Last Friday (November 18), I broke down and purchased one of the Waffen Werks 74's. I have a number of other 5.45 rifles, all of them "nice" guns, and wanted more of a "beater" 74 that - like my WASR - I could use and abuse without losing any sleep over it. I purchased this rifle from RRC Firearms (more on them below) for $600 plus a 3% credit card fee. So, $618 out-the-door. They are local for me, so I didn't have to pay for shipping.
Many months ago I had contemplated buying one of the $400 Century 74's for this purpose, but the reports of spotty barrel quality, and Century's claim that 5.45 is
supposed to keyhole, disavowed me of that idea. I also considered the Interarms 74's, which are just a tad cheaper than the WW rifle, but decided that for $60 more the Waffen Werks rifle was the better deal. From reading many reviews, I also concluded that quality on the Waffen Werks builds was a little more consistent than on the Interarms builds.
First impression - Upon breaking down and examining the rifle, I saw no obvious faults. Rivets looked good, and overall build quality appeared solid. As advertised, it's built with a NoDak receiver (still marked TGI), excellent condition and matching number Bulgarian kit, Tapco G2 trigger, U.S. chrome-lined barrel (I have no idea who made it), surplus Bulgarian wood in good condition (with knicks and scratches that you'd expect on surplus wood), and a nicely done KG Gun Kote finish. The rifle is straight, with no site cant. I may put a Hogue grip on this rifle, but other than that I'll keep it as-is.
I knew the rifle wouldn’t come with a now-hard-to-find surplus magazine, and expected it to come with a Promag. Instead, it came with the Tapco Intrafuse mag in the pictures, which I was actually happy about because I had been wanting to buy and try one anyway. 100 rounds were fired through the Tapco magazine with no problems. Yeah, surplus mags are always preferable, but from this limited experience I wouldn’t have any problem recommending the Tapco magazine for recreational shooting.
Function - Last Sunday, I went into the Mt. Hood National Forest with some friends to test this gun (among others). We put 200 rounds of 7N6 and about 300 rounds of Golden Tiger 59gr. through the rifle. No malfunctions occurred, and I only had to adjust the rear site one notch, and slightly adjust the front site to the left to dial it in. Other than that, it’s an AK...you all know how they work.
So, overall I'm very pleased with this rifle. It represents a solid value at $600. I've seen some people ask if they should get this, or spend $180-$200 more for a SGL-31. My answer to that would be, "It depends on what's important to you, and why you're buying the rifle." If you just want a nice shooter that will be less "iffy" than a Century rifle, I would see no reason to buy an Arsenal over the Waffen Werks. The WW is a solidly-built rifle that should give you years of shooting pleasure. Not to mention that the finish on the WW rifle is more durable than the squid ink on the Arsenal. However, if you want the Russian heritage of the Arsenal with its Russian receiver and proven cold hammer-forged barrel, a factory-built gun and likely better resale value, you might very well decide that the $180-$200 premium for the SGL-31 is worth it. In terms of function, I couldn't tell any difference between the WW rifle and my SGL-31.
The only question with the WW rifle is the barrel. As we all know, U.S. made 5.45 barrels came out of the gate with spotty performance. While I've only seen barrel complaints on Century rifles (their cheap Bulgarian 74 and their Tantals) and Lancaster rifles, I haven't seen any long-term reports on other manufacturers' U.S.-made 5.45 barrels. As such, for now we sort of have to rely on the reputation of the gun manufacturers themselves in assessing these barrels. In that regard, I have confidence in Waffen Werks. With specific regard to their barrels, time will tell I suppose. I haven't seen any barrel problems reported to-date on these WW rifles, so that's encouraging.
Honestly, if I was going to buy only one 74, I'd buy the Arsenal. There's nothing wrong with the Waffen Werks rifle, but if I was only going to buy one I would "buy once, cry once" and get the Arsenal. But like I said, everyone buys rifles for different reasons. If you're just going to shoot the thing and don't care much about what the Arsenal brings to the table, you can buy and shoot the Waffen Werks rifle with confidence. In true Arfcom fashion of course, I bought both.
Oh, and if you're comparing the WW rifle to the $400 Century rifle, I'd definitely pay the $200 premium for the WW. The WW rifle has a chrome-lined barrel, matching numbered parts, much nicer furniture, and the Gun Kote finish; all things that, to me, easily justify the extra $200. Not to mention that the one year warranty on the WW rifle starts the day you buy it...not the day the rifle was made, as is the case with Century.
Finally, a word about
RRC Firearms. They are a relatively new "Mom and Pop" Internet retailer, which just so happens to be located close to me in the heart of Oregon wine country. I ordered this rifle online on Friday (the 18th), and RRC's owner Richard graciously allowed me to stop by on Saturday morning (the 19th) to pick it up. RRC is a family-run business with low overhead and thus low prices, and from speaking with Richard I could tell that when it comes to customer service, he "gets it". I would do business with them again.