How is the quality of the Romanian SAR-1?

R

rock_jock

New member
I see these advertised around. They claim they are Factory New. How is that possible with the assault weapons ban? Do they use enough US-made parts to be exempted? Also, what is the quality like? Availability of parts? Finally, how much can I expect to pay for a new one?

Thanks,
rock
 
I have two. They work great and are fun to shoot. The fit and finish are rough compared to a commercial rifle. The wood may not match (handguards different from stock, for example). They are Romainan rifles fitted with enough U.S. parts to qualify legally as U.S. rifles. Most say that they have enough U.S. parts to make it legal to use imported high-capacity magazines (unlike Maadis, etc. which require that U.S. floorplates and followers be installed in imported mags).

Prices have come down since the first of the year. Various distributors have them for under $300 for the 7.62x39 and .223 versions. The ones chambered for the Russian .22 caliber cartridge (I don't recall what it is) are less.

I'm very happy with mine. To me, they are about the perfect AK - reliable, cheap, evil looking. I know there are nicer AK rifles around for more money, but I can't get excited about paying more for an AK - I don't think they are designed to be precision rifles. I think you should be able to find or order one for around $330-$350 or so (just a guess, based on dealer cost). You might want to look at one first, just so you know what you are getting. But don't let the "rough edges" put you off - they work and are a lot of fun.

Check http://www.ak-47.net for lots more info. Also check www.aimsurplus.com - that's where I got mine.

Doug
 
don't expect them to be accurate. The sights are very difficult to use accurately and the triggers are bad even for a military rifle. I tried 3 different manufactures of 7.62 ammo and at 25 yards couldn't beat 3-4 inch groups.
 
I'm still breaking mine in (Romanian SAR-1), but while sighting in, I'm getting 1-2" groups at 25 yds with sand bags. No noticeable difference in accuracy between Winchester (the cheap stuff) and Wolf ammo.

I babied mine during the break-in, sort of following a procedure for breaking in a new rifle that I read about on one of the forums. I'll try to find the link and post it here. The posting recommended a complete cleaning after every round for the first 15-20 rounds, and explained the reasons for doing that. I cheated a bit, cleaning after every 2-3 rounds.
 
The sights are rugged, but far from accurate. Anyone basing the accuracy of the rifle on open sight shooting is barking up the wrong tree. Sure, they're not the MOST accurate semi-auto around, but they're a lot more accurate than people give them credit for. After you get that rifle, install a Kobra collimator sight. Then you can really see how accurate (and fast) these rifles are. The collimator is basically a rugged, military spec red dot built for the AK. You can make the dot really small, and really eek out the performance. The red dot also allows you to keep both eyes open while shooting, and you can engage targets very quiclky with it.
 
I have a SAR-3 (the .223 version). It is pretty much what you would think it to be; it is a cheap (stamped receiver), military based semi-auto. It does pretty much what you would expect it to do. With open sights and bracing myself (no sandbags) I could get about a 6" to 8" group at 100 yards.

These are very simple guns, and so should be very reliable. I just got a Kobra red dot sight for mine, and although it looks a little clunky, it apears that it will work just fine. It has 16 levels of brightness, which means you can make it so small that it will allow reasonable accuracy at 100 yards.

For the price, it seems like a very reasonable purchase. I got mine in .223 due to having a Bushmaster on order.

Casey
 
One thing you can add to improve accuracy is one of those RPK adjustable rear sights, Classic Arms usually has them from between $15-20. They are adjustable for windage unlike the standard rear sights, and it sure beats drifting the front sight.
 
How do you mount the Kobra sight? Does the gun have a side rail or something? Is there gunsmithing involved?

How accurate is your 223 with the Kobra at 100 yards?
I'm betting better than a Mini 14.

Thanks!
 
I just got my SAR1 and found the trigger to be awesome. Not as crisp as my AR15, but much better than people give them credit for. No take at all, just a smooth break. Accuracy is 3" groups offhand at 25 yards and 4" at 100 yards, which is fine for a battle rifle. On the downside, on some rifles, like mine, the US made hammers are soft and dent easily. Mine showed deformation at only 170 rounds. You can easily have the trigger group replaced with better US made parts. I've heard the 2000 models have better trigger groups. Concernin the Kobra sight, I'm ordering mine next month. I have the side rail already mounted, so it's a no brainer to get one. Overall, the SAR series are great rifles in my opion. Everyone should have one AK in their safe, right next to the AR15.
 
A guy named Tantal at http://www.tantal.kalashnikov.guns.ru/ sells them. Most times you'll have to drill your reciever and add a rail for the mount, but it's really easy. The instructions (in quasi-russian) are easy enough to read, as measurements, thankfully, cross international boundaries without translation. Make sure that you have cobalt bits, as the receivers are much harder than most folks think...way, way hard. I thin the Kobra makes the AK rifles much easier to shoot accurately. Changin the rear sight to the RPK sight doesn't hepl that much, because the front sight is too thick. If it were much thinner, it could be more accurate, and the RPK rear then would help out a lot.

go to www.ak-47.net for more info on Kalashnikovs
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Frontsight!:
Most times you'll have to drill your reciever and add a rail for the mount[/quote]

Just to clarify for any that may be unclear on this...the SAR-1, SAR-2, and SAR-3 already have the mounting rail installed, so there is no need for drilling or making any modifications to these rifles. That is one advantage they have over some other AK clones. The Cobra sight just slips right on. I have one and like it pretty well - although it is sometimes impossible for me to see the dot or "t" in bright sunlight against a light background. The Cobra appears to be very good quality. I got mine from Tantal.

Doug
 
OOPS!, I didn't know the SARs has the rail already...that's cool. Usually, if I use the sunshade, I have no problems seeing the dot. If the light's real bad, I'll use the T and dot together with the power cranked up.
 
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