Many of you already know that Arsenal USA was a division branched off of the Global Trades Company. Many of you also know that their first three offerings were the Arsenal USA SSR-99, K-101, and SSR-99P. What not all know, is what struggles they ran into in getting these projects started. Also, the involvement that companies like Arsenal of Bulgaria and Gordon Technologies had in these projects. I gathered much of this info years ago, and the AK-47 dot net boards has a sticky up with this projects history. It really makes for some interesting reading, and one will see model names like "SLR-100" and how it fits into the Arsenal USA saga.
Most of the info was obtained from the horses mouths (Jimmy Streetman of Arsenal USA & Jerry Gordon of Gordon Technologies).

Anyhows, for those that have never read it, and that may be interested in doing so, here is the addy to go to:

www.gunsnet.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=98227

I hope those that visit the post, end up enjoying it :)

Thanks for the link, good read. I only wander over there about 2x month, and had not seen that before.

Thanks guys, I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

Campy,

I just tried to buddy, but the boards here won't allow a post over 8000 characters, and my SSR-99/K-101 project post is something like 23000 characters long!!! LOL!!!

Anyhows, I could chop it and crop it, but I would be losing alot of detail, so I figured that I wouldn't want to do that (me being a picky SOB that does not like to leave out details :)

The other problem would be the photos I used on that thread. They are Gunsnet material, and I'm not sure how they would feel about it, or how the board runners here would feel about it. Sticky situation I guess.

I am honored and appreciate the fact that you find the thread interesting enough to want to use it here :)

I bought a SSR-99 NIB for $650 back in 2001, from a local dealer. Its a great AK, it has the spot welded slant muzzle brake, and when I get home from work I will check for the "G-spot". This is my third AK and the best one yet, the other two being a MAK-90 and a folding stock in .223. I can't remember the model number, just that it was a hell trying to find mags for it, so I traded it for a M1A. I wish I would have keep it now. As far as the SSR-99, it will never be traded or sold. Thanks for the info on it.

I took my SSR apart and checked it and it has the "G" under the front sight at the rear of the barrel. With only 250 made, what seriel number do I go by? The one stamped on the outside left of the reciever which is XXX397 or the one stamped on the barrel which is 121?

You wrote:

"With only 250 made, what seriel number do I go by? The one stamped on the outside left of the reciever which is XXX397 or the one stamped on the barrel which is 121?"

Go with the receiver serial number. These guns were built using brand new un-assembled Bulgarian parts kits, as were being sold to K-VAR at the same time, so any other numbers on the gun will be reference numbers and such. The barrel assemblies were the exact same as used to manufacture the full auto AR-M1 Bulgarian AK's, so there is threading on the muzzle under that slant AKM style brake (unlike the unthreaded muzzle ends of the SLR-95/SA M-7 guns). You will only find one serial number on the SSR-99 guns, that being on the receiver and bolt head. Though some numbers may seem much higher on some than others, there were only 252 SSR-99's built, with 150 or so being done by G-Tech under contract of the Arsenal USA company. The reason for the wide range in serial numbers (mine being S004xx), is because the production serial numbers were not done consecutively. Arsenal USA even sold some of their project bound SSR-99 receivers, as stand alone receiver sales. This probably ended up being a mistake for them, because later, when Arsenal USA ran out of SSR-99 designated receivers, they had to resort to purchasing some of Intrac's SLR-100 Bulgarian receivers to finish their production run of SSR-99's. Sure enough though, only 252 SSR-99's were produced (by G-Tech & Arsenal USA's in house staff). The 150 or so built by G-Tech under Arsenal USA contract, tend to be the more desirable of the bunch. I was the first person on the forum boards at the time (circa 1999) to call G-Tech's G stamping, a "G Spot", and it kinda stuck. They say us males constantly have sex on our minds, and since most of us speak about guns as if they were females (like boats & ships), I feel the "G spot" is a more than a appropriate manner to speak about it :)

PS. The funny thing about Arsenal USA needing to purchase some of Intracs SLR-100 receivers to finish the SSR-99 production run, is that the SLR-100 receivers were originally made by the Bulgarians for a Arsenal USA project to begin with. The SLR-100 model was supposed to be an Arsenal USA import rifle from Bulgaria. It was going to be a .223/5.56 version of the SLR-95, but Clinton (with the help of the BATF) put a stop to the whole plan just before Arsenal USA was about to start bringing them in. This caused Arsenal USA's planning to go from being an expected thumbhole stocked AK importer, to a U.S. parts method AK builder. They scrapped the SLR-100 thumbhole stock gun idea, and started a new one (the SSR-99, K-101, and the used component SSR-99P variants).

Anyhows, I guess my link above explained all that, so sorry for babbling on :)

Oh, here is something on a related note. Sometime after Arseanl USA ran out of components to manufacture more SSR-99 rifles, it looks as if the Intrac firm was going to revive it in a version of their own, and under another model designation (the SLR-99). What seems to have happened, was that Intrac had brought in about 10 or so receivers from Bulgaria stamped with this new SLR-99 designation. These first ten or so were slated to be built up as dealer samples, with much more planned to be built behind them. Well, then we all know the situation about the BATF ruling not to allow these types of receivers in anymore, and that killed that project.

