Is the Romanian PSL worth the price?

[T-90]

I checked out a Romanian PSL rifle today, I have to say it was very nice. Fit and finish were very good, felt good in the hands. But it was $2200 dollars. I was thinking a PTR-91 is about 1K as is a Winchester M70. The only thing I would say the PSL has is lots of affordable ammo and would not have any issues with steel case. Any experience, thoughts or comments about the PSL?

[DubC-Hicks]

It was a screaming deal when Classic Firearms used to run them around $500-600. A good value when they bumped to $1k. No way I'd pay $1600+ for a 3-4moa rifle that can't shoot the heavy (meaning heavier than 150gr) 7.62x54r without battering itself to death.

[Erno86]

Is it supplied with the Russian, 4x rangefinder scope? The scope does not have a reticle focus, and is not parallax adjustable. The scope is slightly offset to the left...so a good cheek weld is not favorable for a right handed shooter, unless he uses his left eye.

I own one...and it's a beast. It cost me a grand. Another shooter at our range...put a different Russian scope on his PSL...and he spent another grand to a gunsmith, just to get it sighted in.

It has a lot of history behind it...and the Kurds still use it on the battlefield.

I like the PSL...though you'll see that the pencil thin barrel will heat up easily; causing groups to climb after the third shot from a hot barrel.

The scope turrets are way too easy to move...though you can still see if your sighted-in with the scope, by using the iron leaf sights under the scope.

[Road_Clam]

Like any gun that gains "no longer imported" status you will now pay a very high premium. I was interested in a PSL back when they were selling from Atlantic for about $1200 including the optic. I passed based upon echoing Erno86's spot on comments. I shoot 600 yds weekly and the PSL while accurate has too many shortcomings for a sequential rate of fire target rifle. No regrets , I have a sweet, nostalgic Mosin 91/30 that keeps me X54R smiling !

[Erno86]

Mark...from James River Armory...has his Romanian PSL-54R builds on sale, for $1,499 --- "Scope optional"

[FrankenMauser]

Is the Romanian PSL worth the price?

No.

But they won't be getting any cheaper, either.
So, if you want one, you have to pay to play.

[Swifty Morgan]

I have a PSL. Came with a USED Russian scope with dead tritium.

If you have lots of money and like crazy guns, you'll enjoy it. If you want a good gun at a reasonable price, I would buy something else.

There was a time when you could get Russian ammo which said "sniper" on the packaging in Cyrillic characters, cheap. Not any more. Now you have to pay for good stuff.

The PSL has crazy trigger slap. After you've shot a hundred rounds, you'll wonder why your finger is numb. You can buy an aftermarket trigger to fix it.

I think something like an AR10 would do the job better. I don't know much about high-powered semiauto rifles, though. I have an AR10, and it shoots silhouettes at 1000 yards just fine. I put an $80 LaRue trigger in it.

I think the PSL would be okay for $600, as a novelty. If you actually want a gun you can use, with lots of support and good ammo selection, it seems like a really bad choice.

There is no way I would buy it again if I had the choice.

[ballisticxlr]

No. It's not known to be a particularly accurate rifle in the first place. It's a nifty looking toy for guys that like to collect comedic combloc attempts to build highly capable arms.

[Erno86]

The PSL-54R is a Russian Dragunov sniper rifle clone --- So instead of paying big bucks for a Dragunov...you can settle with a PSL.

One negative about the PSL: Most...if not all PSL's have a 90 degree spent shell casing ejection. So it is advisable to use some kind of a spent shell catch net or some kind of angle deviation block, near the ejection port at the range (with people around). My PSL ejects spent shell casings at it's apex height of about 8 feet, and a distance of approximately 15 feet.

[kozak6]

If you are obsessed with screwball "commie" guns and can't afford a Drag, it's not going to get any cheaper. If you run across a deal and put some dress up clothes on a Saiga or Vepr, it might be better, but not cheaper.

If you want a shooter, a couple grand buys a lot of gun these days and you should look elsewhere.

These days, 7.62x54r is about neck and neck pricewise with .308, although a PSL would run better than most with steel case if you don't mind the accuracy.

[veprdude]

I have a few. For the performance, I'd say it's not worth $300 more than the going rate of a typical Romanian AK-47. For collectors, it's an odd gun that shoots the used-to-be-cheap x54R and they are no longer imported or imported in very small numbers.

