The Russian Sniper Rifle Nazi Germany Feared Most

Warrior Maven Video Above: Soldiers can shoot around corners with new wireless link between night vision and weapons sights

By Robert Beckhusen,War Is Boring

The Soviet government often exaggerated tales of its front-line snipers for propaganda purposes. The sniper duel between famed Soviet sniper Vasily Zaitsev and “Major Konig” was probably myth, although Zaitsev was unquestionably a remarkable soldier.

Such myths are a weapon in a fight for national survival, and a tool for building morale. But in terms of history, the myths complicate the picture.

However, the Soviet Union certainly embraced the sniper, perhaps more than any other combatant during World War II, fielding them in larger numbers and on a wider scale earlier in the conflict than Nazi Germany. The Mosin-Nagant rifle modified for long-distance work was the Red Army’s primary sniper weapon.

The Soviet soldier in World War II commonly carried the unscoped Mosin-Nagant M91/30 — a weighty, nearly indestructible bolt-action battle rifle capable of carrying five 7.62x54R rounds, shared today by the Dragunov sniper rifle and PKM machine gun.

The powerful cartridge and simple construction means the Mosin kicks like a mule, but provides accurate and reliable firepower in a weapon that is easy to maintain and hard to damage … too much. And most importantly, it was easy to produce in vast numbers.