The PSL has it's points, but it definitely has drawbacks as well. The only major drawback that's inherent to the (US import) gun, I find, is that the barrel is a little thin and whippy, and heats up quickly. In fast strings of fire, you can see noticeable vertical stringing.
I'm not sure if CA restrictions make it a better or worse buy than a scoped "sniper" Nagant rifle. Leaving aside the fact that none of the 7.62x54R surplus out there is exactly match grade, you're not going to be happy running bullets much over the 147 grain through the PSL. On the other hand, if you've got some ridiculous magazine lock anyway, you won't be thinking so much about the annoying prospect of paying $40 plus shipping for extra magazines that cost that much because hey, that's what people can get away with charging.