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Posted: 5/23/2020 8:24:50 PM EDT
This is my first time posting and I'm pretty new to the AK platform so what I'm looking for is some pros to tell me what I'm being too picky about, confirm if I'm being picky enough, and give me some insight on what I've got here.
First up is this... Seems to me that the receiver is bent. It's causing the front trunion to point the barrel at an angle. This was the final observation that made me decide to post about it. The rear sight block seems to be sitting on the barrel at an angle as well. The next is the first discovery. A canted sight post... Everything I've read says this happens all the time blah blah blah... This is an arsenal so I was under the impression I was buying a quality firearm. I'm feeling more like I picked up the "Anderson" of the AK world... I put on an RS regulate mount and couldn't take my eyes off of that crooked thing while shooting. Lastly is something I read about after buying and this is the most minor thing. The bolt carrier is hitting the rear trunnion where a chamfer should have continued into the corner. So... Let me know what you guys think. Gun was bought brand new from k-var. I've got about 200 rounds down range and I returned the RS regulate mount because neither me or my buddy could get it to zero. At the time I thought it was the mount and now I don't know. I've got about a 5 inch group with irons at 50 yards which is trash but I'm kind of assuming that's on me. |
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Posted: 5/23/2020 8:53:08 PM EDT
[#1]
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Posted: 5/24/2020 8:34:58 AM EDT
[#2]
which model of Arsenal?
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Posted: 5/24/2020 10:20:17 AM EDT
[#3]
this is the SLR 107R
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Posted: 5/24/2020 2:00:57 PM EDT
[#4]
Arsenal never really had great quality... But when your competition is WASR’s with shitty rivets and canted sights and IO rifles that will blow up in your hands their QC looked great in comparison.
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Posted: 5/24/2020 2:04:09 PM EDT
[#5]
Yes the receiver looks goofy
If you can zero the irons that's one thing. But if the receiver is warped heavily or the bore is not reasonably square to the receiver rails you may not be able to use the side optics rail at all. So you had an optic mounted and you still couldn't get it zeroed with one of the adjustments maxed out? |
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Posted: 5/24/2020 2:36:10 PM EDT
[#6]
isn't Arsenal subbing out the building of their newer rifles?
I've seen this before, I think it's the trunnion that's not drilled true. Someone else had this happen to them some time ago. Send it back. QAQC definitely was not performed. |
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Posted: 5/24/2020 3:15:36 PM EDT
[#7]
We were chasing zero pretty bad. I think it was because unless you were holding your head the same way as the last person or the last shot it was significantly different. between a little bit of parallax and the sight not sitting directly over the bore and the bore being at an angle.... I mean c'mon... That's everything that could be wrong all at once haha
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Posted: 5/24/2020 11:45:11 PM EDT
[#8]
Contact K-var or Arsenal? I’ve got a SAM7UF and it’s the nicest AK I’ve owned.
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Posted: 5/25/2020 7:12:29 PM EDT
[#9]
I sent kvar a message as well as arsenal. I'll keep you guys updated
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Posted: 5/26/2020 10:42:45 AM EDT
[#10]
That is pretty bad OP, I would have contacted who ever you bought it from.
Quote HistoryQuoted: isn't Arsenal subbing out the building of their newer rifles? I've seen this before, I think it's the trunnion that's not drilled true. Someone else had this happen to them some time ago. Send it back. QAQC definitely was not performed. Ah that is sad. |
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Posted: 5/26/2020 11:18:18 AM EDT
[#11]
I'd have a real struggle buying a new Arsenal right now. The 107R seems to have had a real rough track record, and if they're subbing them out, who knows what you're getting. Wasn't there some thought ISD Bulgaria was doing the more recent stamped receiver work?
