http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Romanian_PSL_7.62x54R_Rifle.html
What kind of accuracy do these achieve? My guess would be around 3moa, but no better than 2moa…that may be wishful thinking.
If you’re to believe everything on wikipedia:
“In the hands of a capable shooter and with quality ammunition such as 7N1 and 7N14 a PSL is capable of 1 Minute of arc.”
Ha, by quality ammunition, they must mean the rounds that have been sprinkled with fairy dust. :eek:
Here’s your crack smoker who must have ‘contributed’ to the wiki 
The price is tempting on the rifle. It’d make a great plinker.
Did you guys forget the differences between a marksman rifle and a sniper’s rifle?
Getting hit from a 6, hell even 10 MOA rifle, from 600 yards means you’re going to DIE if you don’t receive proper medical attention. Certainly, a typical male chest is wider than a foot, and thus is capable of being hit with most rifles out there with their natural accuracy at typical engagement ranges.
I don’t think you’d be screaming, “AAaaaaahhh, Oh my god, oowww! Damn it hurts, but I’m sure glad I didn’t get hit in the heart! Getting rib fragments tearing through my lungs is MUCH better! Thank goodness! OOOWWW…”
BTW, I was reading some thing long ago about Russian performance in Chechnya and among the information, there was a section on the SVD rifle and marksman. It stated that the squad marksman rarely ever engaged targets beyond 400m. Seems like any battle rifle is capable of putting accurate kill shots at these particular ranges with a good optic. Operating systems and mechanical tolerances simply don’t matter unless the rifle is expected to be used heavily beyond 600m or so.
Also, the Russians used 6x and 8x PSOP telescopic sights on the RPK-74’s and were known to drop Chechens from up to 600m-800m away! I don’t remember the ammo that was being used but I keep thinking it was 7N6.
My PSL was a 3 moa gun on a good day. I tried a variety of military surplus as well as some commercial 54r and was never rewarded with anything close to a moa grouping. I could live with this as I understood I was shooting an AK. What I didn’t care for was the pencil thin barrel quickly heating up and groups opening to 4-5 moa with lots of flyers. I lost interest in the rifle because of this and sold it. I read reports of these gun delivering stellar accuracy but that wasn’t my experience.
Was your PSL military surplus or the commercial version intended for export?
I believe the OP’s link is modified military surplus, unless the included optics weren’t part of the original ‘kit.’
A PSL is not a Dragunov, and is not a SVD Dragunov’s equal in accuracy.
As a DMR, with decent, purpose built ammo (7N1), you should expect about what you would out of a standard M14 or FAL using standard ball ammo.
These are basically stretched out AKM’s, with RPK squad auto type stamped receivers.
My gun was a military surplus gun. I bought it from AIM in either 1999 or 2000. At that time I believe all the PSL’s were Romanian military guns with the bayonet lugs ground off and the flash hider tac welded in place. Some even had the dreaded third hole in the receiver plugged and welded over.
Thank you (and Templar) for the info. I’m thinking about picking this up as a hobby rifle to supliment my Mosin-Nagant.
They’re a great rifle, acceptably accurate, and still the cheapest .30 cal semi-auto out there as far as the cost to feed it goes. Anyone in doubt, get one. You won’t regret it. Expect 2-3 moa. I can sometimes get 1 moa with good ammo and a solid attempt to shoot for accuracy.
It’s too much fun whacking steel plates 200 yards away as fast as I can pull the trigger though to really buckle down and shoot for accuracy:D
Where did you get all of these “facts” that you just stated?
Where did you get all of these “facts” that you just stated?
Ahh, the art of calling someone out. I feel right at home hear at m4carbine.net
So what are you asking for? The last two paragraphs with the Russian bit? Sorry, that info was from about 6 years ago. No way I can find the source today.
Oh by the way if it’s about the 10 moa thing, I meant 10 moa at 600 meters, not specifically 10 moa at 100 meters. I’d suspect that would be totally unsatisfactory for even a squad marksman rifle.
Maybe you were having a trouble with this bit…
Seems like any battle rifle is capable of putting accurate kill shots at these particular ranges with a good optic. Operating systems and mechanical tolerances simply don’t matter unless the rifle is expected to be used heavily beyond 600m or so.
How is this NOT fact? I thought this was common knowledge? Would not a well built battle rifle like the G3, or FAL, M14, AR10, and countless others accurately put rounds into a human chest at up to and around 500 meters, serving as a squad marksman rifle?
10 MOA at 600 meters = (roughly) 60 inches.
On the other hand
10 inches at 600 meters = (roughly) 1.66 MOA
3 MOA at 600 meters is closer to 18 inches.
Also, while a victim of a lung hit will not be happy and could die without medical attention, it is actually medically more surviveable than a central hit which takes out the heart, Aorta, Vena Cava, or spinal/central nerves. It does still make someone combat ineffective which is the goal.
A PSL is not an SVD or near equal. Part of the Battle rifle arguement is flawed because of tollerance stacking in the PSL. A 2-3 moa rifle using 2-3 moa ammo is not a great start. Heavy ball should not be used extensively in the PSL. A G3, FAL, M14 are all made to higher standards of accuracy, as is the ammo supply. Specialty Match ammo for these is made in a weight range that is still useable in the standard “line weapons”.
Some people need to figure out what Minute of Arc(MOA) means…then understand it.
In order to maintain a site that is an effective database of good information, it is best to post information that you have first hand knowledge of. If you are repeating information that you have been told or have read from another poster, it is best to disclose that in the opening of the post.
Some people need to figure out what Minute of Arc(MOA) means…then understand it.
let’s see, 1 moa is 1 inch at 100 yards. So this means that a 1 moa rifle would be putting rounds into a 6 inch diameter at 600 yards…right? That’s how I’ve always understood it. If it was a 2 moa rifle, then it would be a 12 inch group at 600 yards, and so on.
In order to maintain a site that is an effective database of good information, it is best to post information that you have first hand knowledge of. If you are repeating information that you have been told or have read from another poster, it is best to disclose that in the opening of the post.
I understand and should have disclosed that I have no first hand knowledge of the information shared. But none the less, the information repeated is quite factual. That is, there are battle rifles that have the aptitude to serve as a marksman rifle.
The above in bold runs counter to what you just posted. What you just posted is indeed the gist of it.
How does what I just quoted in bold, and what you just posted, coincide? “10 MOA” is independent of distance, and vice versa. Either you schooled yourself before reposting (kudos…but lets be honest about that if its the case) or you have a misunderstanding of MOA and what it represents.
That’s the problem. You saying its factual doesn’t make it so. My brother is a combat veteran Scout Sniper whose record is referenceable and pretty public. His evaluation of the PSL sas what other are saying - that it might be able hold a 2MOA group at 100 for a few shots and then the barrel starts to heat up. His take on it was “why not buy a DPMS 308 for roughly the same price that shoots subMOA?”