PLA soldier with a Type 79 sniper rifle (Chinese Internet)
The Type 79 7.62mm sniper rifle is a Chinese copy of the Soviet Dragunov SVD. The weapon was developed by reverse-engineering of the SVD rifles captured during the 1979 Sino-Vietnam border conflict. The development of the Type 79 began in 1979 and became successful in 1981. Later the weapon entered the PLA service using the designation Type 85. There is no noticeable difference between Type 79 (prototype) and Type 85 (production variant). The weapon has been equipped by PLA, PAP and police departments as a standard squad fire support weapon.
The Type 79/85 is a semi-automatic, gas-operated, magazine-fed 7.62 mm rifle that is optimised for accuracy over long distance. The barrel breach is locked through a rotating bolt. The rifle has a manual, two-position gas regulator, and is fed from a slightly curved box magazine that holds 10 rounds double-stacked in a checker pattern. The rifle features a long barrel which ends with a slotted flash suppressor. The rifle uses a mechanically adjustable iron sight and a quick-detachable 4X magnification / 6° field of view optical sight that mounts to a proprietary side rail mount.
Chinese special police sniper team with the Type 79 rifle (Chinese Internet)
For precision shooting, specifically designed 7.62mm sniper cartridges are used on the original SVD rifle. However, the Type 79/85s in service with Chinese military and police forces can only fire the Type 53 7.62X54mm machine gun rounds, which has resulted in a decrease in its accuracy. The rifle is reliable and tolerant to the abuses of use in the field.
Accessories of the rifle include four spare magazines, a leather or nylon sling, magazine pouch, cleaning kit and an accessory/maintenance kit for the telescopic sight.
A PAP soldier sights in with a Type 79 (Chinese Internet)
PLA snipers with the Type 79 (Chinese Internet)
Specifications
Length: 1,220mm Weight: 3.8kg (without telescope); 4.4kg (with telescope) Bore Diameter: 7.62mm Maximum Effective Range: 800~1,000m Muzzle Velocity: 830m/s Rate of Fire: 30~40 rounds/min Magazine Capacity: 10 rounds Rounds: 7.62 X 54 mm Telescopic Sight: Optical, X4, 6° field of view
