Romak Paratrooper Carbine....Opinions?

[randytulsa2]

I have been eyeing what S.O.G. (or one of those big foreign surplus warehouses, maybe AIM) is calling a "Dragunov Paratrooper Carbine" for some time.

I've done enough research to learn that it's not a Dragunov action, it's really an AK-47-style action that shoots 7.62 X 54. Not a problem for me, like it could be for more of a purist collector. It's also, in reality, called a "Romak" (as it was made in Romania under some sort of license), not a "Dragunov" (also not a big deal to me).

Does anyone have such a carbine? It's a lot shorter than the normal "Dragunov" (Romak). I'm not a fan of long-barrelled weapons (I can't hit anything past 150 yards with my very poor eyesight and casual practice habits, anyway), and I've got a truckload of 7.62 X 54 rounds at the house (up to now to feed my stable of M44's).

If so, how does it shoot? Is it accurate? Is it reliable?

If you don't have first-hand experience, has anyone witnessed them being shot?

Heard third-hand about them?

Talk to me folks...don't want to spend $ 595.00 and have a jam-o-matic incapable of cleanly killing a deer at 50 yards....

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Redneck Repairs]

I dont own one , but have read up on them a bit since like you i have quite a bit of x54 for my m44s . I have never seen anything to lead me to belive they are unreliable . Nor have i read anything to lead me to belive that at best they will break 2moa ( that is 2" at 100 yards ) . In other words if you want one i would say get it , but most likely it will not shoot any better group than one of your 44s that you took the bayonet off of, and quite possibly not as good . Of course you get a removable mag , and softer shooting rifle .

['75scout]

If it is based on the AK operation it should work just fine.

[TexasPatriot]

I got to try a friend's 7.62 once. I was told it was a "Romanian Dragunov", for whatever that's worth. It shot well, but definitely was not a tack driver - even at 110 yards or so, with a nice scope on it (sorry, don't remember the scope specs.).

At the same time, another friend brought his M1 Garand along and we shot it a bit using a bowling ball as a target at the same ~110 yard distance. (The ball already had a crack, so it wasn't worth anything.) Using the stock iron sights on the M1 I had no trouble keeping all 8 rounds in a clip within the ball. I would have had a bit of trouble with the Dragunov though - even with the scope.

I found I was quicker with followup shots on the M1. Something about the Dragunov made it jump up quite a bit and I would have to pull it back down to get on target again.

Also, neither rifle had a butt pad, it was just the stock metal butt plate on each. The Dragunov had a little more felt recoil, but no big deal. But for whatever reason, the Dragunov had some horizontal lines protruding from it's butt plate (grip??? I don't see why it would have been needed, but then I've never fought in a war, to be honest.) The next day I had a nice bruise on my shoulder that was a very nice duplicate of the pattern from the Dragunov's butt plate. It was the only long gun that left a visible pattern, but of course it would be hard to determine exactly which rifle or shotgun left the stiffness in my shoulder.

As you can probably tell, I'm a fan of the M1. The rounds seemed very close in size, I was more accurate with the M1 and it felt more comfortable. And if you get an M1 through the CMP, they're only about $500.

That's just my opinion though. Take it for what you paid for it.

HTH,
TexasPatriot

[P95Carry]

On reflection - and haven't even handled one of those - if using the 7.62x54R round - I do wonder even if an AK type mechanics, whether those rimmed rounds will feel well from mags.

Hard to imagine but I guess it works.