[BWilhelm]

It is safe to shoot any bullet up to 203 grains through your SVD!

The myth that you can't shoot heavy ball through the Dragunov comes from the Romanian PSL that wasn't designed for heavy ball, and has had cracked rear trunion issues as a result. The Dragunov system is completely different from the (simply enlarged) AK system the PSL uses however and handles the recoil forces in a completely different way. The recoil forces are steered directly into the milled receiver of the Dragunov, so it can handle heavy bullets very well.

It is even stated on the Izhmash website that up to 13.2 gram (203 grain) bullets can be shot through it: http://www.izhmash.ru/eng/product/tigr.shtml

This post explains it very well: http://nzshooting.blogspot.nl/2013/05/shooting-heavy-bullets-through-dragunov.html

Don't be afraid to shoot heavy bullets and enjoy it.

That pretty much covers it. For years, I've been shooting whatever is available through mine regardless of weight. Some is less accurate than others but it all shoots. You have to remember, its made to be USED, not babied.

 

[BWilhelm]

One has a milled receiver. The other has a milled block riveted into the back of a sheet metal receiver. Guess which one can better withstand a bolt repeatedly slamming to the rear.