rock jock
Member
Thought I would post a review for those considering one of these rifles:
I picked up my NIB AK-103 today, having purchased it last week from a poster at AK-47.net. Not one for patience, I immediately went out and put 80 rounds through it. My initial impressions were very favorable. The only other AK I have fired was a VEPR II in 7.62x39 that I sold to buy this gun.
Anyone familiar with the VEPR II will tell you that it is not the standard AK variant and consequently there are a lot of contrasts between these two guns, even though they are both Russian-made. I was very happy to find that the AK-103 is MUCH lighter than the VEPR and as a result handles easier (the weight of the VEPR II is one reason why I got rid of it). The AK-103 comes up to the shooting position quickly and seems slightly easier to get on target. Recoil was surprisingly light for the Russian 7.62 round, actually less than the VEPR and probably due to the MB.
Fit was very good and comparable to the VEPR. I was disappointed, however, in the powdercoat finish which I had been told was superior to anything on other AK's. It seemed inconsistent in places and blurred out some of the factory stenciling. Not a bad finish by any means and certainly acceptable, just not as great as I had hoped and probably a little less quality than the VEPR.
Ergonomics were generally good. It certainly felt better in my hands than the VEPR II. The pistol grip was similar and the forestock felt much better (more natural I guess). The VEPR, however, had a better LOP and made the AK-103 feel short. Actually, the stock AK-USA uses felt so short that it was difficult to keep the rifle pulled into my shoulder and it kept slipping out. I understand that this is a standard stock length for "true" AKs. If so, they must measure it based on Chinese males or Russians wearing heavy wintergear. If the AWB goes away, I'll have add a folding stock with an extended length. Or maybe I'll just get used to it.
The trigger on the AK-103 is very nice and, I think, slightly better than the VEPR II trigger - lighter and a little crisper.
Reliability was excellent in the 80 rounds I put down range although this is pretty much par for the course for AKs.
Accuracy is difficult to call at this point, since I did not bench rest the gun. I do know that I was getting 2.5" groups with my VEPR II off a bench and with iron sights. If I get anything close to that with my AK-103, I'll be thrilled. I don't really care for AK sights anyway, so I'm thinking I'll buy a Kobra red-dot for it in the future.
Finally, if there is any category where the AK-103 wins hands down, it is aesthetics. The gun has the "evil black rifle" appearance that looks so cool and traditional AK-type furniture which is a huge improvement over the VEPR II stock set. Guys at the gun shop were much impressed.
Overall, I am happy with the switch. Everything I disliked with my VEPR II has been resolved with this purchase, I think. I should mention that I had considered having Kreb's do a custom job on my VEPR II to make it more "traditional" in style, but I found out that would have cost $600, which would have made the final product over $1,100. This is way too much for any AK, IMO. As it was, the AK-103 from AK-USA cost $695, which is roughly twice the cost of a SAR-1. However, I have handled SAR's before and while they may have the same reliability, the are not in the same ballpark.
This gun will now go in my safe next to my AR. True detente in my opinion.
I picked up my NIB AK-103 today, having purchased it last week from a poster at AK-47.net. Not one for patience, I immediately went out and put 80 rounds through it. My initial impressions were very favorable. The only other AK I have fired was a VEPR II in 7.62x39 that I sold to buy this gun.
Anyone familiar with the VEPR II will tell you that it is not the standard AK variant and consequently there are a lot of contrasts between these two guns, even though they are both Russian-made. I was very happy to find that the AK-103 is MUCH lighter than the VEPR and as a result handles easier (the weight of the VEPR II is one reason why I got rid of it). The AK-103 comes up to the shooting position quickly and seems slightly easier to get on target. Recoil was surprisingly light for the Russian 7.62 round, actually less than the VEPR and probably due to the MB.
Fit was very good and comparable to the VEPR. I was disappointed, however, in the powdercoat finish which I had been told was superior to anything on other AK's. It seemed inconsistent in places and blurred out some of the factory stenciling. Not a bad finish by any means and certainly acceptable, just not as great as I had hoped and probably a little less quality than the VEPR.
Ergonomics were generally good. It certainly felt better in my hands than the VEPR II. The pistol grip was similar and the forestock felt much better (more natural I guess). The VEPR, however, had a better LOP and made the AK-103 feel short. Actually, the stock AK-USA uses felt so short that it was difficult to keep the rifle pulled into my shoulder and it kept slipping out. I understand that this is a standard stock length for "true" AKs. If so, they must measure it based on Chinese males or Russians wearing heavy wintergear. If the AWB goes away, I'll have add a folding stock with an extended length. Or maybe I'll just get used to it.
The trigger on the AK-103 is very nice and, I think, slightly better than the VEPR II trigger - lighter and a little crisper.
Reliability was excellent in the 80 rounds I put down range although this is pretty much par for the course for AKs.
Accuracy is difficult to call at this point, since I did not bench rest the gun. I do know that I was getting 2.5" groups with my VEPR II off a bench and with iron sights. If I get anything close to that with my AK-103, I'll be thrilled. I don't really care for AK sights anyway, so I'm thinking I'll buy a Kobra red-dot for it in the future.
Finally, if there is any category where the AK-103 wins hands down, it is aesthetics. The gun has the "evil black rifle" appearance that looks so cool and traditional AK-type furniture which is a huge improvement over the VEPR II stock set. Guys at the gun shop were much impressed.
Overall, I am happy with the switch. Everything I disliked with my VEPR II has been resolved with this purchase, I think. I should mention that I had considered having Kreb's do a custom job on my VEPR II to make it more "traditional" in style, but I found out that would have cost $600, which would have made the final product over $1,100. This is way too much for any AK, IMO. As it was, the AK-103 from AK-USA cost $695, which is roughly twice the cost of a SAR-1. However, I have handled SAR's before and while they may have the same reliability, the are not in the same ballpark.
This gun will now go in my safe next to my AR. True detente in my opinion.
