[PapaBear3625]

The U.S. Army soon will begin searching for a 7.62mm rifle to become its formal squad designated marksman rifle for combat platoons and squads.

The Soviet Dragonov rifle was used more as a "squad marksman" rifle, than as a real sniper rifle.

Rather than engage in a billion-dollar procurement cycle, just authorize purchase of an existing, off the shelf, semi-auto marksman's rifle. But that would not put $$$ into the pockets of people inside the Beltway, so that's unlikely to happen.

[archy]

The Soviet Dragonov rifle was used more as a "squad marksman" rifle, than as a real sniper rifle.

It was actually the other way around, the SVD, originally issued as a sniper rifle to the single trained platoon sniper, was found to be needed on a larger scale as the squads were outgunned by RPK light machineguns, PK and DShK heavies, and RPG-7s, RPG-7s, and RPG-7s. And Chinese copies of RPG-7s, the antitank weapons used to pick off the Soviet support weapons and leaders first. The Molot factory set to work, and by the late 1980s the squads were at least a little better off.

You might find the operations of conscript paratrooper, Muradov Nurmatdzhon Nimanovich at the Battle for Hill 3234 fought by the 39 men of the 9th company, 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment of the VDV to be instructive. Attacked by 250-300 dukhai they lost two men killed. But they had a very proficient sniper, later awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of the Red Star.

Comparisons with the Battle of Wanat in which 300-400 Al Queda and Taliban troops were repelled by 75 US and Afghan National Army troops at a remote outpost have been made, as have been comparisons with the Texians at the Alamo, and the Finns in 1940 at Kolla, at *Killer Hill.*