Hey, I'm new to this web sight but not to precision shooting. I'm a writer for TACTICAL SHOOTER magazine and so have a chance to get a lot of inside info that I'd like to share. First off there is good news as there will soon be an honest to God 7.62x54R Match load available in the U.S. at decent prices. As most of you know the weak link in the SVD for an American shooter is crappy ammo. While it is no great feat to shoot a 3 inch group at 600 meters with a M24 or M700 PSS with Federal Gold Medal Match such is not the case with an SVD and ball. While I have found the Soviet 7N1 sniper load very accurate and have been told by the Chief Design Engineer at Izmash OJSC, Nikolai Bezborodov, that the new 7N14 offers increased accuracy it does the US shooter (like you and me) little good as these loads are for the most part unavailable. However I have been hen pecking Sellier&Bellot for a long time now and they have agreed to bring out a 7.62x54R Match load. It should be out this fall they say. I have done a couple write ups on their .308 Match and it shoots extremely well (how's a 5 shot 2 3/8" group at 600 yards?). While I don't have all the specs I have been told that it will be offered with Sierra's 175 grain Matchking HPBT. This should be just the ticket for long range accuracy and head and shoulders above the Russian 152 grain sniper load. Also SSI (the importers of Wolf ammo) are working at bringing in new 7.62x54R Extra Match ammo. This is actual Russian Match ammo that they compete with. This stuff shoots extremely well through my Mosin 91/30 sniper. So there is good news on the horizon. I know it's hard for people to find reliable and accurate information on these rifles and their ammunition so I have been putting articles together where I can. Look for a large two part article coming out in the July and August issues of TACTICAL SHOOTER on the development of the SVD and its field accuracy. I don't want to make this Post too long or boring but I have a lot of info on these matters as this is what I do for a living. I know how hard and frustrating it can be to find good info instead of the usual "the silver tipped bullets is for sniper use" crap that I'm sure the rest of you are sick of too. If I can be of service to anyone please feel free to ask for any info, it's nice to talk about Russian stuff instead of just the usual Remington M24, M40A1, SIG, etc. stuff that is the bread and butter of the modern sniper. The SVD is a facinating and unique rifle capable of surprisingly good accuracy when teamed with good ammo. I will be going to Izmash in the next couple months (if the plans don't fall through)and I will hopefully be able to bring back some info and photo's on their SV-98 sniper rifle. Also I will be doing an interview with a high official in the factory that produced the NDM-86 in the next couple of days. So far I can tell you that these were actual military contract rifles manufactured for a Turkish military contract that was cancelled. So if you've got one be happy, not only do they shoot well, they are the REAL THING. As far as handloads........boy you guys can talk alot about this simple subject. Some SVD's have a spring loaded firing pin, some don't. Kinda like Chinese AK's. Most of course don't. If it doesn't have a spring loaded firing pin, as a round is loaded into the chamber the firing pin can run forward and detonate the primer while the weapon is unlocked. Like how a open bolt sub-gun works. This happens because U.S. commercial primers are much more sensative than Mil spec primers. If you wish to reload for your SVD and it doesn't have a spring loaded firing pin simply use hard Mil spec primers. They are available, and check to make sure that they are fully seated. That's all there is to it. I have a friend who is a well known custom gunmaker, I"ll have to ask him about making up some spring loaded firing pins for SVD's. That would cure all your fears. "While concealed, I see and destroy"