Of course today, with the Arsenal Inc company SA M-7, we continue to get Bulgarian based guns produced that are modeled after the Arsenal of Bulgaria AR-M1 series AK's. They just keep coming out with more ways of giving us what we want. Arsenal INC has been the only company to actually be licensed by a former Communist Block AK builder, no less being the world famous Arsenal of Bulgaria.  

Any idea of what the total production number of the K-101 was?

What are they worth these days? $1K?

How do you get the handguard off to see if it has a "g" spot? I know where there is a ssr99p nib and the price is looow. I may have to make a move now.

I never did get an exact number from Arsenal USA on their K-101's, but I know that Jimmy Streetman (of Arsenal USA) did say the numbers were even less than those of the SSR-99.

As far as getting to the possible "G spot" on one of these rifles, one must first remove the upper handguard/gas tube assembly. Then one will see a lever that retains the lower handguard retainer, this lever must be raised and the retainer slid forward enough to allow the handguard to be lowered off of the barrel area.

Just as a related note, the SSR-99P variant is difeerent than the standard SSR-99. The P variant was built using a used Polish military AK parts kit (a grenade launching version), mounted to a new Bulgarian receiver. Nice guns, but just remember that they were not of all new manufacture. One will find a gas shut off lever on the gas chamber of these SSR-99P variants. This was used when the Polish fired their grenades from them (of no use on a semi auto gun), and forgetting that you have the lever on the off position, will cause your gun to become a manually operated single shot gun.

Oops, I forgot to mention price on these (standard SSR-99's & K-101's). They are of course out of production, and prices can/will vary, but $1000-$1200 has been the prices I've seen more recently on them. Not too many of them around, and hard to find as hens teeth.
Not an outrageous dollar amount for a gun that went for about $600 dealer cost through Interstate Arms during late 1999 and 2000.
The more common retail store price at that time, was about $700-$800 (some a little more, some a little less, but definitely were the average prices). With so few floating around today (heck, even then), and with them being almost completely Bulgarian component made (including their forged and milled receivers) they usually sell easily when placed on the market.

I never really cared for the used component SSR-99P variant, and that is why my thread never really covered that model.

However, Jimmy Streetman of Arsenal USA is pretty good about answering questions about them :)

Hope this helps:)

I took a good look at it last time I was there, I noticed that the barrel was chrome lined and looked as new. I was impressed with the fit and finish of it. It seemed really nice. It does have the "spot" weld and the slanted break. My luck now would be that its gone. I'll find out though.

Yeah, the parts kits they used to build the SSR-99P variant were known to be in very nice condition, so I can believe you when you say the barrel looked new"ish". The earliest Arsenal USA guns (SSR-99's, K-101's, and SSR-99P's) were all assembled by Gordon Technologies. While most of the SSR-99's and K-101's were also parkerized at G-Techs facility, the earliest SSR-99P variants were left for Arsenal USA to finish at their facility. This was a terrible mistake, because Arsenal USA used a paint that did not hold up at all, especially to almost any solvent. After many complaints were brought up to Arsenal USA about their finish, they decided to continue the SSR-99P series using the SSR-99 and K-101 finish, which was an almost black phosphate (what we generically call parkerized). Unlike the phosphating that is found under many AK's (like the Arsenal Inc SA M-7 and the Arsenal of Bulgaria AR-M1), the phosphate finish applied to the Arsenal USA guns were meant to be the actual final finish. Again, instead of being the mild grey phosphate finish that is used for the base protection on a typical black painted AK, the phosphate used on the SSR-99/K-101 series rifles were almost a dead ringer to whatever phosphating is used on the Bushmaster AR15/M16 rifle barrels and front sight housings. It really does look like the same finish (if you have a Bushmaster AR, you will know what the finish on a SSR-99 or K-101 looks like). The finish is very attractive (IMO), and would still make a great base for someone that would still rather see it have a final painted finish applied.
I have an SSR-99, and an SA M-7. Though both look real nice, the SSR-99's finish makes it look like a much higher quality gun (even though they are both very well assembled, and both based on the Bulgarian AR-M1 rifle). It's hard to explain, but in my oppinion, the SSR's parkerized finish gives the gun a much better look, though I'm sure that the combination of paint and phosphating that the SA M-7 has, is probably much more weather resistant.

Anyway, I mentioned this because if the SSR-99P that you saw had a painted finish, it may be that finish that Arsenal USA had a problem with. They only did this to some of the SSR-99P variants, and to none of the SSR-99 and K-101 rifles (which all had the Bushmaster like Phosphate finish).
If the SSR-99P you saw has the inferior painted finish, just be ready for it needing a new finish.  

Again, hope this was of some help :)

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, the SSR-99P AKM style slant brake, is the same one as they used on the standard SSR-99. Most, but not all of the SSR-99P variants, were sent out with the grenade launching accessories as well, including the muzzle grenade launching device. By law, it could not be installed, but they sent them out with the guns as a conversation/collectible piece. When they ran out of these accessories, they just continued selling the guns without them.

The slant style AKM brake on the SSR-99/SSR-99P, and the AK-74 style brake on the K-101, were all made in the US by the Blue Ridge Precision company using the milled from steel barstock method. And again, all these guns have threading under their brakes.

 

Thanks for the info.