I follow them on Facebook and want to shitpost in every one of their social media posts now. "Hey guys, look at these awesome AK rifles you can't get from us anymore! Remember when we were awesome?" It's like the high school football player that constantly relives his glory days while everyone else has moved on.  The 104-series and the last 107FRs were probably the last good rifles Arsenal made. I have more confidence in Radom coming back through AoA/Atlantic than Arsenal substantatively stepping up their game. I hope their warranty folks take care of you. |
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Posted: 5/26/2020 1:29:12 PM EDT
[#12]
They've done nothing but ignore my emails and not answer their phones so far... I'm not too impressed considering I ended up with a century polish tantal that is flawless and got a hunk of junk arsenal. I feel like I ended up in some kind of twilight zone.
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Posted: 5/26/2020 1:31:37 PM EDT
[#13]
I called k-var and they said that since I now own the rifle this falls back on Arsenal's customer service. They were reasonable to talk to though and gave me an alternate email address to try.
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Posted: 5/26/2020 8:16:05 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted: isn't Arsenal subbing out the building of their newer rifles? This is just a rumor, there is no actual proof of this. |
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Posted: 5/26/2020 11:07:42 PM EDT
[#15]
Another update- I spoke to someone via the alternate email from arsenal. Showed him the pics. He reached out to the repair shop and I got another email saying I was receiving a shipping label. From what we discussed they are going to repair the rifle. My next update may not be for a few weeks...
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Posted: 5/26/2020 11:41:56 PM EDT
[#16]
Progress anyway.
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Posted: 5/27/2020 9:49:39 AM EDT
[#17]
I had wanted for years to buy an Arsenal AK to go with my other AK's. I finally bought a Sam7R about five years ago. It has been a complete joy to shoot!
Sorry to hear that Arsenal is not currently making consistently high quality AK's any more. |
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Posted: 5/28/2020 9:06:36 AM EDT
[#18]
@Tantalantics
Does the left side of your receiver have a mark on it with a logo or anything? It'd be near the handguard. The other user is correct in that Arsenal has been subbing out production of their SLR series, and reports have not been the best. Their SAM7 rifles are still made in-house and shouldn't have any issues. That mark on the receiver should tell you if it is a genuine Arsenal or not. If it is a genuine Arsenal made rifle, the mark should appear as a circle with a 10 inside of it. If it is one of their contracted rifles then it will be some other symbol or not have one at all, not sure. If it is a Circle 10 then I'd chalk it up to you just being a bit unlucky in getting a genuine Arsenal that had some issues. |
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Posted: 5/28/2020 7:31:02 PM EDT
[#19]
@Zeebz
https://ibb.co/8sPPS1m Looks like I'll be avoiding the casino then |
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Posted: 5/28/2020 8:34:46 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The other user is correct in that Arsenal has been subbing out production of their SLR series, and reports have not been the best. Last I heard this was still just a hypothesis and not confirmed. |
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Posted: 5/28/2020 8:38:43 PM EDT
[#21]
I've had numerous Arsenals that needed repair/rebuild over the years. I'd estimate about 60% of the one's I've purchased needed fixing. The others had minor issues. I've actually had more luck with later production WASR's than I've had with Arsenals, and the last 107R's I dumped were crap. Wasn't worth the time or $ to bother fixing. I did recently picked up a new Classic. Front sight canted waaaay to the right. Yup, that's the quality you get for $2000.00 with Arsenals' name on it.
