Liberal with an AK: SAR-1 Range Report

The SAR-1 is a stamped receiver semi-auto AKM clone. Chambered in 7.62x39, the SAR-1 is manufactured by S.A. Cugir in Romania. Many details about the SAR-1 can be found here. This article will focus on my first impressions of the range, and shooting the SAR-1.

We arrived at the range and got the safety spiel, and I stated that my rifle has no provision for locking the bolt to the rear. This comment got me the stink eye from the front desk clerk. Back at the bench rest, the NRA certified instructors, the ages of whom when added require scientific notation to display on a single page, asked me what I was shooting.

Me: "Romanian AK-47".

Range Coot 1: "T'aint full auto is it? 'Cuz you caint shoot full auto uh tis range".

Me: "No, it's a semi auto".

Range Coot 2: "H mainy po-sitions does the safety got"?

Me: "Only two, safe and fire".

Range Coot 3 (Sauntering over to look at the safety to make sure): "Yup, she's semi auto".

Satisfied, the coots went back to their shack. At the bench rest range, two Army folks were shooting bolt action rifles, an older gentleman was sighting in his hunting rifle chambered in .35 Whelen.

The coots called cease fire and the range went cold. I set up a single target at 50 yards. The previous owner of the carbine stated that it was incapable of hitting paper at 25 yards. I figured that I would give it a little more faith. The coots called the range hot, and I chambered a single round. I didn't want a slam fire to send the thing into full auto, calling down the wrath of the coots.

A 12" paper target is mighty small when it is hovering over AK iron sights at 50 yards. Mighty small. I decided to forgo the sandbags and just sat behind the bench.

The trigger on this particular SAR-1 is light and smooth with a clean crisp break. Ba-boom!

No trigger slap, a good thing. I couldn't see a hole in the target. I loaded up two rounds and went at it again. No slam fire! The spent brass had a bit of a dent right in the neck.

I loaded up a full mag, and slow fired at the target. About half way through, a Coot called "Cease Fire".

I went and looked at the target, and counted 18 holes, I had hit paper every time. So much for can't hit paper with it. Most of my shots were low and to the right, but grouped into about 6". Doing the math quick and dirty and without Origin to analyze x,y positions, etc comes out to:

50 Yards = 1800 inches. Theta= 6"/1800" = 0 Degrees 11 Minutes 28 Seconds. So, I was shooting about 11 MOA.

Not spectacular, but I will try from sandbags next time, and see if I can get a tighter group.
We arrived at the range late, and I only had time for about 40 rounds, but the SAR-1 cycled perfectly each time, with no hiccups. I was feeding it International Cartridge frangibles with non-toxic primers.

The next trip to the range will be to test the rifle on sandbags and to test a new 30 round mag.

And now, a YouTube video of someone shooting an SAR-1:

From the old home place:

This article:

I thought for a second the victim was my high school buddy Matthew H. However, thinking about it, he is probably the perp.

My dad is chuckling right now.