I’m looking to buy an SA-M7 but am a bit of a traditonalist. Does Arsenal make one with wood furniture? What’s up with the SA-M7 classic? Is it possible to still buy one or what? Does anybody know where to buy/find one of these, or at least something close?
You pretty much need to keep your eyes open on specialty forums like Sturmgewehr or The AK Forums… one might pop up if you’re lucky but you will pay for it.
You mean like this one?
I agree with The_Katar, keep your eyes on those websites and be prepared.
I’m an AR guy and don’t know a whole lot about AKs. What’s another quality, top of the line milled receiver AK with wood furniture that’s more available? Money? Not so much of an object.
K-var has the M7 Classic listed on their site but it is out of stock. That might be an option but who knows when they’d get more in.
As the others mentioned, keep your eyes on the forum for sale sections. Add in AR15.com and Gunbroker and you’ll have most of your bases covered.
Spooky
ETA - if money truly is no object here ya go:http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=156673679
The Classics were always very low production special run guns. I believe there were less than 600 manufactured. Arsenal Bulgaria stopped production of many of the older Type III parts (which the Classic is a semi auto clone of) in the early 1990’s.
Cruise www.sturmgewehr.com and www.theakforum.net and you might see one for sale.
If you want an AK-47 clone, with a milled receiver, AK-47 weight barrel (vs. AKM), and 45* gas block (vs. the 90* block of the AK-74), you want either an Arsenal Inc. SA-M7 Classic, a Polytech Legend that was imported prior to 1989, or one of the converted post import ban rifles like an Arsenal Bulgaria SA-93, or a milled Chinese MAK-90.
I’d stay away from the Lancaster milled guns, they’re made from a jumble of parts.
Thanks for the info Templar. There was a run of milled guns built during the ban on Bulgarian receivers and mostly Polish parts. I can’t recall right now the companies who built them but there were three distinct ones. Where do those fall in the scheme of milled guns. I think the receivers were SLR100H - and the receivers were considered to be fairly high quality.
Spooky
Thanks for the info, very informative. If I were to buy an SA-M7 R (or really any rifle with polymer furniture for that matter) would I be able to have wood furniture installed on it? I know it’s purely asthetic but it’s important to me for some reason I’m not entirely sure of yet.
Yes, they were known as SLR-100H’s. They were made out of Hungarian parts actually, and sometimes you got a good one, and sometimes, not so much.
3 companies made them.
Gordon Tech (best)
Blue Ridge (2nd best)
MSC (like speaking the 3rd best Eyetalian :o )
Gordon Tech also made a few on Polish kits, and they were called SLR-100P’s
Those are even more rare than the Arsenal Inc. Classics, and not anywhere near as nice.
Sure, AK stock sets are a pretty easy swap, they just usually require a bit of hand fitting.
The M7R, M7Carbine, M7A1’s use AK-74 gas blocks and AKM weight (lighter) barrels, so it really depends on how “authentic” you want.
My Classic started out with the blond steamed elm stocks like Marc has on his, which is the way Arsenal shipped them. Then, I went on a laminated kick and I put a Polish stock set on it, and then, I wanted to not have to worry about dinging up the wood, since I was using it in a couple carbine classes, and I turned it into an Iraqi National Guard clone with a set of black Bulgarian stocks.
I’ve got one of the Gordon Tech ones. It is pretty nice.
Another question - you mentioned the Arsenals with AKM barrels and 90 degree gas blocks. Are they made as well as the Classics but only with different parts? I’ve got an M7A1R that I like and wonder how it compares in quality to the Classics.
Spooky
No difference in quality, i.e., they’re outstanding.
So what’s another quality top of the line milled receiver with a slanted gas block?
There you go…
Yeah I realized that after I posted it. Sorry, thanks for idiot proofing it for me though.
No worries. If you do happen across a milled MAK-90, they can be diamonds in the rough but you really need to know what you’re looking at, since many of them have “slant cut” receivers, which won’t let you get a really correct looking rifle.
So, basically, an Arsenal Inc. SA-M7 Classic or a pre-89 Polytech Legend are what you’re looking for.
Yeah thanks again. I found one M7 for $2 grand! Is that what I’m probably gonna be looking at paying for any that I come across? Also, what do you make of this?
Look at the lightning cut on the receiver. It is not milled like a true milled receiver. It looks to be from a cast piece rather than milled from a solid piece of steel. I would stay far away from that personnally. Then again, I am a purist when it comes to AK’s. The price is nice but you get what you pay for.
I believe those are done by Lancaster, which is one I’d avoid.
I honestly haven’t been following the pricing on M7 Classics, but like I said, I believe fewer than 600 are out there, so it would not surprise me at all.