I
“Every rifle Real Sword makes
is a masterpiece in its own right.
Individually certificated with FPS
readings from the factory, Real
Sword shows an unmatched level
of care and attention to the rifle”
first opened the crate of these and thought,
“Oooohhhh! Shiny!” Then I thought, “I have
had shiny. I have had a VFC 8mm M82 Barrett…
Prepare to be burned!” It felt a good rifle to pick
up and I could not wait to try it out – and then I
tried to fit the battery. It was, to say the least, a
bit of a nightmare, but once you have done it a
few times it is not a long procedure.
The RS SVD is a whole 200g lighter than the
real version and exactly the same length. I used
the M120 version, which does have a fair bit of
whack behind it. Using Blaster 0.2g BBs I got
nice consistent readings:
430.2; 430.5; 431.0; 428.7; 431.5.
In fact I would go as far to say as this is the
only dedicated electric semi-auto sniper rifle
that does what it is meant to do, straight out
of the box. Now I have seen our technicians
put these up to 580fps and they still ran fine
– so if you are a power-hungry beast then the
capability is there.
If you are not impressed already then the
price will change that. The UK retail price is
040
February 2012
£550. Before you baulk, throw your combat
teddy out of the pram and jump on the nearest
forum to complain, just think about it! Look at
the above information and consider what has
happened to bring these rifles to the market.
Low production runs, endless research to
overcome technical barriers and development
(the model has been updated twice already)
and unparalleled attention to detail. It is said that
top manufacturers often test one in 10 rifles,
but even at that I would be surprised. We have
had entire batches of rifles that have required
full strip-down and rebuilds, without getting
so much as a ‘sorry’ from the manufacturer. I
think in all the years we have worked with Real
Sword we have had one issue out of the box,
and it was a tiny bend on the inner barrel. Just
one rifle out of nearly 100!
I know of one player who bought two of
these, one to use – fitting modern real polymer
parts – and one to keep as a showpiece. There is
a growing RS fanbase out there that sees these
rifles purely from a collector’s perspective.
The battery lives in the front handguard and is
probably not suitable for changing in the middle
of a game. If I was going to complain about
anything it would be that... and the 96-round
magazine. I think 30 rounds is more than
enough for a sniper rifle – but then again you
could always just put 30 rounds in, nowhere
does it say you absolutely must fill it to the top!
(Oops, I’m having a Clarkson moment!)
The hop unit was recently changed from a
bi-directional to a mono ‘standard’ hop. I can
only assume that this is yet another further
improvement to the design, though I never
found any issue with either hop version.
Upgrading is easy enough: everything is
steel, silver-plated wire and the highest quality
parts you could hope for. A big spring is all
that is required – though I would personally be
tempted to leave it at the 430-mark as it shoots
a sizeable distance anyway.
If you feel you need a scope, Real Sword
makes a lovely copy of the POS-1 scope, or for
similar money you can often find a real Russian
issue one. Alternatively you could fit something
like a Cobra Scope which would undoubtedly
be better for day-to-day use on your local
skirmish field.
So to sum up, the RS SVD is by far the best,
and most realistic, airsoft SVD available today.
Its manufacturing emulates the real thing and
involves 100 per cent quality assurance testing.
The rifle features unique serial numbers, and
more steel than a Transformers movie. Plus it
can use the real issue Russian scope. What
more do you want? It really doesn’t get much
more realistic than this.
There are cheaper SVDs out there and I know
this will not be for everyone. But I would still
urge you, at the very least, to appreciate what
went into the production of the RS SVD – even
if, like me, you will probably never own one. ■
SPECIFICATIONS
Real Sword RS SVD
Weight: 4,100g
Build: CNC steel body with real surface
treatment; one-piece steel outer barrel;
real wood kit
Inner barrel length: 690mm
Gearbox: RS-T3 metal gearbox, highprecision steel gear set, 7mm bearing
Magazine: 96-round mag
Battery: 7.2v/8.4v
Velocity: 430fps (M120 spring)
Price: £549.99
Available from Land Warrior
Airsoft: 0131 654 2452
www.landwarriorairsoft.com