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SVD (Dragunov, Dragunoff)

11323 Views 22 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  Scopes
Excuse the topic, just throwing those keywords in there for later.

Here's a bit of a dilema. I can get my grubby paws on a Soviet/Russian-made, prestine condition SVD. I do not believe I'll have much of an issue with getting it into the US. (I could be wrong, too). However, because of the stock, more particularly, the pistol grip, in combination with the semi-auto nature of the weapon, California says this is an assault rifle, and something tells me they'd not be wild about my trying to get it into the state.

The question I have is this - is there anything I can do? Like hand the rifle over (or have directly delivered) to a gunsmith who will replace the stock with something which will make the weapon comply with the Anti-Assault rifle legislation? Or am I SOL?
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You might get away with it if you have a non pistol grip stock. But your gonna have alot of work to do. By physical description....the SVD...PSG1.... even a Barret m82 are all listed as assualt weapons and are banned from CA. You will probably be out of luck because the ban is very spesific to all Ar-15 and Ak similar weapons and the SVD falls under that. Good luck but I don't see it happening.
How much are you getting it for? I have always wanted one :lol:
clkgtr37 said:
How much are you getting it for? I have always wanted one :lol:
Hehe. First, I have to figure out how to get it here (legally). If I can, I get to figure out how much it'd cost me. I do not have a supply chain established yet (no need to yank anyone's chain if I cannot get the weapon in here).
I live in Texas and don't have to worry about gun laws as much, as I am not too updated on local California laws.

Is it illegal to buy and or own the rifle. If it is a matter of ownership, have it sent to a FFL gunsmith out of state and let him replace the stock. And then ship it to you.

Frankly, I wouldn't think the "bad people" in cali who use the automatics would care about gun laws in the first place. But hey, thats politics for you.
My guess is that it will easily fall into the "Assault Rifle" category, and then you would definitely be SOL. Also, I have a question for you: now, I do not live in California but I was once told that in the state of California, along with these purported assault weapons, rifles considered to be "sniper weapons" are banned from civilian ownership. The SVD is a most obvious target for those trying to get rid of these "sniper rifles"- pistol grip stock, semi-auto capability, flash hider, hi-cap magazines that hang below the reciever- a politicians nightmare!. So, do you know if this is true, are sniper weapons also on the Cali ban list? Because that will present a few more problems.

Jake
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Jake S:

Yes...any sniper rifle with those features is listed as an assualt rifle....semi auto....pistol grip....magazine compatable.

So in cali the SVD...PSG1....SR-25...M82....all are listed as assualt rifles.
Welp... Moral: I need to move. Or join the military. Dunno. I need to figure out what are all the things that make the weapon an assault rifle and if I can get those changed. We'll see.
As I see it, to make the 7.62x54R SVD a Cali-legal rifle, you would have to turn it in to a... Mosin Nagant M91-30. This would get rid of the hi-cap detachable mag, semi-auto action, pistol grip, flash hider and bayonet lug. All you would retain is the Russian lineage and caliber. Sorry :( ...
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Yeah get ready for some reading http://caag.state.ca.us/firearms/awguide/index.html chances are you might be in luck cause I didn't see a SVD listed.....so you might get away with changing stuff on it.

Try contacting them by phone or mail.....they can be real helpful.
FLEA YOU ARE MY SAVIOR!!!! i really needed a list of banned weapons
thanx
i read over the list of illegal guns and im amazed that CA firearms laws are so ridiculously explicit that its impossible to own almost any gun! also the SVD dosnt appear to be on there, so chances are that its legal.
Looks like I still have a chance. More reading for me for now. I guess I should be ready to make a call and as soon as they say "Not yet", start the process. hehe.
FLEA i have a question for you. in CA are some calibers concidered illegal? i want to know if later on in life..(only 15 :oops: ) what cal.s are open to me... appriciated
MAX
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There was recently a ban on the table for 50 Bmg's but it was not passed due to some great help from some residents...police...and gun companies. (Barrett). Ill find a web site to keep you posted on bans that are put on the table. Currently there are no banned calibers that I know of.....of cource incidenary rounds are illegal and so are certain armor peicing bullets. (cop killers).
SVD

SVD is a great rifle I give it that but it is still a very primitive weapon by todays standards, so I wouldn't go through the trouble to get it in CA but if you want it badly go for it. Me I would prefer a PSG-1 or an SSG.
Living in a small hicass town I have lots of time to do things. I have done some looking into of the SVD, and I found that it isn't on the list in your state yet your state has requirements about some of your features. I also found that because SVD's were begun manufacturing around or before the 1970's they are becoming harder to find so I would buy it and edit the weapon for CA use or storage.
Max338 said:
CA firearms laws are so ridiculously explicit that its impossible to own almost any gun!

You are right on that but what i want to know how is CA different from a NY they both have big cities about the same size.
Sorry you are sol for CA, the fix is simple MOVE TO ANOTHER STATE, like AZ,TX,MI. Just find one you like and move. 8)
shooting really wont be a reason to move as i love it here in CA and all my firends/family are here
ulairi:

well man, short of moving to one of the last free states (AZ, TX, etc.). Id ask why are you doing all this work for a SVD? By the time your done researching all this and getting it into the country, you could have bought a SR-25. Just a thought, maybe it's just me, but I think the Stoner is a much better rifle. Good luck in your search, and I hope you find what your looking for.

"Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty." -Army rangers
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