ZOID ZODIAN
I shoot a lot in competitive matches. Since the only AK's I still own are Arsenal SA M7's, I bring them to the matches where other shooters see them.
I am amazed at the number of people who have come up to me asking, "What kind of rifle is that?" When I tell them, they act like they've never heard of Arsenal or the SA M7!
But word is getting around. Just look at the threads on other boards about Arsenal rifles compared to other variants. If the internet boards are any indication, Arsenal rifles are among the most trouble-free AK variants on the market.
Just take a gander at some of the posts on Romanian AK's for example--you would get the idea that people have nothing but problems with them.
Now, any company is going to have an occasional product with problems, but with Arsenal rifles problems seem to be few and far between!
I used to own several Romanian SAR's. I also owned several Chinese AK's back in the 1990's. I now own nothing but SA M7 Carbines and SA M7S's.
Although I have owned Arsenal rifles with a few minor flaws (like stiff safeties for example), my Arsenal rifles have been 100% reliable, and the overall fit and finish of the rifles speaks "quality." I cannot necessarily say that of other variants I have owned.
People have accused me of somehow being a representative for Arsenal for my positive comments. Truth be told, one reason I am no longer a member of AK-47.net is that I felt I was being accused of doing "unpaid advertising" for Arsenal. I think Arsenal makes a fine product and I am going to say so. Arsenal rifles are not perfect, but they come closer than any other manufacturer's AK-47 I have seen. I have been happier with my Arsenal AK's than any other AK variant I have ever owned.
I will even go on record saying that I believe the quality of Arsenal rifles is at least the equal of any major US firearms manufacturer, be it Colt, Springfield Armory, Bushmaster, Kimber--you name it. This is not a cheap Kalashnikov stamped out and bastardized with a few US parts to make it legal--NO! This is a purpose-built US-made AK licensed by the Bulgarian Arsenal with over 100 years of experience. It has been said that the US-made AK's actually EXCEED the quality standards of the parent Bulgarian Arsenal! At every stage of the manufacturing process, whether we are talking about the Bulgarian parts or the parts made for US compliance, each component is carefully made and quality controlled to exacting standards.
Can Century say that about the SAR's or WASR's?
Representatives at Arsenal have said repeatedly that they have trouble keeping up with demand, and is it any wonder?
In showing my SA M7S and SA M7 Carbine to people at my shooting matches, it is pretty much 50-50 which variant people prefer. Some go ga-ga over the shorter stock and plain muzzle of the carbine; others seem to like the longer stock and muzzle brake of the standard SA M7.
SA M7's are readily available through both FAC and Lew Horton's. Rumor has it that FAC usually has the best price.
Lew Horton's is the only distributor for the SA M7 Carbine, which is apparently only made in small lots, and this is my question:
IS THERE ANY HOPE OF MAKING THE SA M7 CARBINE A LARGE-SCALE PRODUCTION MODEL LIKE THE STANDARD SA M7?
I own one with a free-floating firing pin, and I actually had another on order toward the end of last year because I wanted to get one with the spring-loaded firing pin. After waiting four months I gave up and purchased an SA M7S with the spring-loaded firing pin.
How about it, Arsenal, any chance of making the Carbine a large-scale production model?
I am amazed at the number of people who have come up to me asking, "What kind of rifle is that?" When I tell them, they act like they've never heard of Arsenal or the SA M7!
But word is getting around. Just look at the threads on other boards about Arsenal rifles compared to other variants. If the internet boards are any indication, Arsenal rifles are among the most trouble-free AK variants on the market.
Just take a gander at some of the posts on Romanian AK's for example--you would get the idea that people have nothing but problems with them.
Now, any company is going to have an occasional product with problems, but with Arsenal rifles problems seem to be few and far between!
I used to own several Romanian SAR's. I also owned several Chinese AK's back in the 1990's. I now own nothing but SA M7 Carbines and SA M7S's.
Although I have owned Arsenal rifles with a few minor flaws (like stiff safeties for example), my Arsenal rifles have been 100% reliable, and the overall fit and finish of the rifles speaks "quality." I cannot necessarily say that of other variants I have owned.
People have accused me of somehow being a representative for Arsenal for my positive comments. Truth be told, one reason I am no longer a member of AK-47.net is that I felt I was being accused of doing "unpaid advertising" for Arsenal. I think Arsenal makes a fine product and I am going to say so. Arsenal rifles are not perfect, but they come closer than any other manufacturer's AK-47 I have seen. I have been happier with my Arsenal AK's than any other AK variant I have ever owned.
I will even go on record saying that I believe the quality of Arsenal rifles is at least the equal of any major US firearms manufacturer, be it Colt, Springfield Armory, Bushmaster, Kimber--you name it. This is not a cheap Kalashnikov stamped out and bastardized with a few US parts to make it legal--NO! This is a purpose-built US-made AK licensed by the Bulgarian Arsenal with over 100 years of experience. It has been said that the US-made AK's actually EXCEED the quality standards of the parent Bulgarian Arsenal! At every stage of the manufacturing process, whether we are talking about the Bulgarian parts or the parts made for US compliance, each component is carefully made and quality controlled to exacting standards.
Can Century say that about the SAR's or WASR's?
Representatives at Arsenal have said repeatedly that they have trouble keeping up with demand, and is it any wonder?
In showing my SA M7S and SA M7 Carbine to people at my shooting matches, it is pretty much 50-50 which variant people prefer. Some go ga-ga over the shorter stock and plain muzzle of the carbine; others seem to like the longer stock and muzzle brake of the standard SA M7.
SA M7's are readily available through both FAC and Lew Horton's. Rumor has it that FAC usually has the best price.
Lew Horton's is the only distributor for the SA M7 Carbine, which is apparently only made in small lots, and this is my question:
IS THERE ANY HOPE OF MAKING THE SA M7 CARBINE A LARGE-SCALE PRODUCTION MODEL LIKE THE STANDARD SA M7?
I own one with a free-floating firing pin, and I actually had another on order toward the end of last year because I wanted to get one with the spring-loaded firing pin. After waiting four months I gave up and purchased an SA M7S with the spring-loaded firing pin.
How about it, Arsenal, any chance of making the Carbine a large-scale production model?