Armory SSR-85

[goon]

I just bought an Armory SSR-85 a couple weeks ago. I felt I should let other potential buyers know what I think of it and I also have a few questions.
First, this AK is very well made. It feels solid and tight and locks up tighter than any other AK I have ever owned. The only exception to this is that the mag well seems a little looser than the other AK's I have owned but this hasn't affected function in the 400 or so rounds I have shot through it. I have only found one mag so far that it doesn't like, a hungarian 20 rounder. That can happen with any gun/mag combo from time to time though so no big deal.
Reliability has been nearly perfect with FMJ ammo. There were a couple hangups on the first few rounds and maybe the first three hand cycled rounds but it now runs perfect with them. The rifle did not like HP ammo from the beginning. If I tried to use them they would just get banged into the rear of the barrel and end up with the bullet pushed down into the casing. I think that this is because this rifle has basically no feed ramp. I did some sanding last night with some 400 grit sandpaper and now HP ammo works but still has an occasional hiccup where I have to pull the charging handle back and let it slam again to chamber them. I think this will go away with use but if not I can still sand a little more and almost certainly fix it.
I can also feel that the rifle will sort of "slow cycle" at times. What I mean is that it feels like a round will almost hang up and then it goes into battery. I also attribute this to just being tight in general. I think another 400 or so rounds will do wonders for the operation of this rifle.
Accuracy seems pretty good but I have never been a great marksman. Shooting offhand just for the hell of it today I got about a 5" 100 yard group with a couple flyers. At 50 yards from the bench I was getting many groups that had two holes touching. Seems good enough to me.
All things being equal I like the rifle. Other AK's I have had haven't suited me for many reasons but I think this one will. I do wish that the maker had taken time to put a more prominent feed ramp in though. I think that would have made a breakin unnecessary.

Now my questions - Does anyone else have one of these? Have you had similar issues? Did they work themselves out? Have you tried Bulgarian polymer mags in yours and how do they work?
Thank you.

 

[Gunz]

Goon, you could not have posted this at a better time. I saw one for $500, and it piqued my interest. I saw the Armory brand, and the "Made in Bulgaira" stamping on the receiver. I did not purchase one, because I thought it is a knock-off of an Arsenal. No one at the shop knew what it is. The furniture looked a bit crude, with the dark burgundy color.

Hearing your report, I may pick one up. With the prices of 762x39 at $4 per 20 rds vs. the old days of $2 per 20 rds., it is no huge savings. Still, it is a historical design, and if it is a beater and a shooter, I plan on getting one.

The one I held had the slant muzzle brake, and everything locked tightly. The parkering was a bit thin, but it is an AK.

 

[1 old 0311]

Hi Gunz,

Try www.ammunitiontogo.com for 7.62x39

 

[petej]

My Armory USA/Gloabal Trades AMD-63 has never hanged up HP of FMJ, neither has my Arsenal Inc. Las Vegas. I would be dissapointed in the purchase if it were me.

You gonna trust your life on on a AK that has hicups once in a while on HP? not me

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

Goon, thank you for your review and testimonial. More people than you know appreciate this.

I've never shot an Armory AK, but I've handled them and they look to be pretty fine AK's..I'd put them just a little bit under Arsenals. Definately a tier 1 AK.

The HP feeding issue you describe is A LOT more common than is discussed or reported on the internet. I believe this is in part to people not being able to admit that the super-reliability AK actually chokes on HP's. Not all of them do, but I've heard and seen HP's doing just that. People are reluctant to report AK issues. I've seen plenty of AK's jamming at the range - yet on the internet they are reliable to almost mythical levels.

Being that there's little discussion on the matter, it is difficult to find a remedy. I know there was a thread (either here or another forum can't remember) about Chinese AK's (MAK's in particular) having this issue with hollowpoints. Search around if the problem persists, but it sounds like you've taken care of it.

Best bet is to stick to FMJ's. HP's were never a military-spec bullet or cartridge for the AK.

If you must shoot HP's because that's what you have, and you are depending on this rifle for defensive uses...I'd make sure it can digest at least 200rds of HP's, both slow fire and rapid fire without a single hiccup or problem whatsoever. Don't trust it even if you question the speed or smoothness of the feeding or action. If the carrier stroke feels like its hanging up - you might not want to use this ammo for serious business.

 

[goon]

I have also seen other AK's that won't work with HP and JSP ammo. All the ones I have owned were OK but that doesn't mean much. It does run on FMJ ammo so that is what I plan to use. I still want it to work with HP ammo though. I would prefer that it work on whatever is available.
I am not opposed to sending it back for repairs if necessary.
It just seems to me that sending them back is becoming too common when I buy guns. The last 4 I have bought have had some issue with them. At least this one is minor enough that I can fix it myself. All I did was look at where the round was hitting and start smoothing it with sandpaper, then try a couple hand cycled rounds. Then repeat until the cycled from both sides of the mag by hand.
Wolf military classic HP's seem like they will work with some breaking in. Regular Wolf HP hangs up when it feeds from the left side of the mag but will go in with pulling back on the charging handle and releasing it again. I think a little more polishing will have them working as well.

 

[slugcatcher]

I bought the same model a year ago. I put ~200rds through it without a problem the day i got it. They were all mixed mfgs (wolf, chinese surplus, and some surplus stuff I couldn't even read) and bullets types (sp, hp, fmj). Call them up and have it fixed. If you're in the Houston area they easy to find. They're right off Hwy 3 near South Houston.

 

[goon]

I am in PA. I work full time and I am now attending college full time. I only get "home" for about one day a week. Sending a rifle back for repairs is a huge PITA for me. I am just about positive that I can fix it myself with just a little polishing. $5 for sandpaper is way easier for me to deal with than screwing around sending a gun back so I would prefer to do that first.

 

[hank327]

I have a SSR-85B that I bought several years ago. It is an AKM type using the stamped Hungarian FEG receiver, a Polish parts kit and blonde wood Hungarian furniture. It has proven to be 100% reliable with both FMJ and HP. In fact, I shoot the HP almost exclusively as the range I use most often doesn't allow FMJ to be fired from rifles.

 

[goon]

Well it still hangs up when feeding from the left side of the magazine on HPs. Out of a 20 round box of ammo I had three rounds hang up an need to have the charging handle yanked back and let go to chamber them.
FMJ's still work flawlessly and I had no problem hitting 6" balloons with it at 100 yards. I shot one group for accuracy and to check zero at 100 yards and got about a 3" group with one flyer pulling to about 4" (probably my fault). I spent a little time just blowing up rocks and destroying a couple beer cans at 100 yards.
I watched to see where the misfeeds are occuring. They seem to only happen at 3and 6 o'clock on the feed ramp and they are now always close enough to go in on the next try.

After some consideration, I think I am going to contact the company and see what they say. I have owned a lot of AK's and this has never happened on any of them. It should work with any ammo that will fit in the chamber (it is an AK after all!). If they won't fix it I will find a smith who will. I like the rifle and as much of a pain in the butt as it is to send one back and then have to wait around for 7 months while someone does the job that should have been done the first time, what else can I do?
The more I think about it, the more the whole situation just sort of pisses me off.

I think it should be their responsibility to send an employee to my location and fix my rifle while I wait. Hell, I should bill them for my time.
Anyhow, not really a suprise. As I said, the last 4 guns I have bought had something wrong with them. QC in this country seems to be a thing of the past.
.