I buy them because what else is there to buy, other than the Romanian product? WBP=commercial product and I don't throw my $ away on kit builds/US Gen 2/Gen 3 or whatever improved Gen US produced crap there is. |
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Posted: 5/28/2020 8:39:05 PM EDT
[#22]
AK 's seem to be buyer beware. I once had an AK ok but not really much into it. Quality is all over the place. More money seems to be the way to go with
them. Also on your first post to knock Anderson lowers kinda rough start? Most people on here think they are pretty good for the most part. I have a PSA upper mid-length and a Anderson lower. Nothing special CMMG parts kit and an ALG-QMS trigger. It shoots just as good as 2- Rock Rivers I had before. They were ban and preban. The guys on here can help you on the AK finer points. Maybe you need to buy a different brand not sure??????? Oh well everybody has an opinion. |
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Posted: 5/29/2020 8:45:46 AM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: @Zeebz https://ibb.co/8sPPS1m Looks like I'll be avoiding the casino then @Tantalantics That looks like a 13? Or is the 0 just distorted in the image? |
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Posted: 5/29/2020 8:47:57 AM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Last I heard this was still just a hypothesis and not confirmed. I know ISD, Bulgaria was making the stamped 74 type rifles and it was announced on the (10) FB page. I've seen a couple SLR rifles with no mark on the receiver and I think it was assumed those were made by ISD and that ISD was handling stamped production. While other SLR rifles have the ((10)) Arsenal stamp. |
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Posted: 5/29/2020 10:37:24 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I've had numerous Arsenals that needed repair/rebuild over the years. I'd estimate about 60% of the one's I've purchased needed fixing. The others had minor issues. I've actually had more luck with later production WASR's than I've had with Arsenals, and the last 107R's I dumped were crap. Wasn't worth the time or $ to bother fixing. I did recently picked up a new Classic. Front sight canted waaaay to the right. Yup, that's the quality you get for $2000.00 with Arsenals' name on it. I buy them because what else is there to buy, other than the Romanian product? WBP=commercial product and I don't throw my $ away on kit builds/US Gen 2/Gen 3 or whatever improved Gen US produced crap there is. I’ve had fantastic luck with kits, personally. My Bulgarian ‘74 kit rifle replaced my Arsenal SLR-104 (once value in those skyrocketed). I came out ahead in my own opinion, as the Arsenal had a canted rear sight block and front sight. Properly built with an OG barrel a kit is as close as you can get to a true combloc rifle IMO. |
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Posted: 5/29/2020 10:49:29 AM EDT
[#26]
Outside of the shitty finish, my 101 has been solid. Not an issue I can think of(knock on wood).
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Posted: 5/29/2020 10:21:41 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I’ve had fantastic luck with kits, personally. My Bulgarian ‘74 kit rifle replaced my Arsenal SLR-104 (once value in those skyrocketed). I came out ahead in my own opinion, as the Arsenal had a canted rear sight block and front sight. Properly built with an OG barrel a kit is as close as you can get to a true combloc rifle IMO. It all depends. We've seen here on kit builds gone bad over the years done by so-called professionals. It comes down to who's doing the work, the parts that are used, whether or not the trunnions are at least parked (As well as the receiver) prior to riveting, ETC. There are some guys out there that do outstanding work, and others who just take the cash, and cobble together a POS. I had several Waffen Werks AK74 pattern rifles, and the ejector's on both started to fail. This was over a decade ago. I've also rebuilt many COMBLOC built AK's too. Sometimes I think my expectations are a bit too high, but when a notable builder (One that's been referenced here for doing great work) refinished three 104FR's for me, and they all came back with hair and shit in the finish, I was a bit displeased. In fact, I told him a three-year-old child with a can of Krylon could have done 10X better work, and not at $250.00 each. He said, (NO joke) It's "Just an AK". With all that said, I've had positive experiences with other builders, too. Right now, I tend to stick with factory-built guns and rebuild them where needed, usually. Those 107R's weren't worth my time, however.
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Posted: 5/30/2020 5:15:38 PM EDT
[#28]
People give Arsenal way to much creds. My SLR95 had canted sight and a water color paint job. The paint litterlly came off on my hands while shooting it. When I went to clean it 80% of it came off. It has since been cerakoted. Shoots great and is really accurate though. Seen others that were pretty much the same. I guess if it works then people will over look those little details.
