I picked up a new SSR 85C at the gun show today. It's the same model that Atlantic is selling but with Poly furniture instead of wood.
When I got home I read the negative threads about the SSR 85C and thought I'd post an update about these new ones. Years ago I had an Armory SSR85C that was trouble from the word go. I think these might be a bit different.
The receiver is marked "ISD BULGARIA LTD, Made in Bulgaria" on the right side. On the bottom is stamped with an importer mark, "TGI Knox TN, SSR85C, 7.62x39". It DOES NOT say Armory USA on it anywhere.
All the numbers are matching, receiver, top cover, bolt, carrier, barrel, etc. It does appear to be a fully imported rifle that was low cap and then had the mag well opened up upon arrival. I should note too, that the work on the magwell was top notch. Nice tight fit, no wobble. The muzzle is threaded and has a removeable US made slant brake. It came with US Poly furniture which I've replaced w/ E. German (Tapco G2 Double hook to make up for the parts). Chrome lined bore, parkerized finish. AK style front sight, 800m rear sight, gas tube and top cover with double hook trigger. All parts are brand new and according to Atlantic's site are not built from parts kits. The receiver is the heavier 1.6mm material. 922r compliance parts would be stock, handguards, pistol grip, slant brake, and US made magazine. Everything is straight, nothing binds and the action is very smooth.
I'll take it to the range tomorrow to see how it shoots. I've completely stripped it down and I gotta say that it looks pretty damn good right now. Much much better than a WASR or even a SAR.
Took it to the range today for a spin. Fired 60 rounds and had one failure to eject. I'm going to blame that one on me for not shouldering it properly. The rifle functioned fine. Slight windage adjustment was necessary but not much. The extra weight was nice, especially with the wire stock.
Fired two 20 round groups at 50 yards from sandbags. Wolf hollow points and a pretty windy day.
I plotted the two targets using RSI ballistic software to come up with the following.
Target #1
20 shots @ 50 yards:
Max Spread 5.01"
Average Group Radius: 1.36"
Target #2
20 shots @ 50 yards:
Max Spread 5.50"
Average Group Radius 1.31"
Basically, I think this rifle is as good if not better than many AK's out there. I might not buy one sight unseen, but I wouldn't shy away from it if you happen to run across one in person.