I've got an arsenal SAM7R on the way and am wondering how durable the painted finish is.

are there any cleaning products to avoid?

any cleaning techniques that work well for you?

thanks.

Really best to stick with CLP (Break Free).  It's what the manual recommends for good reason.  

Solvents strip that finish pretty fast.

I use solvent on a 107CR that was refinished with Moly over park but the other Arsenals get nothing but CLP.

The new Arsenals 2014 and up have a new finish that is very durable.

I’ve seen 104s have a better looking paint (closer to Bulgarian) than previous Arsenals.  Some have stated it’s more durable.  

I’ve also seen 104s with paint issues (not nearly as many as past Arsenals).   I suppose someone can take their chances if they choose to.

I don't know when mine was made, but the seller said he bought it a few years back and it's unfired.

I won't get it til monday, maybe there will be a date of manufacture with the paper work.

I always knew they came with a painted finish.

I wonder if it's a cost saving step but at the price of them I would at least expect a parked finish.

anyway, all it will see is breakfree and slide glide.

Good shot yours is paint over park (most of them are).  Long as that's the case, easily stripped paint is just an aesthetic thing.  Wipe down the stripped areas with some gun oil when you clean and the park will absorb it, provides great protection.

Can always call K-var to date the rifle.

I have an SLR-105/ak74 from arsenal a few years ago. The paint ran right off down to the parkerizing.  It was only where they did the compliance parts for 922c.  They used rust-oleum for touch-up. Got it duracoated for like $80.

If the paint is bad, and you're handy you can do a garage fix with dupli-color high heat engine enamel in a color of your choice. Just spray and bake. It will hold up better than the factory finish, and imo it's better than some of the more expensive gun finishes unless professionally done or you're set-up for it. I recently touched mine up with dupli-color until I had the funds to save up for a professional finish by Chris Butler and it looks beautiful. It's almost too pretty for the range now. Maybe that's why his finish holds up so good, they all end up becoming safe queens.

But, more on a more serious note, dupli-color will match the factory finish. 1634 is the product code, but you can use the glossier 1635 if you desire or mix the two until happy. Just bake it at around 300-350 for an hour in the oven and let it cure over night. Should be good to go. 3 days if you want to be extra careful. Nobody will be able to tell the difference.

I hope that helps.