Introduced in 1964, the SVD was designed around the Soviet doctrine of the infantry sniper; as more and more infantrymen were equipped with submachine guns and assault rifles to meet the demands of close-quarters urban fighting, the loss in overall range was mitigated by issuing full-powered rifles to skilled marksmen permanently attached to infantry squads, who would engage threats outside the reach of the rest of the unit, in addition to thinning out targets of opportunity like officers, NCOs, radiomen, and the like. While NATO forces did not have a comparable unit through the Cold War, the Designated Marksman concept did come into its own during the War on Terror, with repurposed M14s, AR-10/AR-15 derivatives and similar rifles filling the niche. Hooded pin front and tangent rear sights, with the "arrow in triangle" arsenal mark over "1986" and the serial number on the underside of the receiver, with matching bolt carrier, bolt, hammer, safety lever, gas cylinder, receiver cover and trigger housing. Milled receiver, with integral scope rail on the left side. Smooth stock, with vented hand guard and a thumbhole buttstock, clamp-on cheekpiece and a cupped buttplate. Included with the rifle is a PSO-1 rifle scope with a rubber lens cap and eyepiece, sliding sunshield, and integral infra-red filter. Additionally, three extra magazines in a canvas pouch, a canvas field bag and scope cover, and a NSP-3 night vision scope in a metal transport case.

Very fine, with 70% of the original black finish, showing some mild wear and handling marks overall. The right side of the bolt carrier has been buffed/polished, particularly in the serial number area. The stock is good, with some scuffing and dents. The optics on the PSO scope are clear, though no batteries are included, and the illuminator and the NSP-3 are untested. Mechanically very good.