Well, after many months of thinking/planning and selling stuff, I finally got an Arsenal SGL21 (NY Compliant) in 7.62x39. Got it, of course, from Arsenal's US distributor, K-Var Corporation. it was shipped to my local FFL dealer with a 5-round mag. Did my NICS check, and off I was.
(for a bit of a pre-amble, I already own a GP WASR-10/63 and a pre-ban Norinco AKM-47s. So, I have a lower-end AK and a super high-end AK to compare this to).
First, I want to say that it is VERY cool that a large outfit like Arsenal will make state-compliant versions (like NY, NJ, and California). 1000 thanks for that. For those of us that dwell deep in Libtardia, a major company thinking of us/catering to us, is a very nice thing. this 2A enthusiast appreciates it.
I checked it out at my dealer (Suffolk Sportsman), checked for canted sights and gave it the once-over. looked great, so out the door I was.
I had some long-planned things I was going to do, like add an Ultimak front gas-tube rail, a red dot sight, and a real Russian sling. so all the stuff was headed to my house at the same time.
the fit & finish of the Arsenal is awesome. very impressed with the product. the rifle was completely un-blemished and perfect. there was a slight mis-fit of the butt plate into the butt stock, but, I think I can take the retaining bolts out and do a little shaving/dremeling to make it flush. we are talking a less that 1/8th inch discrepancy, so, it's really nothing. something to do on a deep-Winter weekend or something.
the cap on the muzzle thread was neat & finished. not what the purist would like (no muzzle brake as per the Ak-74 style), but, again, for those of us that are deep in Libtardia, it's a necessary evil. overall, it looks smooth and not some kludgey add on. if you did not know how it was "supposed" to look, you'd never know the difference.
I took it apart and oiled where I usually oil my AKs. everything was sweet and well-made. I did notice that the bolt was thinner (at the stem) than my other AK bolts. I imagine that this is an AK-74 style bolt, and that's why I noticed the difference.
the magazine release was smooth, better than my WASR and about the same as my Norinco. the rifle feels SOLID. no rattles, no movement. all the furniture fits tight and feels very balanced. I did my Ultimak gas-tube rail mount modification, and added my red dot sight, and the rifle is zen-like balanced. feels perfect.
at first the polymer buttstock felt weird (my first polymer anything, rifle-wise), and it felt kind of hollow and rattly. I realized, however, this was because there was no cleaning kit in the buttstock and once I put an extra one in there, it was more solid feeling and sounding.
all-and-all, I am totally psyched by this acquisition, and cannot wait to get it to the range for some trigger time.
(for a bit of a pre-amble, I already own a GP WASR-10/63 and a pre-ban Norinco AKM-47s. So, I have a lower-end AK and a super high-end AK to compare this to).
First, I want to say that it is VERY cool that a large outfit like Arsenal will make state-compliant versions (like NY, NJ, and California). 1000 thanks for that. For those of us that dwell deep in Libtardia, a major company thinking of us/catering to us, is a very nice thing. this 2A enthusiast appreciates it.
I checked it out at my dealer (Suffolk Sportsman), checked for canted sights and gave it the once-over. looked great, so out the door I was.
I had some long-planned things I was going to do, like add an Ultimak front gas-tube rail, a red dot sight, and a real Russian sling. so all the stuff was headed to my house at the same time.
the fit & finish of the Arsenal is awesome. very impressed with the product. the rifle was completely un-blemished and perfect. there was a slight mis-fit of the butt plate into the butt stock, but, I think I can take the retaining bolts out and do a little shaving/dremeling to make it flush. we are talking a less that 1/8th inch discrepancy, so, it's really nothing. something to do on a deep-Winter weekend or something.
the cap on the muzzle thread was neat & finished. not what the purist would like (no muzzle brake as per the Ak-74 style), but, again, for those of us that are deep in Libtardia, it's a necessary evil. overall, it looks smooth and not some kludgey add on. if you did not know how it was "supposed" to look, you'd never know the difference.
I took it apart and oiled where I usually oil my AKs. everything was sweet and well-made. I did notice that the bolt was thinner (at the stem) than my other AK bolts. I imagine that this is an AK-74 style bolt, and that's why I noticed the difference.
the magazine release was smooth, better than my WASR and about the same as my Norinco. the rifle feels SOLID. no rattles, no movement. all the furniture fits tight and feels very balanced. I did my Ultimak gas-tube rail mount modification, and added my red dot sight, and the rifle is zen-like balanced. feels perfect.
at first the polymer buttstock felt weird (my first polymer anything, rifle-wise), and it felt kind of hollow and rattly. I realized, however, this was because there was no cleaning kit in the buttstock and once I put an extra one in there, it was more solid feeling and sounding.
all-and-all, I am totally psyched by this acquisition, and cannot wait to get it to the range for some trigger time.