Having owned a Romak, the Romanian PSL, I agree they are not Dragunovs. However, they are equally as accurate, especially once the trigger is smoothed out. Yet, the PSL or SVD (or the Yugo version of the PSL or the Chinese SVD, which will still run $2,000) are all the same rifle in as much as doctrine is considered. They are all DMR's. The SVD was not developed with the idea of the lone sniper or the spotter/sniper combo. It was a rifle designed to give fire support, and if things got messy, could be used as a main battle rifle. There's a reason why they ALL had provisions to mount a bayonet, a silly attachment for a true sniper's rifle.
In real world tests, though, all the rifles end up about equally accurate with match-grade ammo. The Russian SVD is enormously expensive and not worth 1/4 what they cost as a rifle. You can get an M1A for 1/4 that will out-shoot an SVD all day long. You can get a Savage 110 for 1/10 that will shoot even better. The true SVD's (plus the NDM's) are collectors' pieces that command high prices because of rarity, not performance. A good FAL will do as well.
But, the PSL (Romak) is a genuine tactical sniper's rifle, designated marksman rifle, what ever. It was designed, manufactured, and is currently employed in that regard. It is not much different from the highy regarded Yugoslav M76 (which commands equally high prices as the NDM's). Ultimately, they are a great choice to fill that niche of Comblock DMR rifle without having to pay the insane prices of a Russian, Chinese, or Yugoslav versions. Optics, by the way, are universal with these rifles.
Ash
