Notes: This is the Iraqi version of the SVD – sort of. Though it looks like an SVD at first glance, there are several important differences between the Al-Kadesih and the SVD, enough to treat it as a different rifle. The receiver is made fron stamped steel instead of the milled steel of the SVD, and is not as hardy. The bolt carrier has more in common with the Romanian PSL (which the Iraqis also used), and rotates in the opposite direction from that of the SVD, in addition to having a much larger extractor – it cannot be interchanged with that of the SVD (or PSL). It also is more reliable in sandy conditions. The trigger unit is a copy of the SVD’s, but not an exact copy, and it also cannot be interchanged with that of an SVD. The magazine well is also wider and longer than that of an SVD due to the stamped steel construction – while SVD magazines will fit into an Al-Kadisih, the opposite is not true (and for that matter, PSL magazines will not fit into either one). The iron sights are a combination of an AK-type front sight and a tangent rear sight, and the telescopic sight issued with the Al-Kadisih is a Yugoslavian OM-M76 4x sight instead of the SVD’s PSO-1. (The Al-Kadisih can also use the PSO-1 or its Chinese copy, however.) The gas system of the Al-Kadisih is fixed, rather than adjustable like that of the SVD. The stock is similar to that of the SVD, but also has a rubber recoil pad; unlike the SVD, no cheekpiece is supplied.

Notes: This is an Iraqi sniper rifle, based upon the Kalashnikov action, but fitted with a long barrel with a muzzle brake. It uses the 7.62mm Kalashnikov cartridge. It is normally issued as a platoon sharpshooter’s weapon rather than a dedicated sniper rifle. The Tabuk Sniper Rifle is similar in design to the Yugoslavian M-76, but the caliber makes it much less efficient than that weapon. (The Iraqis claim an effective range of 800 meters, but most analysts place that effective range at more like 500-600 meters.)