Posted: 12/8/2021 8:22:54 PM CDT

The original thread got lost in the archives, so this is going to be my reposted review thread of the PSA 103, the KUSA 103 and the Izzy Saiga 103 rifles side by side and part by part

I'll throw in comparisons with Bulgarian 74s and AK74M pattern rifles where appropriate, as well as the AK101 Saiga since my collection spans a few different import years and we might or might not see something interesting. Years ago I wrote a simple primer  about the major differences in AK74 pattern rifles, however THE definitive source on AK74 rifles is Tantal's Avtomats-In-Action website . Doug and Ekie and a number of other contributers wrote the best damn guide to the AK74 you can find, period

Posted: 12/8/2021 8:22:54 PM CDT
It took a long weekend of editing photos and all day today to do the write up, but here we are ready to compare the two main US made AK103 type rifles with the closest thing we can get to the actual Russian AK103 rifle, which is a Russian SGL21 manufactured at the legendary Izhmash factory in Ishevsk Russia, and then imported by Arsenal USA
It's important to note that an SGL series rifle as well as Saiga sporters converted to AK74M or AK100 series rifles have a significant amount of the work done here in the USA after importation. They definitely have the Russian pedigree by virtue of having been built there but there are variations in how they are converted and sometimes with what parts are used to complete the build. Things like receiver dimples, bullet guides, trigger guards, pistol grip plates and selector markings can vary widely. Additionally, in Russia things change and evolve and there are different import eras where we saw different details on the various rifles coming in. It's really not possible to build a 100% clone correct rifle without going to a high end custom builder and often spending years scouring for specific parts, so keep that in mind as you read this comparison
A second consideration is that while I am including the PSA AK103 in this comparison it is only for visual reference and for the sake of completeness, and because it's a well made AK. Despite the marketing term used by PSA, the PSA AK103 is not actually an AK100 series pattern rifle. It's more closely an early to mid 80s Bulgarian AK74 pattern rifle chambered in 7.62x39 that has more in common with an AKM than an AK100 series rifle. While it looks similar it's not what can be technically considered an AK103. That's not to say PSA is putting out bullshit rifles, in fact it's a really nicely made rifle and the FN barrel they use is throwing down some really nice groups, some of the best I've ever seen in an AK in fact. In my personal opinion the PSA 103 is the most practical 7.62 rifle on the market based on build quality, price and particularly accuracy (at least when suppressed). It's a functional shooter and has earned my respect, so don't take my not an AK103 comment as not liking the rifle. I love it and I'm not even a 7.62x39 guy. I'm OG die hard 5.45 and will remain that way, but a good rifle is a good rifle and both PSA and KUSA seem to be doing them right
However, despite all the great things about the PSA, since we are on a technical forum and discussing ultra specific technical details about a specific Russian rifle called the AK103, it has to be clarified that it is not an actual AK103 pattern rifle. What we do want to do though is include it as part of the side by side comparison with the KUSA AK103 and the Russian 103 so that we can all learn something and help the AK market keep moving forward. We're at a remarkable and unprecented time in the US AK market right now with both of these available. Many of us have been waiting close to 20 years for legit quality 100% US made AKs to be here, and here we are at last with not one but two solid options. FWIW I don't think these rifles need to compete with each other either. They are similar yes but doing two different things and there is a market for both IMO
I made this thread for all of us to contribute to so please feel free to add content, ask questions or correct me where I am wrong. The one thing I DO NOT want to see is bitching about who made what part out of what material and what is better, or harping and nitpicking on bullshit. Reliability and durability will all shake out as time goes on and this post is not to define who's best and who sucks, its simply to show technical details of what is and what is not an AK103 component. Please don't let this thread turn into a shitshow or pissing match about who's better, including the almighty Izhmash. There's enough of that childish crap on other forums right now as it is and a lot of haters of both companies. Keep it civil and on topic please
Having said that, let's have some fun and get down to details



KUSA out of the box with included Korean mag


KUSA 103 side by side with the Izhmash AK103 conversion


The PSA '103' + ultra cool banana clip, as well as an AK74M clone on the left and an AK101 clone on the right


I've broken the various components of the rifles down into sections for direct comparison. I will also say I am not the greatest AK expert by any stretch and I'm sure I've mistated details here and there. Don't be afraid to call those out. I'm always up for learning, and I write these kinds of posts so that we as a community can keep on getting better and better

