Lancaster AK-74 issue

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Lancaster AK-74 issue---Update 4-17-10

I received my AK74 back from Lancaster yesterday, and was able to take it out to the farm this morning for a try-out. And the good news is: no more key-holing. I ran four magazines through it with no problems whatsoever, and the fit and finish of the rifle is still fantastic.
That being said, it did take a little over a month to get the rifle fixed, and might have taken longer without the assistance of Blaine over at Atlantic Firearms, who stepped in to help and once again upheld AF's excellent reputation (Thanks again!)

I'm not sure what Lancaster's situation is, but I hope they get things resolved. John Goldin at Lancaster assured me that they will honor their lifetime warranties on their rifles, and I'll keep my finger's crossed that I don't need it again. I also hope that Lancaster stays in business...




Jeffrey
 
I take back my positive review of my Lancaster RR earlier. Mine has all the same issues as others have described including bent rivets and the dust cover no longer stays locked in front. The gun has exactly 420 rounds of silver bear through it.

Boo! Hiss!

I'm contacting Blaine!

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Atlantic is going to get me store credit for the gun as soon as Lancaster arranges to pick it up. I'm very happy with Atlantic firearms thus far and will be getting something else from the catalog to replace this. Hopefully Lancaster is on the ball as well, still waiting for a call back today.
 
This is getting a bit annoying. Blaine from Atlantic is doing a great job of trying to push this through. Lancaster is dragging their feet. Tried all day yesterday to get hold of somebody, Chet Durda emailed me in the evening stating that he would get somebody to help me today. John Goldin emailed me early this morning stating he would get me their Fed Ex account number so I could ship the rifle as soon as he got into the office. Here it is lunch time and nothing from him yet.
 
Is there any way to tell if your rifle has these problems without firing a bunch of rounds through it. I bought a Bulgarian Red Wood AK74 by Lancaster through Atlantic Firearms back in December of 09. I have put about 200 rounds through it. Its never given me any problems but the receiver dust cover is a little loose.
TREE
 
Treewizard, I'd be a little worried if I were you. Mine was also purchased in that time frame. My dust cover was tight and correct when I first got the rifle, I put just under 300 rounds through it and it seemed like it was getting loose so I headed to the woods and just dumped 6 magazines through it which did what my pictures show.

I would recommend taking pictures of the dust cover in front and the rear trunion and posting them here, making sure to get a nice clear shot of the dust cover gap in front. An AK expert I'm sure would chime in with if it is heading south or not!

If you have an issue and bought it from Atlantic they will make sure you got taken care of. If you bought it direct from Lancaster or via AIM, from what I've read, you will still get taken care of but it might be a bit painfull.
 
When did that list come out?

Also.. my serial number is not in that list and definately has the problem so don't assume you are ok if it is not in there! Mine was J0053xx
 
It should be the most current list they released (updated 10/24/2010). You can go to their recall list from their home page too.

http://www.lancasterarms.com/index.html

Your post confirmed my suspicion. The number of rifles affected probably more than just the ones on the list. We need more serial numbers to get better picture of how wide spread the situation is. Mine is in the same range as yours J0053xx. Crud!
 
I was wondering why my dust cover had gotten loose... I just checked the rear-trunnion and I can see gaps on both of the rivets and the holes. Ser# J00053XX....
 
i got a lancaster! and the first thing i did was call Lancaster and ask them if i had the bulgarian barrels and YES, i have the original barrel "chrome lined" i checked the bore and it look like new. just give them a call and ask.

ETA: i have fired almost 800 rounds without a single problem.
 
Atlantic Firearms seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. They have a store credit for me, my credit card info, and what the failed Lancaster is supposed to be replaced with. Left voicemails and emails over the past week with no response.

Blaine.. are you out there?
 
Another New Lancaster Arms AK-74....

I am new to THR, so this seemed like the perfect time to join in, say "Hi" and start tracking right here on the THR Forum the "performance" of the new Lancaster Arms AK-74 that I recently ordered from Atlantic Firearms. I just picked the new rifle up at my local gun shop on Tuesday (5/11) and have not had the chance to do any shooting yet. I opted for the "AK74 Classic Rifle Package" that Atlantic is currently running, in which the rifle comes with the "Classic Red wood stock set " and the "16 inch chrome-lined threaded barrel", so hopefully, with that barrel, I won't experience any of the problems being encountered with the stainless barrels........but time-will-tell!!

Everything appears to LOOK OK so far, with the exception of the loose fit of the receiver cover........when seated properly, front and rear, it is tight against the groove in the rear trunion, but has about a 1/16" gap at the front. It is still being held (as it should be) under the lip below the rear sight, but not by much.

There is not any snow (or rain??) in the forecast for early next week, so we will try to get out to the range and do some shooting........so keep your legs crossed!!

More to come....

OHRS :)
 
Another New Lancaster Arms AK-74.... PHOTOS!!

Here are a few photos of both sides of the rifle showing the fit of the receiver cover that I was trying to describe in my previous post....tight at the rear of the cover -- 1/16" gap at the front of the cover. No rounds have been fired through this rifle at this time. This is the finished condition as received from the factory. As I am not familiar with a condition like this on an AK, and my other two AK's (SAIGA Rifle and Arsenal SLR-106FR) do not have any issues like this, I must inquire of someone with more knowledge of these rifles than I have yet attained: Is this a frequent occurance and does it appear to be "safe" to fire this rifle with a gap like this at the front end of the receiver cover?

Thanx in advance for any helpful comments and information!! :)
 

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Only way to find out is shoot at least 300 rds in the rifle and find out if the gap widens .
 
OHRS,

The dust cover doesn't doo anything terribly important other than keep your fingers and such out of the way of the bolt carrier. Having it pop off during firing isn't likely to present a safety issue. You certainly could fire it without the cover installed at all.

However, you obviously wouldn't desire it to come off. Your rifle looks like it is very close to having the same problem others have had -- with a cover that pops off when the rifle is fired.

You could contact the manufacturer/distributor and tell them your concerns now, or you could go ahead and shoot it until it does pop off. If it doesn't come loose, then it is almost assuredly within acceptable specs. If it doesn't stay put, they should fix it.
 
Sam1911....

Thanx so much for your wise words!! I was pretty much thinking along the same lines. My main concern at this point, though, is not doing anything that may jeopardize the warranty on the firearm....just in case something does go to heck and needs to be fixed or replaced. I guess, though, that the reality of the situation is that since they (L-A) sent the rifle "out the door" to be sold to someone, it was considered a finished product that had been built correctly and was ready to shoot. I should worry about the warranty stuff later if it comes apart!!
 
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