Facebook: http://facebook.com/XboxAhoy Twitter: http://twitter.com/xboxahoy This time, we're covering the SVU-AS. A shortened version of the Dragunov - the SVU makes its Call of Duty debut in Black Ops 2, but the longer parent design was first seen in COD4. The Dragunov SVU - or 'Snayperskaya Vintovka Ukorochennaya', translating as 'short sniper rifle' - is a Russian rifle first introduced in 1994. It is a bullpup reconfiguration of the Dragunov SVD, with its magazine behind the trigger, and a recoil-reducing muzzle brake to combat the heavy recoil from the full-power rifle cartridge the SVU fires: the 7.62-by-54 millimetre Rimmed. The -AS suffix refers to a later variant of the SVU rifle design: the A stands for automatic, referring to a select-fire ability: and the S refers to the attached bipod. This specific variant was designed for Special Forces requiring an adaptable weapon, where the select-fire ability transforms a marksman's rifle into a fully-automatic battle rifle when circumstances demand. Of course, in-game the weapon is essentially a semi-automatic weapon only: select fire is not available. And, while the bipod is present on the weapon: it is non-functional. Damage-wise, the SVU has the potential to kill in just one-shot, but as far as the sniper rifles are concerned, it is the lowest damage weapon in its tier. In order to attain a single-shot kill, you will need to strike your opponent directly in the head: in all other cases, you'll need two shots to kill. When equipped with the suppressor, even a headshot will be insufficient - the suppressed SVU is always a two-shot kill. The sniper rifles have no range penalty - no matter your distance from your target, you can expect to deal the same amount of damage. Penetration ability is also high, but unlike the LMGs, the sniper rifle's slower rate of fire and limited magazine capacity mean you generally fare better when you can shoot your target directly. Rate of fire