I think I got about 2 MOA using 80's Russian ball. Not great not terrible. I don't take them out anymore because I can't justify running corrosive ammo through a $1600-2000 gun. I also can't justify 308 prices for non-corrosive steel ammo that is less accurate.

The collector value may be there but I just don't see it as a SHTF rifle unless that's the only big caliber thing you've got.

[bamaranger]

Calling the PSL a "Dragunov clone" really isn't correct. The rifles look somewhat alike , fire the same cartridge (magazines will not interchange) and many use the same optic. But mechanically, the rifles are different.

The SVD gas system is short stroke, similar to that used on the US M14 rifle
( and maybe the M1 carbine?). It is designed to be a smoother system to enhance accuracy. The PSL system is basically the same as used in the AK..long stroke. In fact the PSL might best be described as an AK on steroids, or a poorboy SVD. The PSL trigger is like the AK and parts will interchange. I have never examined an SVD trigger (or SEEN an SVD for that matter) but understand it to be superior to the AK arrangement.

I would not go the big bucks that are being asked for the PSL these days. As stated elsewhere, when they were available for $750 or so, they were OK. In that same era, 7.62x54r ammo was available for about $100 bucks per 1000 (or less). Cheap x54r ammo is about gone too.

[highpower3006]

It was a screaming deal when Classic Firearms used to run them around $500-600. A good value when they bumped to $1k. No way I'd pay $1600+ for a 3-4moa rifle that can't shoot the heavy (meaning heavier than 150gr) 7.62x54r without battering itself to death.

And here we have a classic case of the problem of soliciting advise from random people on the internet who have opinions, but probably no actual experience......

If you really want to know what the PSL is actually capable of, check out Robski's videos on them on the AKOU channel. IIRC he was getting MOA (or very close to it) out of his. The trouble is so many "experts" shoot crappy surplus machine gun ammo through rifles and think the mediocre accuracy they get is all the gun is capable of. It seems simple, and it really is, but if you feed your rifle good consistant ammo they will shoot far better.

While it is true that in stock form they don't like shooting heavy bullets (like all AK style rifles they are overgassed from the factory to ensure reliability under combat conditions) an adjustable gas piston, like that available from KNS, will tame the recoil. An even simpler and cheaper fix is to install a set screw with a smaller gas port. This is what I did to mine, it took all of a few minutes and it now deposits all the brass about 4/5 feet to the right when shooting my preferred load of SMK bullets and Varget powder.

They were never designed as a sniper or target rifle, they are a DMR whose primary purpose is to engage an adversary at longer ranges than what a standard infantryman is capable of with their issue AK's.

Only you can determine if they are worth what they are asking in todays market. The price is probably not going to go down and if you want one you are just going to have to bite the bullet (pun intended) and pay the price.

I bought mine at a local gun show a few years back still NIB for $800. Besides the gas port modification, the only other mod I did was to pick up an extra set of furniture for $35 and make an adjustable cheek piece to make it easier to use the scope.

[7.62 man]

I bought mine as a kit years ago for $200. It's a fun gun to shoot but I wouldn't pay the high prices they are asking for them today. DubC-Hicks is right you can't shoot any more than 150 gr ammo out of it because of it being over gassed. Mine won't shoot any brass ammo without destroying the brass, so I have to use the steel cased ammo.
They are a good looking gun & really turn heads when you pull them out of the case at the range. But as far as a great shooter they are not. They are consistent to say the best about them, but you won't get it to shoot a MOA.
Here is my before & after picture.

[DubC-Hicks]

And here we have a classic case of the problem of soliciting advise from random people on the internet who have opinions, but probably no actual experience......

That's a very brave and very wrong assumption.

You even admit that it requires modification to the gas system to function better with the heavier ammo. I never said they're bad rifles. You must just assume I don't like them? I do, I've had more than one. I never got 1moa out of them like Robski, I managed about 2moa with some better surplus and PPU. 3-4moa with most surplus and new production steel case. Not terrible, but that good surplus ammo is now pretty much all gone and PPU 7.62x54r is well into .308 prices. Which leads to the fact that there are MANY better .308 rifles out there for the price the PSL currently goes for. Granted, the PSL is definitely a more interesting and uncommon gun, which I like.

[Dain Bramage]

There's another AK based "Dragunovski" rifle available now; the Zastava M91. Retail looks to be about $3149.99, so consider yourself lucky with the PSL. Unless you're blowing the food or rent budget, it's only money.

[tomrkba]

I'd rather have a new production bolt action with $1,000 scope.