Lastly, I'm a collector but I'm also a shooter, and I shoot my collectibles. If you can't handle a dirty collectible AK103 clone you should probably head back on over to the AR side




Also, in before trashcan gun

Reserved: GB, FSB, muzzle devices, HG retainer


PSA Top
KUSA Middle
Izhmash Bottom


You can see PSA used the original AK74 brake but opened it up to 30 cal for 7.62
In the middle we have the KUSA mounted, an AK74M above it and an Arsenal 30 cal brake below it
On the bottom we have the 7.62 marked Izzy brake



Not a knock on PSA but you can see how high they drilled the FSB pins compared to the others



Top right PSA AK74 brake, middle KUSA 103 brake, bottom Izzy 103 brake. You can see the differences in the half moon designs between each style of brake, and for general comparison I included an original/early style US made Arsenal 103 style brake that had the darker Bulgarian paint, a Russian true AK74M brake and another US brake (probably a newer US made Arsenal as well) that has a more matte grey color like the KUSA. The KUSA is very similar to the Russian AK103 but doesn't have the machine/tooling marks that the Russians have. It is actually very similar to the Arsenal AK103 brake, but seems to be closer in clone details than the ArsenalRemember these brakes are all functionally the same. There is zero practical difference in any era or style of AK74 brake, and there are a number of US variants that are equally as effective. Details are important for clone rifles but not for actual shooting. Just don't use a real 74 brake on a 7.62 rifle and you'll be fine




Close up comparison of the Russian Izhmash 103 (top), KUSA 103 (mounted, middle) and Arsenal US made AK103 (bottom). To me it looks like the KUSA is dimensionally closer to the Russian 103, but the photos angles are deceptive and you might see something else. I might also be seeing it incorrectly, so don't take my word as the gospel


Notice here the KUSA has a flat base, which is not something I've seen on Russian muzzle devices





Front Sight Blocks/Muzzle facePSA Left
KUSA middle
Izzy 103 Right
To me it looks like there is no 45 degree crown on the KUSA
(Pro tip in case you didn't know: 11 degrees is considered a target crown for accuracy, and non-scientifically it even seems to help AKs)


FSB and Gas Blocks
PSA top
KUSA middle
Izhmash 103 bottom


Additional comparison of muzzle devices and FSB:
KUSA top
Russian 103
Russian SGL31 AK74M clone
Russian Saiga 223 AK101 clone, bottom


Gas blocks:
PSA left, KUSA middle, Russian 103 right
The KUSA GB is definitely different than the Russian, but remember we got most of our SGL31s and SGL21s imported with manufacture dates of 2009 and 2013, and we were sourcing parts from other Russian sites besides Arsenal USA during those years. I'm inclined to think the KUSA is using a newer pattern GB than most of the SGL rifles but I don't know that for a fact. I probably need to check Tantals guide for specifics but I don't know if it's been updated for 2021 data




Addtional comparison of GB:KUSA top
You can see the Russian 103 below the KUSA has a less pointed GB face than the KUSA, but look at the 74M clone below the 103 which is very similar to the KUSA. On the bottom is an AK101 clone which has a similar GB as the Russian AK103. I know when I did the 103 and 101 I wasn't trying to be 1000 percent clone correct for each build and I definitely used Russian parts, but maybe I was sold Bulgarian GBs and didn't notice
(Side note reference about pressed vs pinned barrel parts: Russian domestic AK74M production uses dimpled/pressed front site blocks and gas blocks without drilling retaining pins. Export guns like the AK103 and 101 typically have pins drilled in the old school way supposedly by client request, but I have seen some AK103s that are dimpled/pressed like the AK74M. As with everything Russian there are sometimes exceptions to the pressed/dimpled AK74Ms as well)



Bayonet Lugs:PSA left, KUSA middle, Izhmash 103 right


Accessory Lugs: (used for GP25 or GP30 grenade launchers)
PSA left, KUSA middle, Izhmash 103 right



Russian 103 left, KUSA middle, PSA right


HG retainers






Gas Tubes:


PSA top
KUSA middle

Russian 103 bottom

Reserved: RSB/Front Trunnion/Folder

General disclaimer: I'm a shooter, not a builder, and some of my terminology will be off for various parts and pieces. I'll be happy if the more knowledgeable builders take a minute to point out what needs correcting so I can fix it here. I'm not nearly as smart as some of you might think I am, and I drink a lot of whiskey when writing technical documents
Don't mind the differences in furniture btw, some of my Russian clones have Izhmash furniture and some have US made furniture. I quit caring about those details a long time ago, plus I don't think it's relevant to see how well KUSA or any US manufacturer clones Russian polymer furniture. If you want that Izzy look just go buy the real deal, to me it never made sense to be critical of any US made furniture as far as that goes. They are all more than close enough IMO



PSA top
KUSA middle
Izhmash bottom
You can see the infamous 3rd rivet on the KUSA and Izhmash 103 that identifies an AK74M or AK100 series from all other versions of AK74 or AK/AKMs. I must confess I am somewhat disappointed at how KUSA implemented the 3rd rivet because while it definitely appears functional, it looks considerably different than any AK74M or 100 series I have personally seen. That's not the end of the world for me, but for a collector type rifle it's an immediately obvious difference and is kind of odd to see KUSA handle it this way, IMHO. Maybe there are machining or manufacturing reasons for it, but to me it stands out more than any other difference by a large margin. The middle rivet also appears to be higher and more inline with the first rivet instead of the 3rd bump rivet compared to the other AK100 series rifles I have, and to my Russian AK74M clone
Is this style of 3rd rivet a modern redesign and/or a new method of production from Izhmash that was copied? I'm not sure, but I don't believe so, though to be fair I have not seen any guns newer than 2015 super up close in person. I was able to get a decent look at some AK103s in Egypt in early 2018 but couldn't take any photos for reference so it's possible they have shrunk the 3rd rivet and/or moved it's position in the trunnion. I doubt it, but I will leave the door open in case I am mistaken
The KUSA trunnion is not serialized or marked in any way that I can see. This is not particularly important really, other than to mention that throughout history a ton of AKs have identifying marks on the front trunnion, if not most of them, but there is no specific set of AK100 series markings that I was expecting to see. Izhmash themselves change the markings on the trunnions for various reasons as the years go by, so you can't gig KUSA for not marking something there, but having no markings of any kind for me is actually unexpected. To be clear it's trivial but I am posting what I see on my gun
The cuts for the front latch and the bottom rivet on the KUSA are done correctly and look excellent. I didn't disassemble the front latch but overall the parts look the same and the side folder locks up nicely and stays securely folding. They definitely got this part right


Rear Sight Block:PSA top
KUSA middle
Russian 103 bottom






Izhmash 103 left, KUSA middle, PSA right


PSA left, KUSA middle, Izhmash 103 right


PSA left, KUSA middle, Izhmash 103 right


Russian 103 left
KUSA middle
PSA right


Notice the difference in the geometry of the cam surfaces on the left side of the RSB between the KUSA and the Izhmash 103. The Russian RSB has an angle cut on the cam just past the left receiver rail and next to the bullet guide. By comparison the KUSA is more square


You'll notice the KUSA has a series of step cuts along the side of the front trunnion that extends past the bullet guide. Its the thicker left side of the front trunnion, and has a slightly different angle to the area around the step cuts, compared to the Saiga 762



The interior view of that infamous 3rd rivet of an AK74M/AK100 series rifle. The rivet acts as a cam to help the bolt go into battery and is intended to be replaceable over the rifles service life
This is another view of the different geometry of the left side of the RSB cam surfaces. Again, these could be differences related to when they were built or differences between military guns and Saiga sporters

