Exported around the world, the Romanian PSL sniper rifle has seen heavy use in many dirty little wars, including Iraq. It embodies the Romanian’s view of what a DMR/sniper rifle should be.
Originally misidentified during the Cold War as the FPK, the Romanian PSL (Puska Semiautomata Luneta or Scoped Semi-automatic Rifle) is a simple and rugged design based upon Mikhail T. Kalashnikov's RPK squad automatic. It was originally designed to fill the same DMR/Sniper role as the Soviet SVD sniper rifle. The PSL though is less complex and easier to manufacture than the Soviet design. While not as sexy as a Russian SVD, PSLs are available for substantially less money here in the US.
The PSL was originally developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s to replace the aging World War II vintage BRNO built VZ-24 sniper rifles fielded by the Romanian Army. While somewhat resembling...