Fuuuuuuuck!  So I purchased this rifle over a month ago.  I noticed that the lower portion of the front handguard was a little dinged up.  No big deal I let that slide.  Then I notice that exterior areas of the rifle are missing some finish.  Again, I'm willing to accept it because it's really not that bad.  So I take it out to the range to do the initial break-in and I notice the rear sight is canted to the right.  Okay, so now I'm starting to get perturbed.  I load up some mags and have several fail-to-feed experiences.  I was told to expect this during the break-in.  So I decide to send the rifle back and I explained in writing everything that was wrong with the rifle.  After two weeks I finally get my rifle back and to my surprise the rear sight is still canted.  They said that they fixed it but it was so obvious that they didn't.  The handguard was replaced and the receiver was touched up but now it's almost a light gray color compared to everything else.  It looks really weird.  So again I take it to the range and have several fail-to-feeds.  I noticed that in most cases the bolt will glide right over the round and decide to pick it up about halfway home.  This causes a major jam and damages the cartridge so badly that it can't be reused.  I actually had a round miss the chamber completely and get jammed in the area between the dust cover and the upper portion of the chamber.  That was a real bitch to get out.  Other times the tip of the round strikes the edge of the guide ramp causing the bolt to come to a compete stop.  The first fifteen rounds of a mag are the worst.  Almost FTF on every round with a nice little jam that has to be cleared and sometimes the bolt completely misses the round and closes on an empty chamber.  From fifteen rounds on down to ten it's not as bad and then the last ten rounds fire flawlessly.  WHAT THE HELL IS THIS ALL ABOUT?!  I have 8 different mags ((2) Polish Steels, (2) Polish Synthetics, (2) Bulgarian Steels, and (2) Norinco Steels) and they all give me this problem.  Do you guys think this is mag related?  I actually noticed that the Polish synthetics did better on average.  I think it was because the front portion of the follower curves up to better align with the guide ramp.  Anyway, I will be sending it back for the second time.  This is a rifle I planned to have and shoot all summer and by the time I get it back again the summer will be damn near over.  I should have listened to all the warnings people gave me about Global.  I will learn my lesson from this.  What do you guys make of this?  Thanks for all your help.  Next time I will listen better.

00, It sounds to me like the mags are sitting too low in the back.  Can you grab the mag and pull back on it slightly when your are shooting it?  It's no cure, but it may identify the problem. How long did they have your rifle before returning it to you?

Quoted: in the long run, they are only hurting themselves. that "double-rework" on your rifle, buckshot, will more than eat up those slim savings. a more careful assembly and test firing may cost a couple of bucks, but the savings it provides to a company's reputation is beyond putting a pricetag on.

Amen, Campy.

Mike

Well, I just talked to Jimmy and explained all of my problems I was having with the rifle.  He is a super nice guy and is about the only thing that keeps me from going through the roof when I talk to these people.  He said that he has a pretty good idea as to what the problem is and said that he will personally inspect the weapon before it is returned to me.  So once again my beautiful little worthless AK is off for round two of repairs.  He also mentioned that their in house AK expert, who I guess is some hot shot Bulgarian, said that an AK really doesn't start to function properly until about 1,000 rounds.  Is there any truth to that?  I've heard that AR15/M16 don't really get reliable until 2,000 to 4,000 rounds but my Bushmaster has only about 1,000 rounds through it with not one malfunction once so ever.  I'm trying not to let this experience cloud the reality that an AK is a solid reliable weapon but right now I'm a bigger AR fan than ever.  Thanks for all your help guys.

Plateshooter,
It was about two weeks total from time of pick up to time of deliver back to me.  We both need to hang in there and keep on these fools like stink on shit and make sure are rifles are returned 100% flawless.  Good luck with yours.  Keep us all informed.