Reserved: Receiver, top cover, selector, rivets

Rivets on the KUSA are nicely done, including the trigger guard and rear trunnion. The receiver dimples are different than the Saiga sporter but there were a few variations we saw over the years so this is something that is important to collectors but you almost have to pic a specific year or production period and get your high end builder like Ted Marshall to get the dimples right. I don't expect KUSA to make these clone correct due to all the variations out there but they are tastefully done and they avoided anything blatantly incorrect. Both PSA and KUSA did the military Y stamp on the left side of the receiver which is a nice touch. Civilian Saiga sporters are typically not pressed with the Y stamp because they will never be FA and don't need the extra reinforcement there, so most of the time you will not see Russian clones with the actual Y stamp. Kudos to KUSA and PSA for including it
Somewhat sadly there are no cyrillic selector markings and no middle notch for fully automatic. To be honest I'm a little surprised due to the attention to detail on so many other FA parts of the rifle. I won't say it's disappointing but I would have liked to see it included because KUSA has done such a good job on so many other details. However, for all I know there may be even a title 1 regulation requiring the weapon to be marked in English by the builder. Even Saigas and SGLs come in with English markings and we have to go to a few select builders to get cyrillic markings, and even then they each do them differently
Also to be fair if you were to commission a Ted Marshall clone correct build you'd be 5 or 6 times the price of the KUSA and have to wait a considerable amount of time, so I can't be too bitchy about every little detail. It's really just not possible on a mostly massed produced rifle. It would be pretty epic if they worked with Childers to get AK100 series receivers done because he has earned a great reputation for highly accurate clone detail receivers, but I have no idea if he can meet the kind of volume KUSA is probably going to do. 74U LLC was a red hot and nearly perfect clone receiver manufacturer for a while but as is unfortunately too often the case they got too famous too fast, got too back logged and imploded. It's a fairly common occurence for clone type specialists unfortunately


Receiver dimples, right side rivets:
PSA top
KUSA middle
Izzy 103 bottom



Selector Levers:
PSA top
KUSA middle
Russian 103 bottom



PSA top
KUSA middle
Izhmash 103 bottom
Here again KUSA has a FA selector which is a nice touch
Also of note the PSA has an enhanced style selector lever which is not clone correct but is incredibly practical. Additionally, more and more Russians are using enhanced selectors on their rifles and most of the newest upgrades like the Izhmash AK74M3 package and AK12/15 have some form of enhanced selector as a standard component now



Scope Rail:
PSA top
KUSA middle
Izzy 103 bottom

The side rail is the money maker for me personally on an AK and something I'm extremely interested in. I like the side rail so much I actually made an entire website devoted to the side rail and the optics that go on theml
The PSA is using the older and perfectly functional AKS74N side rail while the modern Russian 103 and the KUSA are using the 74M/100 series rail. Again there is no functional difference, the changes ended up being focused on simpler production more than an increase in capability or correcting for a deficiency. You can say what you like about Russian optics and the side rail system but it works and has for over 50 years. It's not the only way to mount optics by any means but it was first and hasn't changed for a reason
Check out my site if you want to know more about how the rails work and what fits what



Mag release dimples:
Izhmash 103 left
KUSA middle
PSA right
I can't really say I'm an expert on these but I'll add photos of my 74M, two 105s and my 101 for comparison if I see differences



Trigger guard rivets:
Izzy left, KUSA middle, PSA right
It looks like KUSA used the correct rivet plates that have a B shape from this angle


PSA on the left, you can see they used those archaic and outdated square rivet plates. So 1980s :facepalm:



Top Covers:
PSA top
KUSA middle
Izhmash 103 bottom





Recoil spring:
Russian 103 left
KUSA middle
PSA right


PSA top
KUSA middle
Izzy bottom




PSA left
KUSA middle
Izhmash 103 right


PSA left
KUSA middle
Izzy right

Reserved: Rear trunnion, folder

I'll add another reminder that there is no functional difference in any version of the AK74 series or the various changes they introduced over the decades. Most of the time they will all group the same, feel the same and perform the same. You as a shooter won't notice anything different between the various versions when actually shooting but it's important to know the differences if you plan on changing furniture or doing tactical upgrades

Folding stocks come in two main varieties. The original design of the AKS-74 was a 4.5mm pin and hinge assembly that originally did not have a pistol grip plate, but then a shift in the very late 80s and early 90s led to a beefier 5.5mm pin and the addition of the pistol grip plate to help keep the receiver from bending if the rifle were dropped onto the pistol grip with the stock folded. In addition the early 90s guns got the stock angle reduced from the original 6 degrees to the modern 4 degrees. All these changes were part of the AK74M modernization package and have been standard ever since, and also carried over into the AK100 series which are basically AK74M rifles in different calibers. As a side note you did not typically see these changes on the late 80s plum AKS74N rifles, though it is certainly possible that some guns went out with some of these changes because 89-92 was the time frame when the modernization program was formalized and standardized in production
The easy way to tell the pin size is to look for the hinge cut out. If it's smooth and you can't see the pin it's 4.5mm. If there is a middle cutout and you do see the pin it's 5.5mm. They are not interchangeable even though the furniture looks nearly identical in most other respects
Bulgaria never modernized their tooling and so kept the original Soviet 4.5mm hinge. They did eventually make the PG plate standard and you will see this on both the Arsenal SLR series and the PSA AK103, since the PSA rifle is 100% based on the Bulgarian AK74 pattern rifle



