Sniper weapons are an integral part of any army, but some of their samples, such as the MS-74, remain forever under the cover of secrecy. In search of traces, "Visier" went east and is pleased to present the results to you.
How did the MS-74 rifle come about? This question was asked by "Visier". And you need to start from the late 1920s. Thanks to good relations with the Weimar Republic, the Soviet Union was able to quickly establish its own production of optical devices. This marked the beginning of the development of the first Soviet sniper rifle, created in 1927-28 on the basis of the Mosin-Nagant rifle arr. 1891 It was distinguished from the usual one only by the presence of an optical sight D III (Dynamo 3rd sample), a copy of the Zeiss product. At the end of the 20s, the first sniper rifles based on the modified Mosin-Nagant rifle with PT, VT or BE sights entered service with the Red Army. The rifle barrels were of a higher quality of workmanship, a walnut stock and a bolt handle bent down (so that the sight did not interfere with reloading the weapon). After the adoption of the automatic rifle Simonov AVS-36 and the semi-automatic Tokarev SVT-40, there were attempts to equip them with optical sights, but not very successful. Therefore, in 1942, the Izhevsk plant resumed production of the sniper rifle arr. 1891/30 years. All rifles were equipped with a PU sight (universal sight), originally created for the SVT-40.
disadvantages
The experience of the Second World War revealed some of the shortcomings of the sniper rifle arr. 1891/30, Its mass was about five kilograms, and the existing sight bracket made it possible to load cartridges only one at a time. The wartime savings forced the use of materials of inferior quality, and for use as snipers, it was necessary to select serial samples showing sufficient accuracy. As a result, the Izhevsk plant (at that time Plant number 74, now the Kalashnikov concern) began work on the modernization of the Mosin-Nagan sniper rifle in order to improve its accuracy, ergonomics and ease of loading. This work was carried out by a young 28-year-old designer Evgeny Fedorovich Dragunov (1920-91). The modernized rifle received the designation MS-74 (modernized sniper factory 74). Despite its similarity to the Mosin-Nagant rifle, it was a new weapon. From the original, it inherited the shutter, trigger and magazine. The barrel, stock and optics mount were completely redesigned by Dragunov.
Technical details
The rifle barrel has a tapered configuration. Dragunov's motto was: "The barrel of a precision weapon must be heavy!" In this case, its weight has increased in comparison with the original by 500 grams. Nevertheless, the total weight of the weapon was reduced due to the bracket and some other details. It is interesting that this shape of the barrel is still used on KO-90 / 30M hunting carbines produced by the Molot plant based on Mosin-Nagant rifles. The changes made by Dragunov to the trigger were minimal. He began to possess a "warning", his effort and stroke decreased slightly.
Optics
The big problem with sniper rifles was optics. The side bracket of the 1942 model, developed by the Tula designer D. M. Kochetov, weighed 600 grams and was too heavy. In addition, the position of the sight was too high. The mount developed by Dragunov was simpler, lighter and, if necessary, was removed from the rifle in just a couple of seconds.
In addition, it did not interfere with loading weapons from the clip. The sight was located much lower. The side mount of the optical sight looks unusual in our time, but then this method of installation was quite common. With a certain amount of training, you can get used to it.
In addition to the MS-74, the Dragunov bracket was used in some hunting versions of the Mosin-Nagant rifle. The MS-74 also has a mechanical sight, graduated up to 1000 meters. Structurally, it is similar to the rifle sights of the 1938/44 model.
Lodge
The MS-74 stock differs from the traditional stock of the Mosin-Nagant rifle in a higher quality workmanship and a pistol grip. Being a passionate sports shooter himself, Dragunov understood the advantages of the vertical position of the right hand when shooting: the ability to shorten the butt and more convenience for the shooter. Dragunov also developed a pencil case for weapons supplies, stored in a special socket of the butt. This later became the standard solution for all Russian weapons.
Dismantling the rifle is not difficult and is similar to that of the Mosin-Nagant rifle: first, the ramrod is removed, then the false ring, after which the receiver cover is removed with a forward-up movement, the receiver and magazine clamping screws are unscrewed.
Specifications:
Manufacturer - Plant No. 74.
Caliber - 7, 62x54.
Locking - sliding bolt.
Barrel length - 706 mm.
The barrel diameter at the muzzle is 17.7 mm.
The breech diameter is 30 mm.
Weight with bracket and telescopic sight - 4840 g.
The mass of the PU telescopic sight with a bracket is 400 g.
Bracket weight - 130 g.
The distance from the trigger to the middle of the back of the butt is 337 mm.
Store - internal for 5 rounds.
Sighting range - 1000 m.
Accuracy R100 - 4-5 cm.
Accuracy R50 - 1, 5-2 cm.
Optical sight - PU 3, 5x.
Mechanical sight - sector, graduation up to 1000 m.
The stock is wooden, with a pistol grip.
Outcome
The MS-74 sniper rifle was produced in a small series. The exact number of rifles collected is unknown. It is only known for certain that the rifle has successfully passed the tests and was recommended for adoption by the Soviet Army. She demonstrated an accuracy of shooting, 2, 5-3 times higher than that of the Mosin-Nagant rifle, as well as the accuracy of her only competitor, the S. G. Simonov. Subsequently, Dragunov developed on the basis of the Mosin-Nagant rifle a number of sports rifles, such as Spartak-49 (S-49), ZV-50, Bi-59 biathlon rifle, rifles for military-applied shooting AV, AVL and many others. And in the beginning there was MS-74.