He also mentioned that their in house AK expert, who I guess is some hot shot Bulgarian, said that an AK really doesn't start to function properly until about 1,000 rounds.  Is there any truth to that?

uhh..No...that's a ridiculous statement!  An AK is a machine, and an incredibly simple one at that.  Very little in an AK will flex or wear over a 1000rd period.  If aligned and riveted  properly, an AK should run perfectly right off the bat.  Guns that have tight tolerances will occasionally need to 'wear-in' the finish or something or to function correctly, but an AK is designed loose and violent internally.  The carrier should fit sloppily and slide on the rails effortlessly right off the bat.  Again...complete bullshit.

take care,
Tec

He also mentioned that their in house AK expert, who I guess is some hot shot Bulgarian, said that an AK really doesn't start to function properly until about 1,000 rounds.  Is there any truth to that?  I've heard that AR15/M16 don't really get reliable until 2,000 to 4,000 rounds but my Bushmaster has only about 1,000 rounds through it with not one malfunction once so ever.

Hmmm, I don't buy that either.  I've had plenty an AK that worked fine out of the box.  Also all of my AR's, except a used one that somebody monkeyed on, have worked fine out of the box.

Quoted: Plateshooter, It was about two weeks total from time of pick up to time of deliver back to me.  We both need to hang in there and keep on these fools like stink on shit and make sure are rifles are returned 100% flawless.  Good luck with yours.  Keep us all informed.

Will do 00, thanks to Engineer's great photography skills, I have many pics of the rifle in its original condition.  I'll post some pics when I get it back to compare the before and after alignment issues.  Jimmy seems like a really nice guy to me too, but if being nice doesn't correct the problem, we are just being fooled again.

Well I also purchased a SSR-56 about 2 months ago, mine shot  way to the left and like you I have had at least two to three FTF just like you describe out of each 30 round mag. I also have tried different mags with the same FTF occuring.

I have only fired about 400 rounds so far. I must say I am not very happy paying 500.00 and having problems out of the box. After reading some of the problems other are having I too must question why these are not test fired or at least QC better before being sold. I have field striped mine and cleaned & lube it after the last outing. I will give one more range test and if it continues I will take it back to Global for repair.

I guess my problem is I might have belived there was some break in require instead of admitting I purchased a good looking POS. I should have know better since I also own a Norico underfolder purchased many years ago and I have never had any problems with it.

good luck and keep us posted on how you make out as I am very intrested.

  A thousand rounds before it starts to function properly???????????????

 An AK fuckin 47 that needs a thousand rounds before it starts to function properly???????

 That sounds painfully similar to a response that I got from a certain Toad Bailey when my SW-5 was short stroking. "It needs a break in period of a thousand rounds of +P+ 9MM"

 My response to him, and yours to them should be "You can wipe a monkeys ass with this piece O shyte, and gimme some remuneration"


 Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

  Chuck

 

Damn Tattoo Guy, tell them how you really feel......

That's funny shiite......

KF

 Yeah well, maybe it was a tad on the harsh side, but for them to put an AK out on the market for that kind of money and then have the bald assed audacity to tell a fella "Well you know that AK-47s dont start to function properly until they have around a thousand rounds through them" is pure unadulterated unfiltered 100% genyoowine horse shit.

 You know that Ole Mikhail the man himself once voiced the opinion that outside of the Russian arsenal built weapons, the finest examples in existence were the Bulgarian weapons.

 And then for some so called pointy headed Bulgarian wanker to spout some shit like that is totally beyond belief. Has he no sense of the tradition that he is supposed to be upholding, has he no regard for the diservice that he does to the accolades bestown upon Bulgarian weapons by the man who designed the system?

 This Bulgarian yahoo should be escorted into the assembly area at Tula and shot in his head with a brand new,just finished, 0 rounds through it,AK by god 47,74,103,105, or whatever they have laying around ready to go, and then they can dance a jig on his sorry ass grave singing about how Aks need a thousand rounds to break in except for the one that killed this sorry dumb ass, Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr  

 Really though, stuff like this dosen't make me bitter or anything.

 Take your money and buy a rifle from Mike at Rapid Fire, and I by god guarantee you that it don't need no break in period of no thousand freakin rounds!

 Chuck

Well most automatic rifles do benefit from some break in. I know I've had AK's that needed a few rounds put through them (never more than 200 though).  Most AK's I've bought functioned OK out of the box though.

The only rifle I ever bought that was truly beautiful out of the box was a Springfield M1A.

(B)Take your money and buy a rifle from Mike at Rapid Fire, and I by god guarantee you that it don't need no break in period of no thousand freakin rounds!(B)

That is correct. Mike recommends a break in period for the rifles he builds of one round. After that, it'll run like a freight train.