“Lady Death,” the infamous Russian sniper
Lyudmila Pavlichenko was the most successful female sniper in history
She is credited with 309 confirmed kills, including 36 kills of enemy snipers.
Her nickname was “Lady Death.”
She earned her nickname as a female Soviet sniper in the Red Army during World War II.
And she became a legend during the Sieges of Odessa and Sevastopol in 1941-42.
She recorded 187 kills in Odessa alone.
In June 1941, she was among the first round of volunteers for service.
Eventually, Pavlichenko become a sniper assigned to the Red Army’s 25th Rifle Division.
At the time, female soldiers made up only 2% of the Red Army.
On 8 August 1941, a fallen comrade handed her his Mosin Nagant model 1891 bolt-action rifle.
Pavlichenko then shot her first two enemies and proved herself to her fellow soldiers.
She described this event as her “baptism of fire.”
Lyudmila was promoted to Senior Sergeant when she reached 100 confirmed kills.
In October 1941, her unit was withdrawn by sea to Sevastopol.
There she trained other snipers, who killed over a hundred Axis soldiers during the battle.
In June 1942, Pavlichenko was wounded by mortar fire and never returned to combat.
After her injury, she toured the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain.
She met with President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House, becoming the first Soviet soldier to be received by a U.S. President.
The rifle used by Pavlichenko was a Mosin-Nagant Model 1891.
The Mosin-Nagant is a Russian made, five-shot, bolt-action rifle.
It is one of the most mass-produced bolt-action rifles in history with over 37 million units made.
The fact is, bolt-action rifles have long been a part of the battlefield.
They saw consistent combat service in both World War I and World War II.
And in today’s military, snipers still use bolt-action rifles.
While many people choose the AR-15 rifle, it’s hard to match the accuracy of a bolt-action rifle.
That’s because most bolt-action rifles have fitted parts, manufactured to precise, custom specifications.
Today, long-range shooting is growing in popularity.
And bolt-action rifles are the best choice for this type of shooting.
Additionally, bolt-action rifles can be built to fire the most powerful cartridges.
Plus, no other rifle action is as dependable as a bolt action.
The mechanism has been around since the 1800s and is proven to be reliable.
And it’s about as foolproof as a rifle can be.
Considering this, here are three bolt-action rifles you may want to add to your arsenal.
Ruger American: The Ruger American uses Ruger’s ninety-degree bolt rotation system.
This results in a bolt that is larger in comparison to other bolt-action rifles, but it requires less effort to cycle.
Another nice feature of the Ruger American is its detachable magazine.
The stock is constructed from rugged composite with grooves and texturizing on the pistol grip and forend.
Plus, it includes a soft rubber recoil pad that absorbs a significant amount of recoil.
The Ruger American also comes with a drilled and tapped receiver, and scope bases.
Mossberg Patriot: The Patriot is best known for Mossberg’s adjustable trigger.
It is adjustable from 2 to 7 pounds.
The Patriot’s button-rifled, fluted barrels are free-floated and have a recessed crown.
The spiral-fluted bolt features an ergonomic bolt angle and knurled bolt handle for quick cycling of the action.
The Patriot comes with a synthetic stock and a matte blued barrel and receiver.
And the receiver includes a Weaver scope base.
The Mossberg Patriot comes chambered in .243 Winchester or .270 Winchester.
Remington 783: The receiver of the Remington 783 is much stronger in comparison to other bolt actions.
The ejection port is larger, which results in smoother extractions of spent shell casings.
The trigger on the 783 is adjustable thanks to Remington’s CrossFire system.
You can adjust your trigger to be from 2.5-5 pounds.
The safety is a two-position version that blocks the movement of the trigger when engaged, but it will not lock up the bolt.
The magazine of the 783 is made out of both polymer and metal.
The Remington 783 comes in five different caliber options.
So… when you want a rifle for high precision shooting, a bolt-action is the way to go.
They are tried and true and well balanced for any shooter.
And, adding any of these three rifles to your arsenal isn’t a bad idea.
