I wanted a place to discuss my handguns and firearms in general. Everyone seemingly has lots to say about guns, so I promise you this won't be a rant blog.
I cleaned them. I actually took them apart and soaked them in dish soap (Dawn) and hot water, then scrubbed them, then let them air dry. I then gave them a coat of oil and put them back together.
All four fit in my SAM7 (they fit very snug but not as tight as the PMAG it came with). All four also fit in my AK63, although loosely (I don’t mind — as long as they don’t come out).
I still have to test them at the range, though.
I’ve the other set of Croatian mags arriving tomorrow. I’ll have to scrub them down as well, but I may save that for this weekend. I’ll test fit them to the SAM7 tomorrow, though. I hear these mags can be problematic when it comes to fitment. We’ll see. If they are, I’ll just file them a bit.
So, I’ve been not only looking at SAM7UF reviews online, but doing things such as swapping mags between my AK-63DS and SAM7UF.
I’ve 6 Tapco mags that came with the AK-63DS. The Arsenal came with one Magpul (Gen 1, I think). The SAM7UF will not take the Tapcos. The AK-63DS will take the Magpul without issue.
Most people talk crap about the Tapcos, mainly because of issues like this, but this really isn’t an issue with Tapcos. It’s an issue with the Arsenal. Why is the mag well that tight? My ratty-assed AK-63DS will take both without issue, so it’s NOT the mags, and in the AK-63DS’s case, it isn’t the gun.
If I want to take the Arsenal to the range, I’ll only have that one mag, unless I go to Cabelas and pick up a few Magpul mags. I solved the problem by ordering 3 metal Polish mags from Atlantic Firearms and 4 metal Croatian mags from Apex Gun Parts (both groups being 30-round mags).
I also added 550 cord to both arms of the spars of the collapsible stock.
Eventually, I’ll also find some bakelites, but they’re really scarce. In fact, it was moderately difficult to find even European metal mags.
The plan is to continue to take my AK-63DS to the range and practice with it. I’ll use my experience with that particular gun as an AK-47 baseline of knowledge.
I also have to order more ammo, but I’ve enough for a decent start.
I sold a wheel/tire combo that belonged to my previous vehicle so I had some money to blow.
I was eyeing a PSA AK47 GB3 MOEkov in FDE but kept wondering about what issues it would have when I took ownership, so I was hesitant.
I know the mantra. “Get a WASR”. Nope. That wasn’t going to happen either, as WASRs have some of the same issues that purists bitch about when talking about PSA AKs (only WASR folk let WASR issues pass and whine about other makes/models with similar issues).
I thought of getting a Century Arms imported underfolder (AK63DS)…they’re difficult to find.
I actually visited several different local gun stores to see what they had in stock.
Cabelas had none, not even used.
Another small store had the ones that should not be bought (C39v2 and RAS47). They also had an Arsenal but it was $1300. I passed.
I went to another small store and they had an old, used WASR…it looked like someone drug it behind their car for several thousand miles. They had a RAS47 pistol. That thing looked NICE! I was able to handle it. It’s the first time I got a close look at one and it had heft and the workmanship was very nice, but it was a RAS…they can explode on you. The store also had an Arsenal underfolder, the SAM7UF. I took a long look at it and asked to handle it. It had little wear and was pretty much immaculate (similar to the RAS). It had a milled receiver. It had good alignment and the tang on the bolt carrier was not touched (it appeared the rifle wasn’t fired by the previous owner). That was this past Friday. Today (Monday), I went back and asked to take another look at it. The price was $1000. I ended up buying it. Me. An Arsenal.
Why did I buy this when I was looking at lower priced variants? Because the price was $200 less than what it is new, for one. Secondly, the thing had not been used…it was extremely clean. It was local and I wouldn’t have to pay FFL fees and shipping and all that other mess. I could have it same day. If I end up not liking it, I can recoup what I spent on it, since it’s an Arsenal. Underfolders are also badass and combined with Arsenal, I’ve a very nice new firearm! It’s probably one of the most valuable in my collection thus far (I’ve spent a tad more on a handgun but that handgun will not resell at the same price I bought it…the Arsenal will).
So, I’ve another range visit and review in my future!
I bought the following parts and test-fitted them to my bastardized AK-63DS:
RS Regulate sight mounting system
Midwest Industries sight mounting system
AK Master Mount Sight Rail (this is where the above mounting systems attach to the firearm)
I think I like the RS Regulate gear’s fitment better than the Midwest Industries rail.
Something about the documentation of the MI rail rubbed me the wrong way…several warnings regarding voiding warranty if you don’t read their jacked up instructions; the metal shavings coming off the parts as you use it. I’ve owned it less than a week and just the minor adjustments alone has caused serious wear, and I’ve followed the instructions to the letter. I opted to not return the rail since I know they’ll bitch about the shavings and attempt to blame me of misuse, but I’ll leave a just review.
