Well I finally got a chance to take my latest EBR to the range today. It's an Arsenal SLR101S built on a milled Bulgarian receiver. This is the rifle I bought a couple of weeks ago the day the Senate passed the AWB renewal as part of the gun manufacturers liability protection bill (SB1805 if I recall correctly). I paid $638 out the door for it. There were cheaper models available but I figured that if the AWB was renewed. I'd be stuck with what I had so I picked out the nicest AK in the store and damn the price, full speed ahead.
The rifle performed beautifully. I ran 120 rounds of Wolf FMJ through it via four 30 round (very) used mags that I just received from Centerfire Systems without a hitch. Wind was excessive at 20 mph with 40 mph gusts so I didn't try for groups but I was able to break sitting clay birds at seventy five yards pretty easily. The only problem I had was user induced - another guy came up and was asking about the rifle and I decided to show him how mechanically simple they were so I field-stripped the rifle. After I showed him the insides, I started to put it back together and the bolt started giving me problems - it kept sliding around in the carrier and wouldn't allow the carrier to slide home. I jiggled it around a bit and finally got it and the recoil spring, but then the receiver cover wouldn't go on just right. I finally got that too. I don't think my little demo impressed the guy too much
but he did enjoy snapping off a few shots.
The trigger won't impress anyone used to a good bolt gun trigger or even an AR15 trigger but it was at least as good as my two SKSs. There was a lot of take up, then a surprise release.
The sights are the standard AK/SKS sight but the top of the front sight protector has been removed by arsenal. It makes for a much brighter sight picture but it does slow down aquisition a bit since instead of seeing a post in the middle of a circle, you see three prongy thingies (the sight and each side of the sight protector when you snap index the sights.
I like the plastic stock. From what I've read here, this stock is about an inch longer than the original wooden stock. This seems just about right for me. The SKSs seem about an inch too short and my Mossberg 590A1 stock seems about an inch and a half too long (haven't screwed up my courage enough to hit it with the hacksaw). Well, the SLR is 1.5" shorter than the M590A1 and 1" longer than the SKSs. I finally have a guide as to what length of pull works best for me!
Overall, I am very pleased with the SLR. The only mods I am considering are the addition of a sling and possibly an Ultimak gas tube.
The rifle performed beautifully. I ran 120 rounds of Wolf FMJ through it via four 30 round (very) used mags that I just received from Centerfire Systems without a hitch. Wind was excessive at 20 mph with 40 mph gusts so I didn't try for groups but I was able to break sitting clay birds at seventy five yards pretty easily. The only problem I had was user induced - another guy came up and was asking about the rifle and I decided to show him how mechanically simple they were so I field-stripped the rifle. After I showed him the insides, I started to put it back together and the bolt started giving me problems - it kept sliding around in the carrier and wouldn't allow the carrier to slide home. I jiggled it around a bit and finally got it and the recoil spring, but then the receiver cover wouldn't go on just right. I finally got that too. I don't think my little demo impressed the guy too much
but he did enjoy snapping off a few shots. The trigger won't impress anyone used to a good bolt gun trigger or even an AR15 trigger but it was at least as good as my two SKSs. There was a lot of take up, then a surprise release.
The sights are the standard AK/SKS sight but the top of the front sight protector has been removed by arsenal. It makes for a much brighter sight picture but it does slow down aquisition a bit since instead of seeing a post in the middle of a circle, you see three prongy thingies (the sight and each side of the sight protector when you snap index the sights.
I like the plastic stock. From what I've read here, this stock is about an inch longer than the original wooden stock. This seems just about right for me. The SKSs seem about an inch too short and my Mossberg 590A1 stock seems about an inch and a half too long (haven't screwed up my courage enough to hit it with the hacksaw). Well, the SLR is 1.5" shorter than the M590A1 and 1" longer than the SKSs. I finally have a guide as to what length of pull works best for me!
Overall, I am very pleased with the SLR. The only mods I am considering are the addition of a sling and possibly an Ultimak gas tube.
