5.45 AK rifle keyholing - problems fixed

[Next]

I'm once again in the market for a 5.45 AK.

Is the keyholing problem some had fixed or is it still there?

[O.S.O.K.]

On the new production guns yes. But caveat emptor on any used guns you look at.

This was due primarily to Century using .223 barrels IIRC.

[alismith]

I thought battle rifles were designed to make the bullet keyhole to create a larger wound channel in the body, since HP are outlawed....?

Of course, this is useless in a non-battle situation such as hunting, plinking, or target shooting.

[O.S.O.K.]

No - battle rifles are designed to deliver the rounds in a stabalized manor to the target - then, the bullets are desinged to tumble.

You don't want keyholing!!

[Skip]

I had a friend that had a Century and it would keyhole at 50 yards. I never saw him shoot it again,

[Bluntforce]

I have a Century build on a NoDak Spud receiver. The barrel IS the correct size. A .22 caliber cleaning rod will not fit down it. I had to buy a cleaning kit to get the rod ends to clean it as I do not have any .17 caliber cleaning rods.

I bought it two years ago, if that's any indication any rifle that old or newer should have the proper size installed.

ETA. It is not a Tantal.

[mrkalashnikov]

I seem to remember this being an issue primarily w/ the Century-built Tantal 5.45 rifles. A number of members here and on other sites were of the opinion the culprit was incorrectly installed muzzle brakes, which were being hit by exiting bullets and causing the tumbling/keyholing problem.

I would advise steering clear of said rifles to be sure. Saiga/Arsenal makes some 1st-rate 5.45x39 AK 74 clones...no issues reported with those rifles, and very accurate to boot.