WTK Is this a good price?

[Rudy]

The local Dunham's has a Polish Tantel for sale. It's a close out. This store doesn't want to stock the 5.45 rifles anymore.

It has the crutch folding stock, the safety on the left side in addition to the regular safety. It comes with 2 'plastic' magazines and a cleaning kit. They were originally asking $649. It's now down to $499. It is brand new, not used.

I've looked at it pretty hard and even looked inside it. The thumb safety is very stiff.

Is this a fair price?

[BrockAK47]

399-499 for a tantal no days is alright. That's about what they run. If you are going to spend 600+ on a tantal make sure it has the original barrel. Original barrel tantals used to be high price , but the century tantals brought them down. If it's a newer century there havn't been any complaints I know about with them, since they fixed the keyhole issue I think they are good to go. Good luck

you might be able to find them for sale for 399.99 at an online vendor, but they usually sell out quick



A few weeks ago there was a member on AKforum selling a VERY nice tantal kit build with original barrel for 625 I think with mags. He put it on GB last time I checked

[squirrelblaster]

if its a century then i would walk away. if its a interarms then i would grab it. who imported/built is is going to make all the difference on this one in my opinion.

century is to much of a gamble for me on tantals unless you know a way to tell when it was built. and if it has the keyholing issue.

[AKBLUE]

Chances of finding a Tantal with original barrel at a retailer like Dunhams is slim and none.
In today's market a $500 Tantal with US barrel is a pretty fair price.
I know it is not too smart/acceptable but bringing a 5.45 cartridge or at least a projectile for a bullet test is a decent way to test for bore diameter.
The latest generation of Tantal over the past couple of years seem to be fine. But hard to tell how long a rifle was "in stock" before sale etc.

[Rudy]

I believe it is a Century build. I don't know if the barrel is original or aftermarket. I'll check again.

[fly]

The ''crutch folder'' will sell for about that........

[cd]

Originally Posted by Rudy

I believe it is a Century build. I don't know if the barrel is original or aftermarket. I'll check again.

You can always call Century with the serial #.

[msu89dawgs]

Originally Posted by Rudy

I believe it is a Century build. I don't know if the barrel is original or aftermarket. I'll check again.

If it is chrome-lined, it should be a Polish barrel. If it's not, it's almost surely US made, and may very well have the keyholing issue some have experienced with Century Tantals. I'm not aware of Century using any US-made chrome-lined barrels. I have an Interarms Tantal inbound; I paid a lot more for it than what a Century typically costs, but after reading reviews about Interarms build quality, and the fact that I'm getting an original Polish barrel, it's worth it to me.

[msu89dawgs]

Originally Posted by fly

The ''crutch folder'' will sell for about that........

I doubt he's talking about an Egyptian crutch folder. If somebody paid to replace the original sidefolder with a Maddi crutch stock, and put it up at $499, they either got a steal on the Maadi stock, or are losing some money on the rifle.

[nalioth]

Originally Posted by Rudy

I've looked at it pretty hard and even looked inside it. The thumb safety is very stiff.

"Thumb safety"?

Did you mean the lever on the left side of the gun?

That's a selector lever, and is supposed to operate independently of the normal right-side safety lever (it doesn't actually select anything in a semiauto). If yours operates in tandem, it's a sign of cheap construction. It is NOT a "thumb safety".

[irierider]

Its an okay deal.. But check if its century.. If it is check tge mfg date.. The warrenty starts 1 year from.then not from when you buy it.. Second i doubt its an orig barrel... Id say its a little over priced.. But everything ak is drying up... Im sure they will have more but you.really never know

[Rudy]

Originally Posted by nalioth

"Thumb safety"?

Did you mean the lever on the left side of the gun?

That's a selector lever, and is supposed to operate independently of the normal right-side safety lever (it doesn't actually select anything in a semiauto). If yours operates in tandem, it's a sign of cheap construction. It is NOT a "thumb safety".

Yes the lever on the left side. I was pushing it expecting the lever on the right side to move also.

I'm not at all familiar with the AK74 (5.45) series of rifles. The salesman told me it was a safety. I believed him, after-all that is about the location of the safety on an AR.

He said they had it less than a year, but they are very slow selling. I commented that it might sell better if they had more than just one 20-round box of ammo for it.

[nalioth]

Originally Posted by Rudy

I'm not at all familiar with the AK74 (5.45) series of rifles.

. . then you're still going to be confused.

The Tantal doesn't represent the "standard" AK-74. Its design has been modernized.

[DennyB]

J&G in Shotgun News has a Tantal for $399....believe most of the parts are US made also.
Denny