Tomac
10-01-2000, 10:46 AM
Rifles: 2 SAR-2s from Century, serial#s in the 31xx range, straight charging handles.
Trigger pulls: One was nice, the other was very nice for an AK.
Sights: Hesco/Meprolight Mepor-21 Reflex (tritium/ambient light illumination) on K-Var KV-04 siderail mounts.
Ammo: Wolf 60gr w/air pocket.
Mods to SAR-2s: K-Var US-made black polymer stocks, BufferTech recoil buffers, AA-OK 7.62 AK-74 style muzzle brakes w/setscrews & JB Weld, cleaning rod guide opened slightly to allow cleaning rod to be removed past brake by flexing downward (cleaning rods never moved from recoil during this range trip), replaced 2 of the 3 US internals (hammer & disconnector) w/Romanian originals for legality.
Weather: cool & overcast, no wind until just as I was leaving.
Muzzle flash: I arrived at the range just before sunup so I could observe the muzzle flash. It was just light enough I could make out terrain features. Muzzle flash was noticeable (primarily 2 jets to left and right) but did not seem to interfere with night vision or using the Mepor-21 sights.
Muzzle brake effectiveness: Muzzle jump and recoil seem reduced compared to no brake at all. I tried 30 shots rapid fire at 100yds and while the rifle was more controllable I couldn't say that muzzle jump was "eliminated". Perhaps a more authentic 5.45 brake would be more effective (not that the 5.45 really needs it...)
Ammo penetration: I had along both a 1/4" & 1" steel plate I use for target weights. At 50yds the 1" plate was left with a small dimple at the impact point (big surprise). The 1/4" plate had large holes (appx 1/2" diameter) blown through it. I noted that the impact side had edges bent outwards like the exit side (first time I've seen this). I recovered one shed jacket that was nearly completely mushroomed. I can't say whether the lead core made it through the hole or was thrown back like the jacket (more testing is in order).
Sighting in: Both iron sights and the Mepor-21s were very easy to sight in. The iron sights on one needed only a small adjustment in windage while the other needed no adjustment at all. The Mepor-21s needed more adjustment but this was accomplished quickly.
Accuracy: The Mepor-21 4.2MOA dot appears good out to 200yds or maybe a little more. The metal gongs at 150 + 200yds were easy targets from a rest using the Mepor-21s. Just to satisfy curiosity I tried the iron ram at 600yds and was very surprised at how little holdover was needed at that range (the Mepor-21s are sighted dead-on at 200yds). I didn't have a spotter with me (I will next trip) so I had to go by dirt puffs to gauge accuracy at that range. The 4.2MOA dot will not allow precision shooting at that range but you can certainly make life very uncomfortable for any target that far out.
Functioning: There were no failures or malfunctions of any kind from either rifle, the combination of setscrews & JB Weld appear sufficient to hold the muzzle brakes.
Problems: While the dots on both Mepor-21s are equally bright at night or in full daylight I noticed that one was significantly dimmer (about 1/3 the brightness) than the other when the sun was coming up and ambient light levels were still low. I suspect a problem with the fiber optic cable, I'll contact Hesco/Meprolight tomorrow about getting this fixed.
Conclusion: I'm very impressed with both the 5.45 SAR-2 and the Mepor-21 reflex sight. This combination (just like my previous SAR-2/Kobra combination) is very fast handling w/little recoil. The advantage of the Mepor-21 is that it needs no batteries, switches or adjustments during use. The disadvantage is the price ($240 for the Mepor-21, $80 for the KV-04 mount, $80 for the photochromatic auto-adjusting lens [haven't arrived yet]).
For my next range trip I'm planning on doing some accuracy groups at 100yds as well as shooting 5.45 through a series of water jugs to see if I can recover a spent bullet for examination.
Tomac
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Trigger pulls: One was nice, the other was very nice for an AK.
Sights: Hesco/Meprolight Mepor-21 Reflex (tritium/ambient light illumination) on K-Var KV-04 siderail mounts.
Ammo: Wolf 60gr w/air pocket.
Mods to SAR-2s: K-Var US-made black polymer stocks, BufferTech recoil buffers, AA-OK 7.62 AK-74 style muzzle brakes w/setscrews & JB Weld, cleaning rod guide opened slightly to allow cleaning rod to be removed past brake by flexing downward (cleaning rods never moved from recoil during this range trip), replaced 2 of the 3 US internals (hammer & disconnector) w/Romanian originals for legality.
Weather: cool & overcast, no wind until just as I was leaving.
Muzzle flash: I arrived at the range just before sunup so I could observe the muzzle flash. It was just light enough I could make out terrain features. Muzzle flash was noticeable (primarily 2 jets to left and right) but did not seem to interfere with night vision or using the Mepor-21 sights.
Muzzle brake effectiveness: Muzzle jump and recoil seem reduced compared to no brake at all. I tried 30 shots rapid fire at 100yds and while the rifle was more controllable I couldn't say that muzzle jump was "eliminated". Perhaps a more authentic 5.45 brake would be more effective (not that the 5.45 really needs it...)
Ammo penetration: I had along both a 1/4" & 1" steel plate I use for target weights. At 50yds the 1" plate was left with a small dimple at the impact point (big surprise). The 1/4" plate had large holes (appx 1/2" diameter) blown through it. I noted that the impact side had edges bent outwards like the exit side (first time I've seen this). I recovered one shed jacket that was nearly completely mushroomed. I can't say whether the lead core made it through the hole or was thrown back like the jacket (more testing is in order).
Sighting in: Both iron sights and the Mepor-21s were very easy to sight in. The iron sights on one needed only a small adjustment in windage while the other needed no adjustment at all. The Mepor-21s needed more adjustment but this was accomplished quickly.
Accuracy: The Mepor-21 4.2MOA dot appears good out to 200yds or maybe a little more. The metal gongs at 150 + 200yds were easy targets from a rest using the Mepor-21s. Just to satisfy curiosity I tried the iron ram at 600yds and was very surprised at how little holdover was needed at that range (the Mepor-21s are sighted dead-on at 200yds). I didn't have a spotter with me (I will next trip) so I had to go by dirt puffs to gauge accuracy at that range. The 4.2MOA dot will not allow precision shooting at that range but you can certainly make life very uncomfortable for any target that far out.
Functioning: There were no failures or malfunctions of any kind from either rifle, the combination of setscrews & JB Weld appear sufficient to hold the muzzle brakes.
Problems: While the dots on both Mepor-21s are equally bright at night or in full daylight I noticed that one was significantly dimmer (about 1/3 the brightness) than the other when the sun was coming up and ambient light levels were still low. I suspect a problem with the fiber optic cable, I'll contact Hesco/Meprolight tomorrow about getting this fixed.
Conclusion: I'm very impressed with both the 5.45 SAR-2 and the Mepor-21 reflex sight. This combination (just like my previous SAR-2/Kobra combination) is very fast handling w/little recoil. The advantage of the Mepor-21 is that it needs no batteries, switches or adjustments during use. The disadvantage is the price ($240 for the Mepor-21, $80 for the KV-04 mount, $80 for the photochromatic auto-adjusting lens [haven't arrived yet]).
For my next range trip I'm planning on doing some accuracy groups at 100yds as well as shooting 5.45 through a series of water jugs to see if I can recover a spent bullet for examination.
Tomac
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