Best Russian-Made Guns That Aren’t the AK-47

Updated September 2024: Removed RPG-7 and added the AS Val/VSS.

For many people, Russian firearms start and stop with the AK platform. But modern media, especially video games, has sparked an interest in other Russian guns.

The Russians have produced some truly iconic and neat guns that are both fun to shoot and effective that aren’t AKs or close-ish variants (sorry, AN-94 and AK-12 enjoyers).

These other Russian guns are the topic of our article today. Note that this isn’t an all-inclusive list, just some models we think are worth mentioning. There are no specific criteria here, just some neat guns.

THE QUICK LIST

1. Most Durable Pistol

   Makarov

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2. Most Affordable Pistol

   Tokarev Pistols

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3. Most Affordable Rifle

   Mosin-Nagant Rifles

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4. Best Do-All Rifle

   SKS Rifles

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5. Most Accurate

   FEG HD-18

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Best Russian Guns That Aren’t the AK

1. Makarov – Most Durable Pistol

To the average American, if you were to ask them to name a Russian pistol, they’d stare at you like you had asked for the formula for cold fusion.

But for some older shooters, those who embrace less popular rounds, and a good number of gamers, this pistol should be no surprise.

The Makarov, in addition to having a caliber named after it, has been featured prominently in video games and films for a long time. Ranging from multiple James Bond films, The Hunt for Red October, to the Mission Impossible franchise and RED 2, the Makarov has been used for over 60 years in the prop world.

One of the reasons for its popularity is that a significant number of Eastern Bloc nations adopted the pistol after it was introduced in 1951.

The Makarov typically comes chambered in 9x18mm Makarov, though commercial export versions are often seen in .380 ACP as well.

These pistols use a simple direct blowback operating system, which makes sense, considering it was designed to be a simplified version of the Walther PPK. This simplicity and ease of maintenance helped it replace the Tokarev pistols of the Soviet military.

The Makarov is still in use throughout the world today. However, they are harder to find due to surplus drying up and import sanctions. Despite this, they are still reasonably affordable and neat guns that you won’t feel bad about shooting.

2. Tokarev – Most Affordable Pistol

The TT-30/TT-33, or as it is more commonly known, the Tokarev, is a legendary pistol with more than 20 wars under its belt.

Developed in the early 1930s, it was used by the Soviets until being replaced by the Makarov in 1952. But that didn’t stop the Tokarev from being used around the globe by more than 30 countries, even to today.

The Tokarev is most commonly seen chambered in tail-twisting 7.62x25mm Tokarev. This round is known for being a flat-shooting, accurate, and powerful pistol round for its time.

While original Russian Tokarevs are rare these days, finding copies from companies such as Norinco and Zastava is relatively easy and not overly expensive. Zastava is still producing factory-new Tokarevs to this day.

The only downside to these commercial imports is that they are required to be retrofitted with manual safeties (which may vary from batch to batch) in order to meet import restrictions. But safeties aside, they are attainable, fun pistols to shoot.

3. Mosin-Nagant – Most Affordable Rifle

By far, the oldest gun on this list is the Mosin-Nagant, which pre-dates the 20th century. First produced in 1891, it has served in an untold amount of conflicts, including ones as recently as the Russian-Ukraine war.

Though there have been some design changes along the way, many of the rifle’s original features have remained intact since its creation.

Chambered in 7.62x54mmR, the Mosin is a powerhouse rifle for small bore. It was designed as a direct response to the Russian military being outgunned by Turkish soldiers in the Siege of Pleven.

In the not-so-distant past, Mosins were one of the cheapest centerfire rifles you could get your hands on. You could walk into nearly any gun store and grab one for $100 or less and find some cheap surplus ammo, too.

But between many being surplus guns in less-than-ideal condition and the people modifying their then-cheap rifles to better fit their needs, it has gotten harder to find clean Mosin rifles in their original configuration for a reasonable price.

Even though both the rifle and ammo have gotten much more expensive, if you can buy, trade, or finagle your way into a Mosin for a decent price, you will have yourself a neat piece of history that packs a big punch.

4. SKS – Best Do-All Rifle

Of all the guns on this list, the SKS would be my first choice if I needed something in a pinch.

This Russian military rifle was used until the development and adoption of the AK-47. Though it was removed from general infantry use, the SKS still saw deployment by Soviet border troops, some police forces, and many reserve units as late as the 1980s.

Additionally, the SKS has been a favorite of light infantry in many guerrilla warfare groups around the globe.

