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I've been out of the AK world for awhile, last one I had was an SGL-21 that I bought for $599 if that tells you anything.
I'm wanting to get back into AK's, but the market sure has changed.
I thought about an SLR-107, but at $950+ I just can't really talk myself into it if the N-pap is a good buy at $530, and since I buy a spare of every gun that ends up being almost $1000 difference.
I have watched some reviews on the N-Pap, and it seems like I good buy. I have a few questions though.
-Is the N-Pap comparable to the Arsenal AK's in quality? Nutnfancy(yeah, i know some hate him) said they are even nicer than Arsenal, do you guys that own them agree?
-Is the non-chrome barrel a big deal? I don't shoot corrosive, and I plan to shoot mostly Golden Tiger or Silver Bear, and I clean guns every time they are shot. Any special precautions/cleaning changes from a chromed gun?
-Will it take standard AK pistol grips? I plan on getting a krebs adapter, ace block, and ace folder. Then an ultimak tube, hogue yugo foregrip, and US palm pistol grip. will any of those not fit?
-Do I need to inspect in person like a WASR from the old days? I can't find any N-Paps locally, so I'm thinking about ordering online. are they mostly good to go, or should I inspect before i buy?
Thanks in advance for any answers, also just wondering what the general opinion on the N-Pap guns are, or basically anything else I should know about them.
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1. That's a bit of a hornets nest. My NPAP is as nice as any AK I've ever handled, Arsenal included. Not every rifle is going to be that way. I'll skirt the issue and just say that some are better, some are worse and there is a fair bit of overlap between them.
2. Not having a chrome lined barrel is not a bug deal, no matter what anybody tells you. It's not full auto, so if you're cleaning it after each use and not doing mag dump after mag dump, you and your NPAP will have a long, happy life together. There are no special cleaning precautions, other than to run wet patch down the barrel with the cleaner/preservative of your choice (which I do on every gun I own).
3. I'm not 100% on the US Palm grip. I suspect it'll fit out of the box, but if not it can't be too much effort to make it work. I see plenty of them on Yugo rifles. As the the stock adapter, the NPAP does have two rivets inside the end of the receiver. Supposedly Krebs has redesigned their adapter to clear these rivets, but I can't confirm that. You
may have to dremel a tiny bit to make the adapter fit properly (for the ACE adapter, you
will have to do this). There are pictures here showing what needs to be done. It really is just minor surgery.
4. Canted sights, as you already know, are a fact of life when it comes to AK ownership. That's no different for NPAPs. 90%+ will be gtg from the factory. Atlantic will give your NPAP a quick , cursory inspection before they ship your rifle, so if you buy from them you can buy with confidence. From any other online retailer I recommend you inspect it thoroughly before accepting the transfer. I have a couple of PAPs and mine came straight as an arrow.