Some 5.5mm pins have an extremely thin center section. These are civilian version pins and are intended to use a linkage that prevents the weapon from firing with the stock folded, which is a requirement in Russia. They work just fine but are not clone correct




Russian 5.5mm left, KUSA 5.5mm right. They are not identical (mostly because of the color) but they did interchange on both rifles without issue. Even with multiple Russian 5.5mm pins you can have alignment differences between rear trunnion conversions depending on the rifle, but both pins swapped from gun to gun smoothly. That was a nice touch to see



Rear Trunnion:
This has always been a picky thing for me and I often judge builders by how well these rear folder conversions are done, particularly the symmetry and clean lines of the receiver cuts for the pushbutton


The real Russian rifles have a number of variables over the years so there really isn't a specific standard you can judge KUSA, or anyone by. Sometimes the gap around the pushbutton is larger and more distinct, sometimes it is much tighter. I have seen a ton of variation


In this case it comes down to attention to detail and the quality of the cuts and workmanship. Believe me, there are more than a large number of drunk monkeys who have done these conversions in the US and I've seen my share, so I will say that KUSA (and PSA) did a good job with the rear trunnion work. KUSA did a military style center hole in the pushbutton and the rivets are quite good and look correct for the 100 series. I have publically stated that PSA used too much black in their small parts...trigger pins, rear latch, sight leaf, etc and while KUSA definitely is closer to the Russian color, they still have a little too much black for my tastes. To be fair I think it may already be wearing off and starting to get that hammered silver-grey look the Russians have from the factory, but if I were to make one small collector complaint it would be the color of the pins, buttons, latches and rear sight to more closely match the way that Izzy does it. Also not the end of the world because you can swap these for factory Russian which is what I did on one of my PSAs, but with the KUSA technically you don't have to. The parts appear to be correct... just slightly off color


As mentioned previously the folder components are done right. The rear pushbutton is not too tight and the folder locks open with no wobble and locks closed securely. This is definitely quality work and if it's wrong I get peeved about it pretty quick, so I'm happy to say they did right




PSA left
KUSA middle
Saiga 103 right


Subjectively speaking I feel like the KUSA recoil spring channel is shallower than the Izzy on the right and the impact area of the bolt carrier is almost smaller (or perhaps due to low round count it has not mushroomed out yet). I will not be disassembling these for comparison because even after all these years taking the rear trunnion apart is my least favorite part of working on AKs. If you've ever done it you know why, and if you know a secret you definitely never shared it with me


You can see here that the trigger bump rivet which helps prevent trigger slap is different on the middle KUSA photo. I don't recall where Izhmash typically puts these or how large they are because the original sporter FCG is set further back in sporter configuration, but as they started bringing in the 2008 SGL10 and the 2009 SLG21 and 31s they knew we were going to convert them back to proper configuration and I believe they were putting the bump rivet in the correct spot around that time. I will check my other Russian 74s, 105s and 101s to see if there are differences because as I mentioned there were two or three different major import years for the SGL series but almost a decade of straight sporter imports before that


PSA top
KUSA middle
Russian 103 bottom


Again, we aren't specifically here to compare US made polymer furniture on the exact same details as the Russian furniture, but I will say the KUSA stock seems to be an almost exact copy. It's very nicely made and the addition of the grendade launcher recoil pad cutout for the strap is a nice touch



Pistol grip plates and bottom view of folding hinge:


