Are these AK's any good?  What's the general opinion?

Quality Ak's.  Moved a Bulgarian tool works here to make AK's.  My only compaint is that they dont have the scope mount plate on the side of the receiver like the romanian AK's do.

Mine does, but then I bought the milled receiver one!!!

I think all the Arsenal Ak's are milled.  Maybe I am wrong about the scope mount plate.

The one I looked has the scope mount.

$559 sound about right?

There was some bashing going back and fourth about this some time ago.

The finest (non Finn or Izzy) AK ever produced comes from Arsenal Bulgaria, a state run factory.  The only rational argument against this claim, is that they are heavy, but then again, all milled AKs are heavier than stamped.  The most common imported Bulgarian rifle was the SLR95MB.  This rifle was subsequently banned from import buy yet further regulation.

I don't know how it happened, but Arsenal (USA or Inc) started making them here.  They claim to have imported the tooling, and even some employees of Arsenal Bulgaria.  I can't confirm or deny this, but there was some argument about this once upon a time.  Something about the people that they brought in weren't the real "technicians".  I don't know, this could be a bunch of lies made up by competitors.

I've seen their stuff, and it looks decent, but there's no chance it can equal the quality of what Arsenal Bulgaria used to put out.  This is a moot point, as you can't buy Arsenal Bulgaria stuff anymore, but Arsenal use it as a benchmark.

Go to Arsenal Bulgarias site if you want to see what they make.  It's a sweet site.

[url]http://www.arsenal-bg.com/flash.htm[/url]

Even though Arsenal, likely makes good stuff, comparing their product to the original, is kind of like comparing a G3 smiths work to what HK themselves can produce.

arsenal inc. = arsensenal kazanlak usa, las vegas, nevada. this is the bulgarian/american kalshnikov enterprise set up by k-var and some technician from the kazanlak, bulgasria arsenal, the world famous "code 10" arsenal.

arsenal usa = globaltrades, a texas based company that also builds kalashnikov clones. the company is run by jimmy streetman.

the bulgarian clones built in las vegas all utilize the old (1951-1958) milled type III ak-47 receiver, steyr technology hammer forged barrels and and a mix of ak-47, akm, ak-74 and ak-100 series parts. they are of very high assembly and finish quality and are definitely worth the asking price.

by all means, get the sa-m7"s" (scope rail/optic mounting plate) model, as this opens up a world of russian and belarussian optics and collimator sights to you.

[b]There isn't a great variance in the real quality between them, it's mainly in the materials.[/b]

you ARE kidding me? right? to favorably compare an arsenal kazalak product to a cugir arsenal product is insane. the romaian finish is simply a thin black oxide vs. the bulgarian hot zinc phosphate overcoated with baked on laquer. the bulgarian investment casting and forgings are both light years better in quality than the romanian. compare the furniture...the assembly accuracy...the bul;garian quality is much better than the romanians.

basically, the russian, yugoslavian, bulgarian and polish variants are top shelf..and the israeli and finnish clones are also well made. the egyptian and romanian models are the bottom of the bbl., with the indian insas model also looking like crap. there are many variants that fill the gap in between.

[b]The truth is, a cheap ass Romanian with a crappy finish is barely worse than a sweet Bulgie milled.[/b]

well, they both shoot to about the same level of accuracy and functionaliy/reliability...but the comparison ends there.

[b]When you consider the latter is almost twice the price of the former, the mystique of having a milled bulgie wears off quick.[/b]

there are valid reasons for owning nice rifles. i can easily justify the cost differences.

[b]Especially since they're heavier.[/b]

yes...approximately 2 lbs. heavier for a type III ak-47 clone vs. a stamped type IV akm clone. none the less, most of us do not hump our rifles for miles and miles. even then, at my somewhat advanced age, i'm able to hump a 9.5 lb. rifle all day...as long as you don't simultaneously saddle me with a 50 lb. pack and gear! lol!

They make a model that has a scope mount, and one that doesn't.


$559 sounds like a good NIB price.

I have an SLR95 that I love.
I saw the "new" arenal rifles at the shot show, and it did make me want to trade it in for one.  Problem is nobody wants to pay anything for a thumbhole stock ak anymore, even if it is an SLR.

Of course, the thumbhole on my slr is more comfortable than 90% of the ak pistol grips I've ever shot.

Small Arms Review did a favorable article on ARSENAL AKs, here's the link to the article.  It's a pdf file, if your on dial up wait, it will load.  


[url]http://www.smallarmsreview.com/pdf/sam7.pdf[/url]

Campy speaks the truth !! [:D]
However, he neglected to put the Hungarian FEG's in with the Yugo's, Polish etc... in the "top shelf" catagory. [BD]
Arsenal USA, the Global trades builds, are also great rifles. Especially the early SSR versions which used the FEG receiver and Polish parts (I have one and love it) and the outstanding SSR99P.

They are beautiful, quality AKs.  If you purchase one, you won't be disappointed.