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Posted: 5/31/2020 8:25:57 AM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: People give Arsenal way to much creds. My SLR95 had canted sight and a water color paint job. The paint litterlly came off on my hands while shooting it. When I went to clean it 80% of it came off. It has since been cerakoted. Shoots great and is really accurate though. Seen others that were pretty much the same. I guess if it works then people will over look those little details. I've seen these reports over the years. I've owned about 10 different Arsenals over the years. My friend has about 15 different ones. Between us, we have never had running paint, or canted sites. There must have been a run in there that was just shit. The paint issue is BS for sure, but canted sites is a 5 to 10 min fix with a punch, a hammer, and rubber mallet. These new 107 rifles that came out, I wasn't impressed with. Another posster said the same thing. I'm not sure what has happened to Arsenal, but the latest I've seen, plus what they had posted at shot show does not imbue me with confidence. Whenever someone has an issue with an Arsenal, all the haters come out and bash away. Maybe you guys don't recall the days when everyone wanted modern AKs, and they delivered, with all the modern features. They were the ONLY game in town. Now things have changed, kits are pretty much gone, and again, they are pretty much it until the other guys get their roll going. OP, sucks you got the shaft, hopefully they fix it right. |
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Posted: 5/31/2020 8:43:12 AM EDT
[#30]
Some people give AK rifles too much credit. They weren't designed to be accurate or high quality weapons. They were designed to be mass produced with minimal tools and skills.
I have an Arsenal. Bought it 20 years ago. It's an ok rifle but I never expected an AR quality. The side rail rivets are loose. I too could never sight it well. RS Regulate is an overpriced Chinese POS, praised by Rob Ski because he sells it.. Just try to wiggle the scope left to right. The bracket bends badly. The whole side rail attachment was a bad design to start with. This is why Russian military scopes have very rigid, overbuilt attachments. BTW, I served in the Russian military (not by choice) and thought AKs were great guns...... until I personally discovered the AR platform. |
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Posted: 6/1/2020 11:00:42 PM EDT
[#31]
My luck with Arsenal apparently has been much better than the norm. My SAM7SF is very accurate, my 107 is very well made. The most accurate one I have is the VEPR. I understand that others may have more experience with the different brands of AK than I do, but I have owned and shot them for over 30 years, and come to these conclusions:
Polytech Legends were not legends. Polytech stamped receivers were not great either. The Hungarians know how to make a really good AK with pretty good accuracy. Century's C39V2 may be poorly made, but it is very accurate. The SAM7SF is brilliant. The SLR107-F is a damn fine rifle that I would not be worried to have as my only rifle. The VEPR 7.62x39 converts easily and, what can I say but Mother Russia makes the best bar none. I have a few ARs left, but I shoot AKs. |
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Posted: 6/2/2020 8:23:55 AM EDT
[#32]
This is exactly why I moved away from AKs. It was literally luck of the draw on fit, finish, and QC every time I opened an Arsenal box. I was disappointed way too many times and was sick and tired of fixing what should have been perfect from the factory. The earlier guns from 10-15 years ago were made better.
AKs are fun and have some great features, but I don't consider them a serious fighting rifle platform anymore. Sold most of my collection and moved on. Won't look back, nor have a desire to. |
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Posted: 6/2/2020 9:25:04 AM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I've seen these reports over the years. I've owned about 10 different Arsenals over the years. My friend has about 15 different ones. Between us, we have never had running paint, or canted sites. There must have been a run in there that was just shit. The paint issue is BS for sure, but canted sites is a 5 to 10 min fix with a punch, a hammer, and rubber mallet. These new 107 rifles that came out, I wasn't impressed with. Another posster said the same thing. I'm not sure what has happened to Arsenal, but the latest I've seen, plus what they had posted at shot show does not imbue me with confidence. Whenever someone has an issue with an Arsenal, all the haters come out and bash away. Maybe you guys don't recall the days when everyone wanted modern AKs, and they delivered, with all the modern features. They were the ONLY game in town. Now things have changed, kits are pretty much gone, and again, they are pretty much it until the other guys get their roll going. OP, sucks you got the shaft, hopefully they fix it right. Agreed. I've owned two SAM7 rifles and have gotten both hot with mag dumps and never had an issue with paint bubbling on them, and both had straight sights too. They both ran like tops. |