So why would this be my list fun of choice? First, the price is generally low. At the lowest, you could find an SKS for under $150, though those times have faded.

One can still grab an SKS for around the price of a decent-quality AR-15. While the AR is hands-down going to be the better gun, the SKS beats it out in cool factor for most folks.

Additionally, the SKS uses the same 7.62x39mm as the AK-47, giving you a bit more punch over an AR. Sure, 7.62x39mm isn’t as cheap as it used to be, the current prices are pretty comparable to that of 5.56.

Finally, the SKS is a simple platform, so throwing it in the hands of an inexperienced shooter will often yield decent results. The gun’s weight allows for much of the recoil to be absorbed, while the ease of use allows newer shooters to get comfortable behind the gun.

Put all of those together, and you have a reasonably well-rounded and cool gun for a relatively low investment.

What do you think of the SKS? Rate it below!

5. SVD – Most Accurate

Seen in numerous video games and movies such as Call of Duty, Battlefield, Rambo 3, Mission Impossible, American Sniper, and more, few sniper rifles made outside of the U.S. have attracted as much attention as the SVD.

SVD stands for “snayperskaya vintovka Dragunova”),” with the gun commonly referred to as the Dragunov.

Designed in 1963 and the winner of a fairly cutthroat contest for a Russian military contract, the Dragunov was designed as a squad support weapon.

At the time, the Russians felt that normal infantry armed with submachine guns or moderate-range select-fire rifles were not fit for longer-distance engagements.

The Dragunov allowed squads to field designated marksmen, who were not as highly trained as specialized snipers, to apply shots out to roughly 800 meters.

It was designed to allow the firing of both specialized precision ammo as well as armor-piercing, incendiary rounds. This was accomplished by increasing the twist rate of the barrel over those used in prototypes.

While the outward appearance looks like that of an enlarged AK-47, the Dragunov uses a short-stroke piston design in lieu of the AK-style long-stroke piston.

Since its inception, the Dragunov has seen use throughout Europe and Asia. Most members of the Warsaw Pact had at least one Dragunov marksman per squad.

Real Russian Dragunovs are exceedingly expensive. A Tigr Dragunov will fetch well over $12,000 in most cases. The cheapest thing you can get to a real Dragunov (not a PSL) is the newly imported Hungarian FED HD-18 rifles.

The HD-18s are excellent rifles with full parts interchangeability with the original Dragunov. It only has a few minor changes to the original design. Unfortunately, these are also extremely expensive at around $9,000. But damn, are they one of the coolest non-NFA guns you can own.

6. AS Val & VSS Vintorez

The AS Val and VSS Vintorez are probably the oddest and, in our opinion, most badass guns on this list.

These guns were designed from the ground up as integrally suppressed rifles primarily intended for special operations use.

Both of these guns fire the 9x39mm cartridge. This is actually just a regular 7.62x39mm case that has been necked up to accept a larger diameter 9.2mm bullet. Development of this round began in the 1940s and finished in the 1980s.

The heavier bullet makes for a very capable and heavy-hitting subsonic round with reasonable ballistics that uses a common parent case. If that sounds like .300 Blackout, that is because it is pretty much the same approach. However, 9x39mm did it much sooner.

Both the AS Val and VSS are integrally suppressed, select-fire, magazine-fed, long-stroke piston, striker-fired rifles — a weird combination for sure.

Functionally, the AS Val and the VSS are identical. The primary differences are that the VSS is equipped with a fixed wooden stock, and comes standard with a 10-round magazine and a PSO-1 optic. The AS Val has a pistol grip, folding skeleton stock, and comes standard with a 20-round magazine. Both guns can accept up to 30-round magazines.

However, these have a reputation for being near “Hollywood quiet” with subsonic ammo while remaining very lethal. Most media and video games that feature these guns will showcase them as the quietest rifles of the bunch.

While there have been rumors parts kits and potential clones being available in the US, nothing has come to fruition in the last ten or so years. Only a few very rare examples exist in the States, and it seems doomed to remain that way for the time being. A shame because this is one of the most interesting special operation weapons to come out of Russia.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, it wasn’t just AK platform guns coming out of the Soviet Union. Keep in mind that this is just a small sampling of Russian guns. Many wild and crazy designs have come out of Russia in the last 60 or so years.

But if you ever get a chance to shoot any of these, do not hesitate. They are some truly awesome guns to fire, and experiencing another nation’s entirely different approach and design philosophies is always beneficial – and usually fun.

What’s your favorite gun from our list? Let us know in the comments below. Really want to live that AK life? Check out our guide to all things AK-47.