First the NDM....wow, I'd never shot any SVD varient and boy was I dissapointed. A very cherry NDM in 7.62x54R that a buddy of mine got about six months ago. All the bells and whistles, very nice looking gun, but boy...I think I'd rathar a scoped AK74 out to 300m, or a 91-30 beyond. People poo-pooh the FPL because the AK bolt supposedly "knocks the rifle off target"...if it got any higher than the SVD I was shooting today it would have to qualify as a AA gun. It was a very sweet looking rifle, and everything from shouldering to trigger pull was dandy, but the (*$##$!!! scope kept trying to take my eye out and I've gotten less muzzle rise on a No4Mk5 Jungle Carbine. If this was the premier mass-issue sniper-rifle of the past 35 years, Its completely lost on me why.

At a local fun-show this morning I traded an SKS and a beat-up Tokarev in for some more treasure bits and ammo for shooting today. I ended up installing the rate reducer in my AKMS, as well as buying another couple of muzzle devices for her as I'm using an ATF-approved allen-screw method for switching them out. After playing with my buddy's Legend today I think using the hex-head is actually faster than the ol' plunger.  I put a "faux-hider" on today, looks like the norinco flash-hider but the tear-drops arnt cut through and only have little gas-holes in them so it functions mainly as a break. Damned if between that and the rate reducer the thing didnt get up and bump like a champ. I broke the pin out of the back that I had holding the dust cover in place (my rear trunion is about 1/8" out of place) and so I shot the thing with the dust cover off most of the time, and had a ball. We must have shot a case through it...those stainless steel loc-tited bolts still holding just fine too. I also bought a Hungarian rubber butt bad and find the rifle far more comfortable to shoulder now. With the folder temporarily fixed its not much of an issue, but I pulled the pin today and discovered it bearly locks forward into place even with the pad on. Still...the underfolder isnt as cool as I though it would be...may end up putting some flat Chinese arms on it as the thick round Romanian bits dont fit quite right for some reason. Still one hell of a gun for cheaper than I could have bought an SAR1.

Also (slap's own hand) was a naughty boy and shot my Norinco(/Vektor) 320 today for a few minutes with "the shortie barrel" on it. Other than compact-ness, there seems not to be any difference at the 100m range we were shooting out. Accuracy is still very good, although the custom Vektor 16" barrel along with the custom stock on it currently makes it a veritable tack-driver amoung pistol-cal carbines. Just wish it weighed about five pounds less. That'll just have to wait until I get my Beretta Storm. I still think it was a much better choice for a wanna-be sub-gun than any of the current Civie made Mp5 carbines...mags are cheaper too...I got five this morning for $80.

Well, thats it for my hap-hazard range report.

RG