Got my SAR-3 this weekend (Romanian AK-variant in .223--my "July 9th gun"). Here’s the scoop. I bought from Century through a local FFL. Its the kit with rifle, 2 reduced-capacity magazines, 2 standard-capacity magazines, sling, cleaning kit, manual (which is nothing more than field-stripping instructions and legal disclaimers).
Century messed up the order--they only sent 1 of 4 mags- a reduced-capacity. Others supposedly on the way.
Its a 2000 Model. Nice wood. Nice finish. Lots of cosmoline, but fresh & oily, easy to clean off. The one magazine was pretty rough, not a great fit. The engagement with the receiver is not real solid. But it works. The lever that holds/releases the gas tube is really tight.
So I got it cleaned up and headed to the range. Got everything set up, was excited for that first shot, pulled the trigger and click. Tried the usual things and only got clicks. The range I was shooting at has a rental MAK 90, so I field stripped and took it to the office to see if I could diagnose by comparison. Fortunately, the resident gunsmith was there, and he quickly found a problem with the trigger/receiver fit. The angle on the trigger piece closest to the receiver was cut slightly diagonal. So the trigger would not return far enough to go into battery. It was hanging on the receiver. A few minutes with a hand file and I was in business. It has gone boom every time since then.
Sights were fairly close at 25 yards (max at the indoor range), but low and left. Recoil is light--same/less than a .410 shotgun. Significantly less than the SKS I briefly owned. Muzzle flash is significant, though. From behind the sights it looks like a 6-inch fireball. Maybe a little less with PMC and UMC ammo.
Took it home to drift the front sight. Took some major hammer work and lots of penetrating lube. But its there now.
Hammer and file--the tools to tune an Easter-European weapon...
Put about 300 rounds through it over the weekend. No sign of soft hammer yet. Ammo tried includes:
-Wolf
-PMC
-UMC
-Sellier & Bellot
Goups were half-dollar to silver dollar. UMC and S&B were most accurate. About quarter-size groups at 25 yards. Probably the best my bifocals will allow with iron sights. But it happened once...a cloverleaf and a snowman, separated by less than a bullet-width. Dime-sized group. Now I’m excited. Will it do that well or better with better sights? That’s the fun, figuring things like that out.
The stock feels too short, but I’m getting used to it. Its handy, though. The supplied sling works well for bracing offhand shooting.
All in all, a very fun gun so far, once the trigger got fixed.
Century messed up the order--they only sent 1 of 4 mags- a reduced-capacity. Others supposedly on the way.
Its a 2000 Model. Nice wood. Nice finish. Lots of cosmoline, but fresh & oily, easy to clean off. The one magazine was pretty rough, not a great fit. The engagement with the receiver is not real solid. But it works. The lever that holds/releases the gas tube is really tight.
So I got it cleaned up and headed to the range. Got everything set up, was excited for that first shot, pulled the trigger and click. Tried the usual things and only got clicks. The range I was shooting at has a rental MAK 90, so I field stripped and took it to the office to see if I could diagnose by comparison. Fortunately, the resident gunsmith was there, and he quickly found a problem with the trigger/receiver fit. The angle on the trigger piece closest to the receiver was cut slightly diagonal. So the trigger would not return far enough to go into battery. It was hanging on the receiver. A few minutes with a hand file and I was in business. It has gone boom every time since then.
Sights were fairly close at 25 yards (max at the indoor range), but low and left. Recoil is light--same/less than a .410 shotgun. Significantly less than the SKS I briefly owned. Muzzle flash is significant, though. From behind the sights it looks like a 6-inch fireball. Maybe a little less with PMC and UMC ammo.
Took it home to drift the front sight. Took some major hammer work and lots of penetrating lube. But its there now.
Hammer and file--the tools to tune an Easter-European weapon...
Put about 300 rounds through it over the weekend. No sign of soft hammer yet. Ammo tried includes:
-Wolf
-PMC
-UMC
-Sellier & Bellot
Goups were half-dollar to silver dollar. UMC and S&B were most accurate. About quarter-size groups at 25 yards. Probably the best my bifocals will allow with iron sights. But it happened once...a cloverleaf and a snowman, separated by less than a bullet-width. Dime-sized group. Now I’m excited. Will it do that well or better with better sights? That’s the fun, figuring things like that out.
The stock feels too short, but I’m getting used to it. Its handy, though. The supplied sling works well for bracing offhand shooting.
All in all, a very fun gun so far, once the trigger got fixed.
