Just showed up.  One with scope plate, one without.  First thing that stands out is the dreadful spot weld job on the lower receiver rails.  Never seen spot welds that bad, on anything.  The left side selector depression is also off center on the rifle with no plate, can't tell on the other.  The rivet work is crude too, as would be expected on a Bulgarian Arsenal product though.  Paint is sort of a dark gray/black charcoal, like some of the more matte Bulgarian Arsenal kits I have had.  Feed ramp is the two rivet round bottom type like found on a Bulgarian AKS-74, or a Tula AKSU.

Overall, same thing as Bulgarian Arsenal's early 74's that have been imported the last few years as kits, except with nasty spot welds, neutered bolt carrier/gas block/FSB, no hole for the auto sear pin, US furniture and trigger group, and the markings.  The rear sight is serialized to the rifle, never seen that on a 74 before.  Markings are not real obnoxious, I can live with them.  The buttstock is held on with Torx (sp?) screws.  Oh yeah, and the receiver is not cut into pieces, wooo hooo!

I take it that the mag well has been opened up?  There is signs of a overcoat of paint, there is over spray on the trigger pins and the chamber.  Those should clean up nicely, and to be fair I gotten Izhmash products with over spray on the trigger pins (not sure how that happens).   One nice touch is that the is a rubber cover on the charging handle, so the handle won't cut thru the box.

Will get to work converting to Izhmash AK-74 clones, but hesitate in that I wonder if Bulgarian Arsenal will fix their spot welder and put out cleaner welds in the future.  Makes me wonder if I should wait.  Also, have a Izhmash 1977 AKM kit that I need to get put together, not sure which projects will start on first.  Oh yeah, and I need to paint the kitchen and hang a new lamp....

Any how, I am pleased as punch to get these rifles, have been piecing together four 74 kits over the past 10 years or so, just waiting for this day.

Yes Chamberlin, they have one trigger bump.

Quoted: perhaps that is because they are puddle welds.

Maybe so, I don't know, they are ugly though.

Quoted: so...not the "black black"? heheheh!

Ah, you read between the lines, correct not even close to BLACK.

Quoted: damn! coming to america had a positive influence on the bulgarians!!!

I doubt it, bet Arsenal Inc did that.

Quoted: dontcha just hate that?!?!?! damn near every gun i've rec'd has the damn charging handle sticking out of the poorly packed box! lordy! is bubble wrap REALLY that exspensive???

Yeah, got a Saiga in a few weeks back, charging handle messed the box up, at least it did not stick out all the way thru the shipping box.

Quoted: would you rather have 'clean' welds or penetration that screans, "i am strong like bear!"? besides, that extra heat spot anneals the steel. that's a good thing.

Would rather have a strong good looking weld, like an all other AK's I have ever seen.

Quoted: and i'm headed out to cut 3 acres of grass..hopefully for the last time this year, my friend. thus, beuing short on 'project time'...i'll wait for the arsenal guys to do a folder up right.

Will probably get me a couple of Arsenal folders myself.  I get the idea that Arsenal Inc will be converting Bulgarian Arsenal butthole stock rifles to folders.

Quoted: congrats man! let us see the pictures...and make sure they turn out "black black"!!!

Will do at least one BLACK, an early clone.  Probably won't be no pics, all those parts count police on the net you know.  You can be assured that the Russian parts count will be good though, hehe.

If I get a chance tonight, will try and stuff a military Bulgarin Arsenal 74 barrel in one of them.  I get the idea that the barrel pin won't line up though.

From all of the descriptions and pictures I've seen of these new Bulgarian AK-74s, they don't seem to be living up to the hype.

I was expecting the uber-AK, the top-of-the line 5.45mm.

Here is a question: for anybody that has handled BOTH a SEAK AK-74 and one of these new Bulgarians, how do they compare?

I plan on holding off on these Bulgarians for a while. In my opinion the jury is still very much out.

Quoted: Here is a question: for anybody that has handled BOTH a SEAK AK-74 and one of these new Bulgarians, how do they compare?

Probably the wrong guy to answer this, but I had a ORF built 74 on a OOW receiver, and it did not compare to a SLR-105.  Now that the Bulgarian 74 is on the market, no way I would go back to using a "look alike" receiver.

Quoted: Probably the wrong guy to answer this, but I had a ORF built 74 on a OOW receiver, and it did not compare to a SLR-105.  Now that the Bulgarian 74 is on the market, no way I would go back to using a "look alike" receiver.

Could you get specific?

Have you handled other 5.45mm rifles? My only experience is with a SAR-2.

Quoted: Could you get specific?

Sure:

www.gunsnet.net/forums/showthread.php?t=101194

Quoted: Have you handled other 5.45mm rifles? My only experience is with a SAR-2.

Don't have any experiance with other 74 type rifles.  Never did the SAR-2.

Thanks for the news Ekie,  too bad about the cosmetic end of it, looking forward to hear your  mechanical report...

I am a huge proponent of Torx screws, I have had these spec'd in our engineering documents at work for many applications.... just not sure why they are needed for stock screws, but what the hey, those would get changed in an elitist replica build anyways right?  :)

-C

Sorry, I have been banned from that other board for stating that K-VAR is a good company, so I cannot see that info.

I think I will wait for more pictures and user reports of the Bulgarian 74s. My hope is that someday Arsenal Inc. will begin building them here in much the fashion they began building the milled guns here. When we have some American quality control coupled with the inherent design of the Bulgarian receiver I think we will have a winner.

