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View Full Version : Tapco folder...cool looking but not very practical on the farm.



was_peacemaker
09-01-2011, 01:26 PM
So a Tapco folder has graced itself on the SAR-1 for a while. That rifle has been a truck and farm gun for some time. My grandparents own around 17.5 acres of land.

That land is adjacent to my great uncles 5 acres. The land is hilly, with plowed fields, creeks, woods, and some small swamp like areas. So weapons exposed in this piece of country see a bit more, than the typical range. In fact most places I shoot are in uneven fields, with hills and woods. Not the most comfy places to sight in or shoot a rifle.

With all that being said; the Tapco folder is a bit weak once exposed to elements outside of the range. With the conclusion that plastic starts to get weak, and wears down in the area where it rotates on the axis pin. The pin also seems to get a bit loose.

That pin is not something one would not want dirt and grime getting into as it would cause the plastic to deteriorate. There was noticeable wear just from rotating it from just opening it closing it. Therefore the plastic Tapco came off the rifles and the wood stock went back on.

After a while of being exposed to the elements the wobble comes. Not ideal when trying to take an aimed shot at a distance.

The area where the farm is; has everything from Coyotes, Bobcats, wild dogs,and rabid animals. Outside of those common wild life problems...there have been Black Bear issues. First time in 200 years we have had bear in central NC! Its bad enough the police had to shoot a few of them in the last 3 years in residential areas. All within 20 miles of the farm. Also within 7-15 of where I live.

Now doing the math! The farm has many blueberry and blackberry rows, and to top it off... many honey bee supers! Its like giving a free meal ticket to Yogi the bear! There is also a bit mingling within the wild hog population this way. Not like the bears; yet, they are coming. One thing wild boars love to do with their negative disposition is devour produce. Produce is something the family has quite a bit of so its another open meal ticket. Also a cousin lives up a ways, and has horses.

Many don't believe this...but it is true that; bobcats, coyotes and wild dogs, and rabid animals will attack horses. When dealing with these types of threats one needs to be able to handle them quickly and effectively.

A person needs a weapon they can draw down a sight with. That means drawing a sight and reducing the buttstock wobbling. A .02 of a inch of wobble can have a massive impact on a person's aim out past 100 meters.

Think before dumping money into cool plastic parts for your gun. What may look good on the range, may not be useful in the elements. Buttstock wobble is not good.

slamfire51
09-01-2011, 05:34 PM
So a Tapco folder has graced itself on the SAR-1 for a while. That rifle has been a truck and farm gun for some time. My grandparents own around 17.5 acres of land.

That land is adjacent to my great uncles 5 acres. The land is hilly, with plowed fields, creeks, woods, and some small swamp like areas. So weapons exposed in this piece of country see a bit more, than the typical range. In fact most places I shoot are in uneven fields, with hills and woods. Not the most comfy places to sight in or shoot a rifle.

With all that being said; the Tapco folder is a bit weak once exposed to elements outside of the range. With the conclusion that plastic starts to get weak, and wears down in the area where it rotates on the axis pin. The pin also seems to get a bit loose.

That pin is not something one would not want dirt and grime getting into as it would cause the plastic to deteriorate. There was noticeable wear just from rotating it from just opening it closing it. Therefore the plastic Tapco came off the rifles and the wood stock went back on.

After a while of being exposed to the elements the wobble comes. Not ideal when trying to take an aimed shot at a distance.

The area where the farm is; has everything from Coyotes, Bobcats, wild dogs,and rabid animals. Outside of those common wild life problems...there have been Black Bear issues. First time in 200 years we have had bear in central NC! Its bad enough the police had to shoot a few of them in the last 3 years in residential areas. All within 20 miles of the farm. Also within 7-15 of where I live.

Now doing the math! The farm has many blueberry and blackberry rows, and to top it off... many honey bee supers! Its like giving a free meal ticket to Yogi the bear! There is also a bit mingling within the wild hog population this way. Not like the bears; yet, they are coming. One thing wild boars love to do with their negative disposition is devour produce. Produce is something the family has quite a bit of so its another open meal ticket. Also a cousin lives up a ways, and has horses.

Many don't believe this...but it is true that; bobcats, coyotes and wild dogs, and rabid animals will attack horses. When dealing with these types of threats one needs to be able to handle them quickly and effectively.

A person needs a weapon they can draw down a sight with. That means drawing a sight and reducing the buttstock wobbling. A .02 of a inch of wobble can have a massive impact on a person's aim out past 100 meters.

Think before dumping money into cool plastic parts for your gun. What may look good on the range, may not be useful in the elements. Buttstock wobble is not good.


If you read the reviews on TAPCO folders, you will see many consider them garbage.
I would never consider putting it or their plastic HGs on an AK. I stick with the Romy metal folders. Not really great cheek welds, but better than plastic.

Cool doesn't always equal utility.

Izzy
09-03-2011, 10:02 PM
After a while of being exposed to the elements the wobble comes. Not ideal when trying to take an aimed shot at a distance.

The area where the farm is; has everything from Coyotes, Bobcats, wild dogs,and rabid animals. Outside of those common wild life problems...there have been Black Bear issues. First time in 200 years we have had bear in central NC! Its bad enough the police had to shoot a few of them in the last 3 years in residential areas. All within 20 miles of the farm. Also within 7-15 of where I live.

.

Funny, Just two weeks ago I faced down a young black bear at 3 AM in northern Florida on my 20 AC. I was in my tent, and he was outside about 10 yards away...was pretty freaky seeing his large eyes lit up by my cree LED. I said "BOO" and he went "thupity thumpity" back down the hill. The week before I think it was him ( her?) that trashed my tent looking for food I suppose....found it's tracks on the dirt road that week before as well.


ON TAPCO: Thank you for confirming the Tapco furniture is not up to the task...and I suggest it will hurt you aim UNDER the 100 meter /yard mark, as it is hard enough to shoot an AK with typical short sight raduis as they come from the factory.

A Polish, East German or Romanian Folder is milspec and will take abuse, so will and ACE folder from what I hear ( an expensive but neat option, someone can chime in if they have one). I ONCE put a Tapco "saw" grip on a factory 386 Chicom Semi AKM, it needed to be tightened often...very annoying to say the least.

Makasaurus
09-05-2011, 12:41 AM
maybe the only thing TAPCO makes any good is triggers. They are very much hit or miss with their products. The tapco trigger on my two wasr's is good and no trigger slap, and for a WASR that is good enough. If the trigger breaks i'll be the first one on here grumbling about it but since i have two WASR's that means i always have a spare.

My second WASR came with a 10 round single stack TAPCO plastic mag (P.R.K. required) after one trip to the range it is literally worn out. This mag, unlike many other you can get, is not steel reinforced and the front part of the mag will no longer grab hold when reloading- it pops out. This after only 50 rounds through it. JUNK! I buy 10/30 Eastern European surplus steel mags and worth every penny. I can't figure out why i haven't thrown away the TAPCO mag yet, anyway, no more Tapco mags, or probably tapco anything, for me.

Sergis Bauer
09-05-2011, 10:21 AM
I buy 10/30 Eastern European surplus steel mags and worth every penny. I can't figure out why i haven't thrown away the TAPCO mag yet, anyway, no more Tapco mags, or probably tapco anything, for me.

With Tapco mags being maybe 1/2 or 1/3 the price of a better quality mag, and wearing out 10 times as fast, you don't need to be a mathematician to see where the "value" is.

I do have a couple Tapco mags, but I'm afraid to use them because I see how quickly they will wear out. I suppose I can hold on to them in case of troubled times, and if they work once and then I toss them, they've done their job.