Trusted Review™ Scorecard
I’ve always been a big fan of Russian guns. When I bought my first Soviet Mosin from a gun show in southeast Michigan several years ago, it was just the start of a deep fascination with the small arms of the east. So it seemed natural when I began to develop an interest in AK type rifles not long after the purchase of my third Mosin. It was a combination of the simplicity, ruggedness and aesthetics that drew me to the gun, something that’s just as unexplainable as a deep appreciation for a particular art form or music genre. They just clicked with me.
After a long time researching AKs that was further drawn out by being in college and not having sufficient funds to actually buy a gun, I finally bought my first AK in January of 2008. It was a mostly-Bulgarian clone of the AKS-74 rifle on an American-made NoDak Spud receiver built by the now defunct Ohio Rapid Fire. It was a great gun to “learn” AKs on, but I took a few issues with it: it was at its core a “used” Bulgarian gun and it lacked a scope rail on the left side of the receiver for mounting Russian-style optics. The former bothered me because ultimately I wanted something as original and unused as it could possibly be (taking federal laws into consideration) and the latter because I wanted to eventually mount proper AK optics on it and keep it as close to military specifications (mil-spec) as possible.
The issues with my AKS-74 clone led me to buy a mint-condition Saiga “sporter” in 7.62x39mm for a steal at a local pawn shop. Saiga sporters are made at the original AK factory in Izhevsk, Russia by Izhmash, which is part of the conglomerate responsible for making the most modern version of the AK as it is issued to the Russian Army. These firearms are called sporters because their features are distinctly non mil-spec and require a significant conversion to make guns that resemble “true” AKs. Most importantly, in the place of a pistol grip they have a non-pistol grip hunting style checkered buttstock, a unique one-piece non-military handguard, and a magazine feed ramp that will only properly seat proprietary low capacity magazines. In addition, it was chambered in 7.62x39mm and I wanted something in 5.45x39mm, the modern Russian military cartridge.
The Saiga sporter gave me a taste of what a “real” Russian AK would be like with the black finish, the high quality original and matching-numbered parts, the improved accuracy over my AKS-74 clone, and the scope rail. After extensively using the sporter and trying out many of the other AK type rifles available in the United States, from Romanian WASRs to RPK clones to a Bulgarian select-fire AKS-74U, I decided I wanted something definitively Russian and as close to Russian mil-spec as possible.
The SGL31-47 in the gun rack at the range
My research indicated that I had a few options to achieve my goal. I could get an extraordinarily expensive original Russian AK-74 that had been allowed in prior to the changing of federal laws, a Saiga sporter in 5.45x39mm and convert it myself (likely resulting in frustration and failure), pay someone to convert it for me (expensive and sometimes of dubious quality), or I could walk the middle ground and get an AK rifle from Arsenal, Inc.
Arsenal, Inc. is the exclusive American importer and remanufacturer of rifles made by Arsenal AD (sometimes referred to as Arsenal Corporation or Arsenal Company) in Kazanlak, Bulgaria. In addition to their deal with Arsenal AD, Arsenal, Inc. recently partnered with Izhmash (itself a subsidiary of Legion, a larger industrial concern), the current owners of the original AK factory in Izhevsk, Russia to import a large number of new-production Saiga sporters and remanufacture them using American-made parts into rifles as close to what is currently issued to members of the Russian military as possible.
I decided to go with the middle ground. It was the perfect choice – I could get something that was exactly what I wanted in an AK without having to sloppily involve myself in the conversion process or go way over-budget. I bought an Arsenal SGL31-47 from K-Var, which is an exact AK-74M clone with O.D. green furniture (I just really like the look of green furniture on a black gun).
I’ve since had some time to test out the gun and my experiences and reactions are detailed below. But before we get to even more boring text, check out this video of me with the AK below!
Quality
The fit and finish of the gun is perfect. Despite the extensive remanufacturing required to make Saiga carbines into mil-spec SGL31 rifles, there are no blemishes on the finish and the rifle is impeccable mechanics-wise. Having only dealt with AKs that were built from military surplus parts prior to owning the SGL31-47, I was amazed by the quality of the new-production bore and all the other parts.
With regard to accuracy, after test firing just two magazines to get myself properly acquainted with sights, I was easily popping clays I had set up on target stands 100 meters out. The myth of AKs as inherently inaccurate guns is adequately dispelled by the SGL31. I can't wait to see what I can do with a proper Russian scope on it.
Reliability
It’s an AK.
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.
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All kidding aside, the reliability of mil-spec AK rifles is a thing of small arms legend; the reliability of civilian models and other clones is not. Like I’ve already said before, Arsenal’s SGL31-47 is just about the closest thing to an AK made for a modern military as you can get. It’s got an original Russian-made chrome-lined bore to better resist corrosion, make cleaning easier and make your barrel last longer.
The chrome-lined bore is just one example of all the high quality parts that make up the SGL31 series of rifles. I threw the gun around quite a bit to see if the US-made furniture would hold up and it did without cracking or breaking in any way. As I wrote above, the rifle was very reliable in the accuracy department and delivered exceptional accuracy over iron sights at 100 meters after just a brief "getting to know the gun" period.
I put about 300 rounds of Silver Bear 60 grain FMJ down the barrel over an hour and did not experience a single failure to eject or failure to fire, which is exactly the kind of reliability I would expect from an Arsenal AK.
Price/Value
Price and value can often be two exclusive things, so I’ll attempt to tackle both separately.
The price of the SGL31-47 is probably the worst part about it. When I bought mine from K-Var, it was listed for $874. After shipping, the final price was a little bit over $900. Aside from one-off unique production runs, high quality RPK clones and collector’s items like all-original pre-ban Russian guns, that’s just about the highest-priced AK rifle you can find. Arsenal demands a high premium for their work.
Where this price is made up for is in the value of the gun. Being completely uneducated in the art of gunsmithing, I would have a hard time converting a cheaper Saiga sporter into what I truly wanted and would likely make finish-marring mistakes or even mechanically ruin the gun. I also wouldn’t want to send my gun off to someone to expensively perform the conversion into mil-spec themselves, as you never know exactly what you’ll get from that. For those reasons, the SGL31-47 to me is a very valuable item, though the price may be high. You get what you pay for – a high quality gun that is as close to a new production Russian AK-74M without paying thousands of dollars. If you’re not looking for premium grade, then you should look elsewhere.
Referability
Overall I've been very impressed with the gun and I hope to pass this AK on to future generations. The only reason the rifle receives four stars instead of five is the high price that the gun asks, though as I said above you know what you're getting with this gun - the absolute highest quality mil-spec AK rifle available in the United States. I look forward to heavily customizing the gun with authentic Russian scopes and other accessories, which is easily facilitated by the side rail for optics on the left side of the receiver. Look for reviews of those products in the near future.
If you're looking for the top-of-the-line AK in 5.45x39mm in the US, this is it. The SGL31-47 is something that will be getting a lot of love at the range and at home in the safe and the cleaning table, and I'm happy to have chosen it as my high-end AK.
