First Rifle, Arsenal SGL21 AK 47 (Pics)

fresh out of the box. ill put more up later.

Congrats!

Now where to find Bulgarian waffle mags?

SWEET!!!! enjoy your akholism!

PRETTY!!! VERY PRETTY!!! And now you are done trust me. Your going to aquire chest rigs, mass amount of mags, surplus ammo, rails, new furniture, and more. Just know that you now have in your hands one of the most historic rifles that will ever be built. Did I mention she is pretty!!!!

very nice...is that plum furniture i see? always a good choice

yummy!

Congrats!

I bought the exact same rifle a month or so ago - also in Plum. It's a great shooter and lots of fun.

Problem is, you may end up deciding that it's "not quite finished yet", like I did:

Plum is just the best color for the AK.

Congrats! Let's have a drink to celebrate!

Yes it is plum furniture. My only planned changes to this gun is a nice red-dot/green-dot sight. Maybe a bayonet if I am feeling extra badass one day.


If anyone has any suggestions on sights I would appreciate it. I am a complete NOOB with this. And there are just way too many choices for me to make an educated decision any time soon.

if there is anything I should know about these guns that would make my life easier down the road. Don't hesitate to give some feedback.

Suggestions on attachments? Straps? Mags? Type of ammo? etc.

Roach said:

My only planned changes to this gun is a nice red-dot/green-dot sight.

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I use this to mount a cheap Bushnell scope, equally useful for red dot, etc.:

http://www.k-var.com/shop/product.php?productid=16166&cat=381&page=1

I think Nemesis and others on here like the k-var mount as well. It's expensive, but solid. It will hold zero when you mount/unmount it. Many other folks go the UltiMak route because it's possible to co-witness with your irons:
http://ultimak.com/m2-b.htm

Still others go the "traditional" route, which, IMO, is really cool:
http://www.kalinkaoptics.com/

There are many other way more experienced AK and SGL owners than I am on this forum, I'm sure they'll be along soon to offer more info.

Roach said:

if there is anything I should know about these guns that would make my life easier down the road. Don't hesitate to give some feedback.

Suggestions on attachments? Straps? Mags? Type of ammo? etc.

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Mags?
Steel Combloc. They're ludicrously tough, cheap, collectable, and so reliable that it's just boring. Grab a surplus drum if you're feeling adventurous and politically incorrect. Bulgarian waffle mags are sweet too, but a little more expensive. They're starting to get a little rarer and more valuable, so get them now if you want some. Stay away from newer designs, especially anything with the dreaded "promag" logo. Promag is the Uwe Boll of magazines. I have no idea how they managed to screw up AK mags or why anyone would buy them. Sadistic vendors even advertise them as "upgraded mags" like we're playing Call of Duty. The new Korean mags (South Korean, North Korean mags are rare and perfectly reliable) are hit or miss. I know a guy who bought 5 from the same box and got two perfect mags, two that jammed like crazy, and one that wouldn't even fit into the rifle. I have a Korean 40-rounder. It was only $12 and it works okay. I guess I got lucky. Korean drums? They're half the price of surplus drums, but I'm not buying them until I see overwhelmingly good reviews. My drum is a beaten up old Romanian and it runs like a dream. It's such a casually simple design and a competitor for "best drum magazine in firearms history."

Attachments?
Bayonet! When ammunition is gone, stab the Imperialist invaders! URAH!!! That's about all that I've ever put on my AKs, but that's just personal preference. Nothing made by Tapco will ever touch my AKs.

Sights?
In the AK vs M16 holy war, I'm an AK guy (I'm a fobbit, so every M16 I've ever been issued was junk) but I've got to admit that the AKs sights are wretched. While a quality AK like your SGL21 with half-decent ammo is much more accurate than usually given credit, this is not a competition gun. The sights are good enough for a sharp-eyed 18 year old to shoot Enemies of the Motherland at combat ranges. There are better options, but the accessories for mounting scopes aren't great. If you want to put rails on the foregrip and add an optic, make sure that it's small, or the gun will be very front-heavy. Forget about railed receiver covers. They wobble too much. Also, be aware that AKs can get very hot and there are some horror stories about EOtechs melting. Dovetail mounts are most definitely the way to go, but I'll have to yield the floor to somebody else on that one. I've only got one AK with a dovetail and it's a WASR. There's no way that I'm putting a $400 optic on a $400 Romanian POS suffering from crazy mag wobble.

Ammo?
If it says 7.62x39mm, it goes into the gun. That's pretty much it. Steel case, brass case, high quality hunting ammo, combloc surplus unearthed from a hidden stash in the Six Counties, it all pretty much works. Wolf has gotten a little better in recent years, but I do expect a bad primer once or twice per 200 rounds. Expect about 4 inch groups with this stuff. Not great, but good enough when you consider Soviet doctrine. Hornady makes a nice tactical hollowpoint that modernizes the M1943 round and I've heard can manage 1-2 MOA depending on the rifle, but I'm not familiar with it. We're getting into personal preference again, but I'm a little iffy on loading hollowpoints on account of the AK's steep feed ramps. My SKS will actually mutilate hollowpoint tips even though the rifle functions with 100% reliability. I've also heard that old Iraqi ammo shoots 20-25 inch groups at 50 yards. Personally, I'd love to get my hands on the stuff for whenever people ask to shoot my AK. It's like trick birthday candles for gun nuts.

Slings?
KISS. Not that one, the "keep it simple" one. I recently put a nice single point sling on my Yugo underfolder and it works well. The Combloc slings are often pretty junky - the Romanian leather is barely even leather - but they will keep rifle on shoulder while marching into Western Europe. A basic two-point sling from a decent maker would probably do just fine. If you're a real cheapo, you can get away with the 3 dollar M16 slings.

In related news, why do I feel like a teenage girl giving a new friend makeup and fashion advice?

I think this thread just put me over the limit... I'm going to have to get one of these AK things sometime soon. Good looking rifle you got there. I'm also a fan of GoGoGadgets AK, A LOT. I love those triangular side folding stocks.

Kalinka imports some awesome mounts and optics too. Expensive, but great quality.

And GoGoGadget is right, you can easily go a little nuts "modifying".


Love that wood forearm Gadget!

Enjoy your Russian Izhmash made AK. I know I enjoy mine.

QuebecoisWolf said:

In related news, why do I feel like a teenage girl giving a new friend makeup and fashion advice?

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Comrade!

On behalf of the Party's Central Committe I would like to congratulate you on your fine review of the People's weapon of liberation! The People, led by the vanguard party of true Marxist-Leninist revolutionaries, and in association with fraternal Movements of Liberation, will ultimately triumph in its constant armed struggle against the feudal and bourgeois entrenched elements of evil capitalist running dogs.


JOBU
First Secretary
People's Ministry of Agitprop and Women's Affairs

That is just too funny JOBU.

My first centerfire rifle was a (Bulgarian) Arsenal. It's still my favorite for sentimental reasons. I know that thing inside and out. Just feels right to me, I guess because I learned a lot from it.

Just wish I still had the ammo from the literally hundreds of mag dumps from the old farm. I never had a misfire from it that wasn't ammo related.

Damn good rifles. Enjoy.