age, the rifle could perhaps use some updating to modern standards, which is where Val of Czech company  Sureshot Armament Group comes in, with his KeyMod-compatible chassis design for the venerable Dragunov, pictures of which are embedded below:

I must confess an affinity for Tikka and Sako rifles for hunting.  I’ve hunted with a Tikka T3 in .300wm in Alaska, and it performed superbly.  Most of my hunting here in the lower 48, however, takes place in a high-alpine environment, where the hikes are steep, and usually my hike in is 4 or more miles.  My goal was to have a rifle that is accurate, lightweight, rugged, and adjustable.  I purchased a Tikka T3 Lite with this goal in mind a few years ago, but the stock left a little to be desired.  I wanted to be able to achieve a perfect cheek weld for consistent accuracy, as well as situations where I might be spending a long time looking through the scope waiting for a good shot to present itself.  I also wanted to test the T3 Lite out as a host for a chassis system.  I had been interested in retrofitting one of my rifles into a chassis for some time, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to try one out.