Lancaster "Rough Rider" AK74

[pirate]

I recieved the Lancaster Arms "Rough Rider" AK74 (Bulgarian parts kit builds) from AIM a couple weeks ago and I must have got in just under the door as they were sold out after 48 just hours. On first inspection I am very pleased with the build quality and fit and finish. Everything is as it should be and I paid just less than $500 including shipping and FFL transfer fee so its hard to beat a quality build for this price. It came with 2 great condition Bulgy mags, AK bayo and cleaning kit and canvas mag carrier. I will give a range report when I have a chance to make a dent in the 2 spam cans (1080 x 2 rounds) I also purchased.

[warsaw pact]

Pirate

Thanks for sharing. That is a great deal on a high quality 74 without all the make up. I think it looks good with the poly stock- fits the rougher look.

Well done. Let us know how she shoots.

[Gopguy]

I was looking at one of these Sunday at the gunshow in Dayton Ohio. $489+ tax. I was sorely tempted. I have yet to get a 74, and wish I had a while back. I see the ammo has gone up quite a bit.

I look forward to hearing what you think after you shoot her Pirate.

[PolishVector]

That is more than fair. I saw how fast they sold out... next time they put them up it will probably with a higher price tag.

[mak47]

I just ordered one Friday from AIM. They say it'll ship out early this week. I've read some spotty reviews but I gave it a shot. Did you get it out yet?

[PolishVector]

Originally Posted by mak47

I just ordered one Friday from AIM. They say it'll ship out early this week. I've read some spotty reviews but I gave it a shot. Did you get it out yet?

It says they are sold out on their website, am I missing something?

[warsaw pact]

They come and go on AIM as they buy them in batches, then sell them, and don't order until they sell them all.

They seem like a good deal in terms of price if you just want a shooter/beater. If there is any issue they come backed up by a lifetime warranty.


Personally I would never get one as I am really into the look and finish of an AK, but that is just me.

[mak47]

Originally Posted by PolishVector

It says they are sold out on their website, am I missing something?

When I ordered it, the site said there were 2 in stock. Unfortunately there weren't actually 2 in stock. There were none in stock and it took two weeks to get it out.

However, the rep from AIM was great the entire time, and I now have the gun. I'd post pics, but it's kind of redundant--it looks just like the one up top.

The build seems like good quality, but the furniture is surplus and it is pretty well worn. That isn't particularly surprising and can easily be remedied with new furniture if I really want to. Mine came with a plum Izzy marked Soviet mag, which was a nice surprise.

My only grip with it is that the optic rail is somehow incorrect. I put my Kobra Sight on it and with just a little push it comes sliding right off the back end. I emailed Lancaster Arms about it and was instructed to contact someone at the company, that this was the first they'd heard of the issue.

I'll do that Monday and we'll see what happens. My guess is it's an aftermarket rail that probably works fine with an aftermarket mount of some kind. That's not an issue, as long as it works with something. I just used the Kobra as a test.

My intent with this one was to scope it and see what kind of accuracy I can get out of it with the new V-max ammo that is coming out. I have another Lancaster built AK, in 7.62x39, and that thing is a tack driver with their chrome lined barrel.

This one is their stainless steel barrel, which they refer to as "match-grade". We'll see how true that turns out to be when I get a scope on it and take it out.

[mak47]

rrtarget.jpg

I took the Rough Rider out to the range today and here's a report for anyone interested.

It took about 50 rounds to zero in the sights. Out of the box elevation was pretty much on, but windage had to be adjusted as it was shooting about 4 inches to the right at 25 yards.

I put another 3 magazines through it firing at different speeds, and there were no failures of any kind.

The target posted above was shot after letting the barrel cool a bit.
It was 25 rounds at 25 yards with iron sights. The outer orange ring of the target is about 3.5 inches in diameter.

The five shot group you can see that high was fired using the magazine as a monopod. The rest were fired sitting, only using the sling for support. The large hole just above the center of the target appears to be 7 or 8 rounds.

The ammunition was Golden Tiger 59grn FMJ. I knew I wouldn't have time to clean today, so I used non-corrosive ammo. The Golden Tiger is the closest I have found in bullet weight to the popular 7n6 surplus ammo.

Next time I will take it out at a longer distance, but my range is still covered in about 10 inches of snow that I really didn't feel like trudging through today.

All in all, I'm impressed. The stainless steel barrel seems to provide very consistent shots. The trigger is still a bit gritty, with some more shooting I think it will smooth out nicely which should help accuracy as well.

I haven't seen groupings like this out of any other AK I own, or have fired. The 7-8 shot hole tells me that this rifle is very capable of consistent and accurate shooting. I can't wait to see how it does with the higher quality ammo we should be seeing soon from Hornady.

As for other aspects, it's an AK-74, they're all pretty much the same ergonomically. The muzzle device is a Bulgarian zig-zag brake and as would be expected, recoil is basically non-existent.

I'm still waiting to hear back from Lancaster in regards to the optics rail, but after examining it more, it seems that there is a groove cut into it that is intended to be a "stop". It is a bit smaller than it is on other rails I've seen, so I'm thinking that I may be able to simply widen it a little bit if and when I decide to put a scope on the gun for distance shooting.

As of now, for the $479 purchase price, I'm impressed. I was hoping this would prove to be more accurate than other AK's, and it seems to be.

[warsaw pact]

http://www.lancasterarms.com/index.html

The Promotional Rough Rider series has been discontinued. It was a great promotion and we thank our customers for their support. Any Rough Rider orders placed with Lancaster prior to 1 March, 2010 will be honored.

AIM and Atlantic Firearms will have limited stock for a short time. Please contact them for product availability.

It was fun while it lasted....