Izzy 103 left
KUSA middle
PSA right




There are definitely Bulgarian vs Russian PG plates and they did change somewhat over time, but I am not even close to being an expert on them. I also can't remember exactly what PG plate I used on my Saiga conversion though again, it was probably Russian...but it's been a while and I generally didn't care how exact they were as long as they were the correct length and fit the trigger guard properly. I have also seen several rivet patterns used because just like many other components of the SGL series they are converted here in the US and typically not in Russia at Izhmash. Like bullet guides and even trigger guards to some extent, there are variables here that are hard to say if KUSA got them exactly right or not. This is not a detail that I personally lose sleep over but as I've said I'm documenting what I've seen on my rifle for comparisons sake. I like the work on the KUSA. It's clean and symmetrical



PSA left, KUSA middle, Izzy 103 right
Interestingly the PG is marked KUSA. Notice the length of the PSA PG plate, which appears to be closer to the larger Saiga 12 PG plate than a traditional AKS-74 type rifle



Butt plates:
PSA left, KUSA middle and Izzy right


I haven't tried the cleaning kit yet


PG screws:
Izzy 103 left, KUSA middle, PSA right


The KUSA may actually be the most correct in this case because like so many other small details during conversions of the Russian guns after they arrived in the US, there were a billion surplus Bulgarian parts on the market and frankly a lot of AKM parts too. This is another detail that I think is largely irrelevant and I'm reasonably confident I threw a Bulgarian set in the box when I sent this for the AK103 conversion

Reserved: BCG, bolt, bullet guide

Bullet Guide:PSA left
KUSA center
Russian 103 right
This is not an exact comparison to how the Russians do it due the variables in how Saiga 762s and SGL21s were imported and converted, and by whom. Most Saiga sporters were imported without a bullet guide at all and when the first SGL10 front end conversion rifles began arriving in 2008 or so I believe the bullet guides were being added by Arsenal in the US, not by Izhmash before it left the factory. Same for the SG21s and 31s that began arriving in 2009. I don't have my own photos of military AK103 bullet guides but you can google them for reference but overall this is not something I am going to nitpick on the KUSA. There are too many variables to consider


Bolt Carriers:
PSA top
KUSA middle
Izhmash 103 bottom



Overall the KUSA carrier is very close to the Russian with the main differences apearing to be a result from how they were machined, which is to be expected since the tooling is different. The KUSA is overall very clean and precise, the Russian has characteristic Izhmash tool marks and and that sort of grainy/rough  aesthetic that we have all come to know and love. The KUSA carrier is not serialized but does have 3 odd dots on the bottom of the carrier



PSA left
KUSA middle
Russian 103 right



PSA top, KUSA middle, Russian 103 bottom



A very cool feature, the KUSA has the FA notch on the bolt carrier. You can see the notch on the top carrier and the step cut/milling on that side of the carrier similiar to military bolt carriers. Rest assured - Mr. ATF man - that the KUSA is not capable of fully automatic fire without extensive work to the receiver rails, drilling the dreaded 3rd pin and installing a FA FCG. This detail is merely cosmetic and clone related on KUSAs part, so please let's not jump to conclusions or attempt to harm any dags while reading this





You can see that PSA uses the AKM/AK74 older style piston head. The Russians simplified this on the AK74M/AK100 series because any potential advantage in gas flow of the older design was offset by making the piston easier to produce. It's easier to clean as well, which I for one am grateful for


PSA top, KUSA middle, Russian bottom. Oddly, the KUSA has zero play at all which is somewhat abnormal (but not dangerous) and it appears to not be screwed in as far as the others
The chrome is very nice and evenly applied, FWIW. If you like AKs and shiny chrome pistons, you'll appreciate the KUSA like you would with that new car smell or how it feels to peel the screen protector off a new laptop




Bolt Profile:
PSA top
KUSA middle
Russian 103 bottom


It's really hard to get good photos but there are a number of small differences between the KUSA and the Saiga 7.62 bolt. It's hard to say whether these are differences because the Saiga is technically a civilian rifle and doesn't always use 100% military parts, or if the KUSA has a newer bolt design
You can clearly see the neck is designed differently but also the cam dimensions are slightly different and the extractors are cut just a bit differently. I did not strip the bolts this time around and did not test if the extractors fit each other




Bolt Face:
PSA left, KUSA middle, Russian 103 right
The KUSA has a slightly smaller extractor face than the Russian and may be just so slightly thinner as well



