lloydkristmas
Member
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2007
- Messages
- 281
I placed an order for a .223 cal AK rifle called an STG-2003 a couple weeks back (thanks to DDs ranch for great, quick shipping by the way) and Ive had some time to look it over. Heres my thoughts.
I knew going into it that this rifle was just a Romanian rifle, built up by Inter Ordinance instead of Century Arms. I've owned WASR rifles in the past, and while theyre nothing special, Ive had nothing but good luck with them, so I figured I couldnt go wrong. I opted for the .223 because I figure it will be easier to find domestically if imported x39 is cut off....
So, I was expecting a WASR rifle with different furniture, from all of the internet talk I had heard. I'm actually pleasantly surprised at this rifle. It is finished much more nicely than any WASR I've seen or handled. The finish is more of a jet black color, with a little bit of sheen to it, almost like the finish on the Saiga rifles. Most WASRs Ive looked at are greyish, and have rusty spots.
It doesnt have dimples, but the Weiger mag it came with seems to lock in quite firmly. That was another plus.....most retailers sell this rifle with a ProMag, which is questionable at best. This one came with a Weiger mag, which runs about 30 bucks and supposedly feeds more reliably. (Not to mention looks better)
The pistol grip is very Galil-esque and is pretty comfortable. The stock has sort of an RPK look to it. Its NATO length and fits me well. The furniture is not top grade plastic, but about on par with anything youd get from Tapco, so its at least serviceable. Serious shooters might want to replace the stock with something from KVar, etc.
The barrel is threaded for all AR-15 type flash hiders, and the one it comes with is a 6-cut birdcage style. Very cool looking. The sights are shorter in radius than a standard AK, which is already way short, but I mainly need this rifle as a less-than-100-yards tool, so it should suffice. The rifle has a G2 trigger and feels very nice.
The only downside to this rifle, in my opinion, is the front handguard. I had read reports of the handguard being cheaply made, flimsy, etc. Its not nearly as bad as I anticipated, but it certainly feels 'wiggly' and has some give to it. Then again, Ive felt AR-15 foregrips that had more wiggle than this, so its not too bad. They are a little on the thin side, and Ive even read reports of them melting after extended rapid fire. I can see that happening under the right circumstances. The hadguards are similar to an FAL's, they are split side to side down the middle. There is a ring-retainer thing at the front that holds them in place. The piece of metal that holds them also acts as the front sling hook. It seems durable enough.
I dont mind the handguards, theyre not bad as is, but I would like to replace them. There is no front handguard retainer on this gun, so replacing the foregrip is going to be a process similar to what youd deal with when converting a Saiga. I will have to either buy a specially made retainer from someone like Dinzag, or buy one of those Saiga-Galil handguards, but Im not sure if I like that look....
In all, this rifle seems very nice for the price I paid ($415) and some of the criticism Ive read about them seems unfounded. Sure its no arsenal, and probably isnt as 'smooth' as a Saiga, but it seems to be a good bargain-priced AK, and it looks a little different than any other AK I've seen before. It almost has a SIG/Fn look to it.
Just thought I'd get a little information out there about an AK variant that seems to get overlooked much of the time. Info on the net about the STG is pretty scarce, so hopefully this helps someone interested.
Sorry these pics are as big as I can seem to get them....
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I knew going into it that this rifle was just a Romanian rifle, built up by Inter Ordinance instead of Century Arms. I've owned WASR rifles in the past, and while theyre nothing special, Ive had nothing but good luck with them, so I figured I couldnt go wrong. I opted for the .223 because I figure it will be easier to find domestically if imported x39 is cut off....
So, I was expecting a WASR rifle with different furniture, from all of the internet talk I had heard. I'm actually pleasantly surprised at this rifle. It is finished much more nicely than any WASR I've seen or handled. The finish is more of a jet black color, with a little bit of sheen to it, almost like the finish on the Saiga rifles. Most WASRs Ive looked at are greyish, and have rusty spots.
It doesnt have dimples, but the Weiger mag it came with seems to lock in quite firmly. That was another plus.....most retailers sell this rifle with a ProMag, which is questionable at best. This one came with a Weiger mag, which runs about 30 bucks and supposedly feeds more reliably. (Not to mention looks better)
The pistol grip is very Galil-esque and is pretty comfortable. The stock has sort of an RPK look to it. Its NATO length and fits me well. The furniture is not top grade plastic, but about on par with anything youd get from Tapco, so its at least serviceable. Serious shooters might want to replace the stock with something from KVar, etc.
The barrel is threaded for all AR-15 type flash hiders, and the one it comes with is a 6-cut birdcage style. Very cool looking. The sights are shorter in radius than a standard AK, which is already way short, but I mainly need this rifle as a less-than-100-yards tool, so it should suffice. The rifle has a G2 trigger and feels very nice.
The only downside to this rifle, in my opinion, is the front handguard. I had read reports of the handguard being cheaply made, flimsy, etc. Its not nearly as bad as I anticipated, but it certainly feels 'wiggly' and has some give to it. Then again, Ive felt AR-15 foregrips that had more wiggle than this, so its not too bad. They are a little on the thin side, and Ive even read reports of them melting after extended rapid fire. I can see that happening under the right circumstances. The hadguards are similar to an FAL's, they are split side to side down the middle. There is a ring-retainer thing at the front that holds them in place. The piece of metal that holds them also acts as the front sling hook. It seems durable enough.
I dont mind the handguards, theyre not bad as is, but I would like to replace them. There is no front handguard retainer on this gun, so replacing the foregrip is going to be a process similar to what youd deal with when converting a Saiga. I will have to either buy a specially made retainer from someone like Dinzag, or buy one of those Saiga-Galil handguards, but Im not sure if I like that look....
In all, this rifle seems very nice for the price I paid ($415) and some of the criticism Ive read about them seems unfounded. Sure its no arsenal, and probably isnt as 'smooth' as a Saiga, but it seems to be a good bargain-priced AK, and it looks a little different than any other AK I've seen before. It almost has a SIG/Fn look to it.
Just thought I'd get a little information out there about an AK variant that seems to get overlooked much of the time. Info on the net about the STG is pretty scarce, so hopefully this helps someone interested.
Sorry these pics are as big as I can seem to get them....
[/URL
