Click the READ MORE below to see our range time shoot out between the Arsenal AK and the Vepr AK. 

Vepr vs. Saiga

by Jessie Indracusin

Interesting Notes on Comparisons

We made a request to the Sales Director at Arsenal AK (based out of Las Vegas) on getting a sample for doing a T&E for this edition.  Since we were unable to get a sample from manufacturer and a friend of mine purchased one recently, we decided to use his for the episode.  There are some variables I would have preferred to have not existed.  Ideally, we would have preffered a milled Saiga in 5.45 versus the 7.62 Milled version we used for the video.

Range Shoot

We will talk a bit more of the rifle with the studio portion of this segment. The model Saiga we are shooting is an Arsenal AK SGL-20.  It is a stamped 7.62x39mm Saiga AK.  The stamped receiver makes this gun very light and inexpensive.  This makes the weight between the Vepr AK and the Arsenal AK significant in which you can feel.  So most people would say lighter is better.  Not always true.  When it comes to AKs, people think of that ultra durable AK design you can toss on the floor, run over with a tank and it fires without incident. These are traits of a milled AK versus a stamped AK.

Of course this being an outdoor shoot on a public range, sound quality is fairly poor.  We utilized Wolf, Wolf Classic and Bear ammunition on the Vepr for the shoot and we used Golden Bear on the Saiga rifle.  I suffered a physical injury during my Krav Maga class that made shooting this from a standing position difficult.  All shooting was pretty much done form the bench.

Because these are two different caliber rifles both being shot at just over 25 yards, the results are a bit in question.  Although in general, the Vepr technically out shot the Arsenal AK, it was using a heavier caliber round at a short range.  However, the results from an easily available AK from Arsenal versus the hard to find 5.45 caliber version of the Vepr, makes the Arsenal AK a solid choice for anyone looking at getting an AK. 

The accuracy was very good.  As you can see from the video, it performed great at the range.  Also something that was very impressive was this was the first time the gun was ever shot.  From the manufacturer , zero was perfect out of the box.  I personally find this impressive from an AK.  It does show a serious bit of care from the manufacturer of a bargain priced rifle.

There were zero missfeeds, jams, extraction issues, etc.  Reliability was solid.

Conclusion

Look for our upcoming studio shoot which we will be stripping the gun down and comparing the two weapons in greater detail (with better sound). 

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