Why did I immediately buy an RS Regulate rail system immediately after buying the MI system? I didn’t trust the MI system. As well, the MI system mounts the rail up too high. I’d have returned it for a low profile version but it was more expensive than the unit I ordered and I didn’t want MI bitching about the 20 minutes usage and 1 years’ worth of wear on the locking cam.
Next, I’m going to maybe grind down the AK Master Mount’s hex screw head, hoping I don’t mess it up (I’ve a spare if I do, but the kit only came with three screws). I could call them up to see if they can offer screws with smaller heads. Or, I could just look up a local AK gunsmith and have him take care of it. We’ll see. UPDATE (12/14/2023):I ended up just using a dremel cutting wheel to cut off the nub of metal that’s sticking up from the trigger guard. I ensured the edges of the cut weren’t sharp. Doing this enabled me to properly tighten that screw (shown in the 3rd pic from the bottom of the group of pics).
So I received and installed the bunch of AK47 goodies mentioned when I last posted.
Several things worth mentioning:
1. The AK Master Mount fit perfectly onto the AMD-63 but one of the screw heads is too big, so I can’t tighten it down flush. It will require either some grinding on the trigger guard guide or the screw head to lessen the diameter of the head. This is not a problem with the product but with my firearm (that trigger guard may be non-standard AK equipment…not sure yet).
2. The railed scope mount is difficult to adjust. It took me 20 minutes just to ensure I wasn’t breaking the throw lever (never mind that there were several threats within the included documentation that if you broke it while adjusting it, you wouldn’t be eligible for a refund…that’s not confidence-inspiring to read nor does it inspire confidence in the product).
3. The railed scope mount is probably not the proper product for use with a RDS. I mounted my two RDS’s and they were not able to cowitness because the scopes were mounted too high. The rail is too high-profile. I need something lower profile so that I can cowitness properly. As it is now, the dots are as low as they can be adjusted and they’re still too high over the front sight post.
I thought about returning the railed scope mount but I may be able to use it with other scopes that don’t require co-witness (ie, high power magnification scopes), so I’m going to keep it. As well, the adjustments I made to the mount and the mounting process has shaved some metal from the lever catch…I can see Midwest, with all that threatening in the documentation, making a fuss over that, never mind the instructions not being for the proper product.
I’ve ordered a better mount for my needs, from RS Regulate:
I ordered the former from Amazon and the latter from AK Operator’s Union.
The former will arrive tomorrow and the latter will arrive the day after. Friday or Saturday, I’ll be visiting the range to sight in the new Sig Sauer Romeo 5 2-MOA RDS that I bought during Black Friday sales events.
I’ll post up when I’ve installed and used these items.
So, after work today, I took my AMD-63 to my local range. I used an hour of range time to get the rifle zeroed. It took a full hour, as the instructions I used instructions that came with my sight adjustment tool were not the best. I used Google on my phone to find some other written instructions and while those covered what the other instructions didn’t, they left out things as well. I was confused as to how to adjust the front sight post. The instructions were not clear and I ended up walking the sight post in the opposite directions as what I intended.
The range I use (Elite Shooting Sports) is an indoor range. They have a 100-yard range and I thought I’d need long range to zero the sights. Nope. All I needed was 25 yards. I couldv’e used the handgun range instead.
I shot approximately 36 rounds. I shot Red Army Standard 124-grain FMJBT (I’ve like 500 rounds of that). I was shooting in groupings of three and checking to see where the groups were landing and attempting to make adjustments. I ended up zeroed my last 5 minutes of the session.
The first grouping was pretty tight, IMO (1-inch group):
The tang that the hammer strikes is mushroomed a bit but that’s pretty much normal for most AKs. It’s only mushrooming due to the Tapco trigger group that was installed to keep the firearm compliant. The Tapco hammer is harder than than the tang. The original trigger group did not beat up the tang (otherwise, it would’ve been bad when I first received it). Eventually, the mushrooming will stop. Once it does, I’ll dremel away the mushrooming.
The Tapco mags performed flawlessly.
I had a serious amount of fun. I will probably be shooting this rifle a lot more often!
I’ve switched from carrying the Glock 19 gen 4 to the Springfield Armory XD45 subcompact in Mod 2 format.
Why the change?
I’d always been interested in the XD45. I bought this used (see my last post). It appears to have a very low round count…there’s slight barrel wear (just the black finish has worn) and there’s one place on the slide that has finish wear. I took it to the range and shot a bit over 100 rounds from it. It has VERY manageable recoil (remember, it shoots .45ACP) for a firearm it’s size. I had no issues firing it…there were no hiccups or malfunctions. I shoot this better than I do my 1911 of the same caliber. The grip safety doesn’t bother me and I’ve carried the 9mm counterpart in the past so I’m familiar with the platform.
