In simple terms, no its not, because the Dragunov isn’t a sniper rifle. There is much debate on what the Dragunov is and what it can be, and although this can be confusing with how this rifle is often deployed it is definitely not a sniper rifle. At least, it was never designed to be a sniper rifle.
The Dragunov was designed by Yevgeny Dragunov and manufactured by Kalashnikov Concern Norinco as a semi-automatic designed marksman rifle. It is chambered in 7.62x54mmR and has been around since 1963 with it still being manufactured to this day. It is gass-operated with a short-stroke gas piston system. The barrel breech is locked through a rotating bolt and uses three locking lugs to engage the corresponding locking recesses in the barrel extension.
Since the day it was developed the Dragunov was always developed as a squad support weapon to combat against submachine guns and assault rifles during battle. In the Western world we would refer to the Dragunov as being a designated marksman rifle. This also makes more sense when you consider the range limitations of the Dragunov with it being designed to hit targets at 600 meters. Of course some skilled shooters can push this further to probably around 800 meters but I wouldn’t think it’ll go further than that. A traditional sniper rifle is designed to hit targets at a 1,000 meters, with skilled shooters being able to extend that range quite a bit especially with the right rifle.
This is not a knock against the Dragunov, as it is an effective and incredible rifle. I would dare to say the Soviets were ahead of times when they made it and they were adapting to changing battle styles. It is well battle tested having served in pretty much every major and minor conflict since 1963 and gained quite the reputation of a reliable rifle. Much like it’s cousin the AK-47, the Dragunov is incredible simple to maintain and repair if needed. At the end of the day, it’s just not a sniper rifle.
Ben