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Posted: 6/2/2020 9:51:01 AM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This is exactly why I moved away from AKs. It was literally luck of the draw on fit, finish, and QC every time I opened an Arsenal box. I was disappointed way too many times and was sick and tired of fixing what should have been perfect from the factory. The earlier guns from 10-15 years ago were made better. AKs are fun and have some great features, but I don't consider them a serious fighting rifle platform anymore. Sold most of my collection and moved on. Won't look back, nor have a desire to. I'm assuming that opinion is related to more than just because the fit and finish aren't as pretty as other rifles. |
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Posted: 6/7/2020 12:34:14 AM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This is exactly why I moved away from AKs. It was literally luck of the draw on fit, finish, and QC every time I opened an Arsenal box. I was disappointed way too many times and was sick and tired of fixing what should have been perfect from the factory. The earlier guns from 10-15 years ago were made better. AKs are fun and have some great features, but I don't consider them a serious fighting rifle platform anymore. Sold most of my collection and moved on. Won't look back, nor have a desire to. I pretty much agree with you. If a person is just starting out today in the U.S. buying guns, they'd be much better off to select the AR as a platform and use that. That isn't to say the AK isn't a good rifle. It can be. The problem is, people in this country just don't have very much access to the better AK rifles anymore. We can't get Norinco. We can't get the Russian built variants. What we are left with is home grown models and import variants that aren't exactly the most well made. It just doesn't make much sense to try to get into the AK platform in this country right now. It would be like trying to get into the AR platform with only options like Hesse or Olympic to choose from. |
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Posted: 6/7/2020 11:14:41 AM EDT
[#36]
This thread popped in my mind last night. I've been taking a few minutes here and there to return my 2015ish manufactured Arsenal SLR104FR to original condition in preparation for cleaning it up and selling it. Some of the parts like the Krebs ambi safety and the Magpul pistol grip are getting rehomed on my Draco pistol. As I have been taking a moment here and there to do this stuff, it has struck me just how much higher quality the fit and finish is on the arsenal. The action glides along like it is made of glass, and everything just goes together really easily but fits nice and tight. Don't get me wrong, there are machining marks everywhere on that gun and the performance just never did compare to a properly built AR, but it is a great gun with a cool history.
I will probably regret getting rid of it and all my 5.45 ammo, but I'm sure it'll go to a good home. Hopefully arsenal or whoever ends up importing Bulgarian rifles in the future steps up their game. |
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Posted: 6/8/2020 3:31:35 AM EDT
[#37]
I can’t see any of the pics
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Posted: 6/8/2020 12:34:55 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I can't see any of the pics |
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Posted: 6/12/2020 3:47:57 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: But when your competition is WASR’s with shitty rivets and canted sights.... Blasphemy, everybody knows the Mighty WASR always wins again.  Also, those two items are easily fixable, ten minutes for the sights, maybe 30 seconds for the rivets. But I agree with your first statement, Arsenal's should be cheaper all things considered, I don't mind fixing stuff at 500 bucks, over a 1000 and it better be pretty and perfect. Not online much these days, so Hi to Nictra, TX-Zen and Dryflash. 
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Posted: 6/12/2020 4:01:51 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Blasphemy, everybody knows the Mighty WASR always wins again. Also, those two items are easily fixable, ten minutes for the sights, maybe 30 seconds for the rivets. But I agree with your first statement, Arsenal's should be cheaper all things considered, I don't mind fixing stuff at 500 bucks, over a 1000 and it better be pretty and perfect. Not online much these days, so Hi to Nictra, TX-Zen and Dryflash. 
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Posted: 6/12/2020 11:39:39 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Blasphemy, everybody knows the Mighty WASR always wins again. Also, those two items are easily fixable, ten minutes for the sights, maybe 30 seconds for the rivets. But I agree with your first statement, Arsenal's should be cheaper all things considered, I don't mind fixing stuff at 500 bucks, over a 1000 and it better be pretty and perfect. Not online much these days, so Hi to Nictra, TX-Zen and Dryflash. |
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