There was nothing to not like about the gun. It is a good bit smaller than my G19 and I’d been thinking of going back to my XD9 anyways. The XD45’s raw price was $320 but after all the fees, it was $420, which is still a great price for a basically new firearm. I can basically switch carrying the XD45 to the XD9 (and back) without any issue. I did that during my last range visit and because the two guns share the same platform, I had no issues being accurate or getting used to triggers when switching between both handguns. Recoil happens after the round has been fired, so it doesn’t affect my accuracy (unless I’m anticipating it).
I’d been using the Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 3.0 holster with the XD9 subcompact shell when I first started carrying. The XD45 will fit in that holster without issue.
Magazine capacity is 9 rounds with the normal magazine, although it comes with a 13-round extended magazine as well (which I use as a backup mag). I’ll be getting a few other 9-round mags soon, so that when I go to the range, I don’t spend most of my time loading up mags.
The sights are great, but are not good in low-light situations, so I may have to get new sights. I’ll probably not go with XS Big Dots this time. If I can find a set that have the same profile as the current ones but are night sights, I’ll be fine. Or, I can keep them as-is and not mess up a good thing. I’ll figure out which direction I want to go soon.
So, I’d been thinking about larger caliber handguns lately, and love my XD 9 subcompact. I’d heard great reviews on the XD 45 variant. I found a used XD 45 that was being sold for $329. After shipping and taxes, it was priced at $389…still a steal! I bought it this past Sunday. It should arrive at my FFL on Saturday. Due to that, I might have to wait until Sunday or Monday to pick it up.
The handgun will come with a 9-round and 13-round magazine and nothing else.
While I’m excited about the handgun, I’m a bit miffed about the shipping. The damned gun is in-state. The store that sold it to me is in Virginia Beach. I’m in the Manassas area. I could’ve driven to pick it up and saved the $50 in shipping (at least). I bought it on Sunday night via Gunbroker.com. They wanted an over-the-phone transaction so I called them Monday morning when they opened. I’d already contacted my local FFL (my range) so they were aware of the purchase and incoming firearm. I asked them to send their FFL info to the store where I bought the handgun. I think they sent their FFL info to the store either late Monday or Tuesday morning. I got an email from USPS stating that the gun was due to be shipped but hadn’t been picked up yet…that was Tuesday morning around 10AM. The firearm sat a the store all day…wasn’t picked up until late that evening. It’s due to arrive 12/15. That’s 3 days for transport when I could drive to that store and be there within 3 hours (max). WTF. Most people would blame the shipping (USPS) but I’ve bought firearms from out of state that didn’t take 3 days to arrive at the local post office. I know shipping can be expensive for a business but shit, didn’t I pay $30 for shipping? That shipping fee results in the slowest mailing method? That’s B.S. IMO. I won’t be buying from them again. And, this is a mom/pop, brick-mortar store. People always harp on supporting local and/or brick-mortar stores but when crap like this happens, I hear nothing but crickets.
Anyways, I’m going to be using my XD 9 subcompact Alien Gear holster for the XD 45 since I hear they’re compatible with the holster. I’ll probably end up buying 2-3 extra 9-round mags as well.
The plan is to carry this handgun. I’ll keep you all updated as I become familiar with it.
UPDATE (12/15/2018): She has arrived, and two days early (picked her up at 8:30AM yesterday before heading to work). Was not able to shoot from her since I had to go straight to work. Will try to take her out today — getting dressed now, in fact!
I’ll admit right now that I’d not been to the range since April 2018, until this past week. I went to the range after work (I didn’t even change out of work clothes).
I took the Grand Power P11, the P320 (which is currently in a subcompact configuration), 100 rounds of WWB FMJ and 100 rounds of Wolf FMJ (both 115-grain). And of course, I was CCing my Glock 19. I neglected to charge up my mini-camera, so there’s no shooting footage this time.
I ran out of rounds before my one-hour session finished.
Sig Sauer P320 Compact – 78 Grand Power P11 Mk12 – 72 Glock 19 – 50 There was one malfunction between the three firearms and 200 rounds of ammo, but I do not believe it was the firearms. Of course it was the Grand Power that exhibited a fail to feed. I tried to feed that round 5-6 times and it would not feed at all. At first I thought it was a fail to return to battery but then when I saw that it wouldn’t feed no matter how I tried, I determined that the ammo was bad. I would’ve tried to see if one of the other handguns would’ve chambered/shot it but I didn’t know if the projectile was pushed in (making the round over-pressured). I chucked that round. Now, the Grand Power is very tight tolerance-wise. Some people may fault the gun for that. For me, no. The ammo has to be good. Reputable SD ammo would be within tolerance. FMJ (ie, practice ammo) should not be expected to be perfect.
Overall, it was a good range session but I promise to myself that I’ll be visiting the range every month at the LEAST, because I shot like shit compared to my last visit (I’d been regularly visiting the range back then).