Quoted: I am a huge proponent of Torx screws, I have had these spec'd in our engineering documents at work for many applications.... just not sure why they are needed for stock screws, but what the hey, those would get changed in an elitist replica build anyways right?  :) -C

Yes, screws would be replaced any how.

Got it taken apart last night, couple more observations.  The rear trunion has some sort of State side mod done to it.  Noticed that part of it was polished and "in the white".  Turns out the front trunion really is a AKS-74 trunion, that explains the round bottom two rivet feed ramp.   The hole for the front catch is all ready drilled in the trunion (not the receiver) for the front catch.  I would guess that Arsenal Inc ordered them up with AKS-74 front trunions to make AKS conversions more straight forward.

I got the barrel off one last night, and pressed a military one in.  Pressed the barrel in a wee bit to far, and noticed it was 01:00 hours, so had to call it a night.  Good news was that it looks like the barrel/trunion hole may line up, and the bolt would not turn on a GO gauge with the barrel pressed in too far.

And yes CAMPYBOB, mine are going to have to have a BLACK paint job, don't look right......

Here is the part I was wanting (sorry that my late night shop pics are dreadful):




Here is a shot of the SLR-105 wearing some parts from a parts kit that had been waiting for a host (just a mock up, barrel ain't lined up, and bolt will not even fit):



Needs a BLACK paint job huh?

Yea, thought it was kinda funny to have the round bottom feedtray, thought the AK-74 had the key cut... so now this all makes sense... BTW, the Russian RPK-74 has the round bottom dual rivet tray, as well as my Izhmash AKSU stub (not suprisingly)....

I think you'll be the first to have a Bulg receiver wood 74!!!

-C

Quoted: Yea, thought it was kinda funny to have the round bottom feedtray, thought the AK-74 had the key cut... so now this all makes sense... BTW, the Russian RPK-74 has the round bottom dual rivet tray, as well as my Izhmash AKSU stub (not suprisingly)....

Yeah, I remember that Izhmash AKSU, think that was the first time we saw that type of trunion?

Quoted: I think you'll be the first to have a Bulg receiver wood 74!!!

My reward for staying up late?

My reward for staying up late?



One Righteous Russian Stylized AK-74!

Thanks for the pics and run down.   I'm just glad they're finally getting to market.

Now I just need three of those suckers and some Ekie Super Black Paint #74!

Dave

What type of kit did you put on?

Quoted: What type of kit did you put on?

Well, I have been collecting Russian 74 parts for years, just waiting to find something to build them on.  A part here and there kinda thing.  Some parts Russian, some Bulgarian, and a few East German parts too.  You can see some of this stuff here:

tantal.kalashnikov.guns.ru/variants.html

Quoted: That rifle looks awsome!  Good job as always!!!

Thanks.

Update:

Forgot to mention that the rear sight base is numbered to match the rifle.  Also noted something else last night, the selector switches are current pattern Izhmash (1987 and on), but modified for semiauto.  The AKS-74 kits currently on the market also have the late pattern Izhmash selector.

Got over being decisional last night, no way the barrel swap is going to work, barrel pins don't line up.  So would have to redrill and use a oversized pin, or just swap out the gas block and FSB.

Thanks for the write up Ekie. Now I know what I am in for.

Quoted: Arsenal Inc. will be selling 7.62x39mm stamped receiver rifles as well, they will be called SLR-107's, and will probably be available in a couple months, if not before.  Would make a great AKM donor.

I assume the rear trunions on these upcoming .30 cal models will still be the AK-74 rivet pattern, and have trigger  bumps etc....

-C

Quoted: I assume the rear trunions on these upcoming .30 cal models will still be the AK-74 rivet pattern, and have trigger  bumps etc....

Was thinking the same thing, don't think that Izhmash ever set them up to make a AKM so thiers would be some sort of hybrid.

Same problem here at my work Campy, I have been the driving force to get rid of the damn Allen head screws on everything we make, especially in the smaller sizes; those 6 flats become one nice circle way too easy!!!  Down with Allen heads!

-C

Quoted: Quoted: I assume the rear trunions on these upcoming .30 cal models will still be the AK-74 rivet pattern, and have trigger  bumps etc.... Was thinking the same thing, don't think that Izhmash ever set them up to make a AKM so thiers would be some sort of hybrid.

Glad I still have a couple FEG shells a Romy shell and the Maadi to build the .30 cal stuff... I'll leave the Bulg receivers for the late AK-74 builds then...

Hey did you notice the trigger gaurd on those SLR105s looks a little Russian? Rounded tab?
How is that clocking on the selector lever??? You said Izhmash style right? Once Ted and I get some of these in hand, we can make some comparisons to some of his Bulgarian factory post samples to shed some light onto where this sheetsteel really came from! Hehehe just playing
D.A.  
-C

tagged

tagged

Quoted: [Hey did you notice the trigger gaurd on those SLR105s looks a little Russian? Rounded tab? How is that clocking on the selector lever??? You said Izhmash style right?

Joe, trigger guards and selectors are same as on thier AKS-74 kits.  That being late Izhmash selectors, and what appears to be a Russian round tab trigger guard.  I found out about these trigger guards to late to get them in the varaition guide, and have not talked to Tantal much about them.  Not sure what these are all about.

Quoted: Well, what I would like to know is: How smooth is the action? Is it as good as the milled rifles? On my Arsenal RPK, it's smoother than my Galil. I'd like to hear that be the case w/the stamped rifles too.

No, a stamped rifle does not have the same feel as a milled.