Here's the short version:

Purchased a -74 clone ($600+) from a well-known "manufacturer".
Upon shooting it for the first time I wonder why it's taking so much windage to zero.  Nice, front sight base is canted.
Upon cleaning it after shooting it for the first time I notice the right receiver rail isn't welded the full length.
I contact the company and am told not to shoot it any more and that it needs to come back to the company.
They send me a FedEx prepaid shipping label - FedEx does not offer pickup service in my town.
I contact the company and finally three weeks later they send me a UPS prepaid shipping label.
I ship the rifle back and they receive it on July 24th.
I hear nothing and contact them on July 31st.
They inform me it is on their "to do" list.
It has now been four weeks and I have received neither a reply nor my rifle.

I paid for the damn thing but at this point I'm wondering if I'd be better off asking for a refund.  Problem is, where else can I get a good -74 clone???

To help others looking to purchase, who is the Manufacture that you purchased it from?

I think it's time to post which manufacturer this is. Honestly I'd just return it and buy a SAR 2 or SLR105.

I'm hesitant to name names just yet.

I contacted them again last week with no reply.

I want a better quality rifle than an SAR2, which I thought I was getting.

My SAR-2 has never missed a beat  - ever.  

Four weeks is long enough to fix your rifle, they have your money, now they need to make it right.  Unfortunately, they're probably too busy building more rifles so they can get other people's money than to take the time to repair yours.

I have a -74 on order with a "well known manufacturer", and would sure like to know if it's the same one.

Quoted: I want a better quality rifle than an SAR2, which I thought I was getting.

If my life depended on a rifle, and I had an untested SAR and an untested kit build in front of me, I would pick up the SAR no questions asked. The finish may not be as good, but it's factory built and more likely to actually run like an AK should right out of the gate.

Hope they get things handled for you.

My life does not, nor is it ever likely to, depend on this or any other rifle.  I bought a -74 clone as a "toy" to go along with my -47 clone "toy."  The rifle I got may have been flawed, but it did run 100%.

It was on an AUSA receiver.  I don't believe it "failed", I believe the rail was not properly welded from the get-go.

You should have bought the SAR2 and had a makeover done to it. I own 4 and I've never had a problem with any of them.

So who is this "well known builder"?

Quoted: I believe the rail was not properly welded from the get-go.

And who might have done this work

Quoted: Quoted: I want a better quality rifle than an SAR2, which I thought I was getting. If my life depended on a rifle, and I had an untested SAR and an untested kit build in front of me, I would pick up the SAR no questions asked. The finish may not be as good, but it's factory built and more likely to actually run like an AK should right out of the gate. Hope they get things handled for you.

I would take a SAR over the new Arsenal offerings!

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I want a better quality rifle than an SAR2, which I thought I was getting. If my life depended on a rifle, and I had an untested SAR and an untested kit build in front of me, I would pick up the SAR no questions asked. The finish may not be as good, but it's factory built and more likely to actually run like an AK should right out of the gate. Hope they get things handled for you. I would take a SAR over the new Arsenal offerings!

I would take the SAR over the Arsenal considering the non-concentric bores and crooked sight issues. Course if you got one with a non-concentric bore then Arsenal would replace it just as they would align a crooked sight. The down side about Romanian guns is that you have to have a gunsmith align the sights. Just know what you are buying and make sure to look it over very carefully.


RR

Quoted: The down side about Romanian guns is that you have to have a gunsmith align the sights. Just know what you are buying and make sure to look it over very carefully. RR

Not on any of mine.

Wonderful.  Now they're telling me it will be at least three more weeks.

............Post the name so the rest of us do not have to suffer the idignation of their customer service or their QC issues...