Same photo with flash to help highlight the differences



Interestingly the KUSA has a non serialized bolt, unless I missed it

Reserved

Reserved: Accuracy

Nictra and I did some shooting on Saturday but frankly I felt off and not in the zone, plus was strugging with AK irons. It's actually been a long time since we shot regularly with them and I realized after crossing the big 5-0 I really can't see the front sight post, so we had some hilariaty at my 8 inch 100 yard opening groups. We did get it down to right at 3 MOA but good lord that was a chore, so I may not actually test with irons. We did get the rifle zeroed pretty easily and had no issues. Like both my PSAs the front sight post ended up drifted noticeably to the left inside the ears and the sight post was almost level with the ears too. I'll get some better pics of that soon, but it's within spec because the KUSA is zeroed, and if you get upset by how far its drifted most of us will probably snicker at you the same way the Russians do



We did a few unsuppressed groups using PO 3.5x21P but as I said I was out of the zone and so I called off accuracy testing til I get in the groove. Previously my PSA has shot 1.5 MOA suppressed, and Rob Ski tested my other one and got about the same, so I know they are shooters. I am actually really excited to see how well the KUSA does suppressed as well and I will be using the same optic, ammo and suppressor to compare to the PSA and the Russian 103

Thanks Dry!

@TXZen

Far stretch here, but can we get some accuracy tests between all 3 of those in the future and get em posted on here? Very interested specifically how the accuracy between KUSA and PSA with the FN Barrel compares.

It's loosely observed, but not definitively. The KUSA seems to get 2.5 to 3.0 MOA typically when unsuppressed using the standard AK74/103 brake, and gets about 2.5 to 3 MOA when the brake is removed and a suppressor is added, at least on my sample size of 1 KUSA 103

The PSA gets 1.5 MOA suppressed, and about 2 MOA unsuppressed, based on a total of 4 rifles that I know of. Please be aware that the sample size is not identical, and the KUSA may be, or may not be, as accurate across a larger sample size

I have only seen one KUSA 103 (my own), but between my 2 PSA 103s, Rob's (3) and my friend's (4), I have seen 4 FN barreled PSA 103s in action. That's 4 to 1 so it's not 100% apples to apples, but it does seem to me so far that the PSA FN barreled rifles outshoot most other combloc AKs, at least when suppressed. I say this based on close to 20 years of shooting 47 and 74 pattern rifles and observing general patterns. The PSA 103s seem to exceed even the Vepr 7.62 rifles and the Valmet 7.62 rifles...subjectively speaking based on my anecdotal observations

Unsuppressed my two PSA 103s get about 2 to 2.5 MOA, or so it seems. I have not recorded and documented every 5 round group but I do pay attention and if any particular group is larger or smaller I usually take note, but over time so far I have not seen that the KUSA exceeds the PSA consistently. It seems the PSA consistently shoots better than the KUSA suppressed or unsuppressed, but unsuppressed the margin is not nearly as noticeable between the PSA and the KUSA, vs when the PSA is suppressed. For some reason the PSA really shines with the extra weight on the barrel, but the KUSA isn't as good as the PSA with the same weight. Without a suppressor (and both using the AK103 brake) they aren't as far apart, but the PSA so far seems like it puts down tighter groups using the same exact optic and suppressor/non suppressor combination than the KUSA (and most other 7.62 AK rifles)

Subjectively speaking I feel like all AKs shoot better suppressed, as does the SVD, but the PSA seems to benefit more than the other AKs. I trust my experience so far anyway, but because I have not documented all the rifles and all the groups I don't in any way claim what I have seen is the gospel, not by any stretch

Exactly why AKs seem to do better suppressed...I do not know for sure why. I am not technical enough to say (other than barrel harmonics seems to be a thing), but even though the PSA seems to do really well suppressed, it doesn't mean the KUSA sucks at all. The KUSA also seems to do better suppressed, but it is more in line with other AKs and not significantly better than those AKs, so far as I have seen

Reminds me of how the forums used to be.

My thoughts exactly. Much appreciated TX-Zen. I always enjoy your posts.

We should tack this post in a US made AK subforum

A man after my own heart to the obsession of cataloging parts/part differences.

I feel like this should be a sticky. Great work.

Awesome write up!

Thank you for all the hard work.

Thank you for the write up.

This was awesome. Only sat and read it during my entire work day, but a great review and side by side comparison. No bias, just what your experience was and facts about each gun. To each their own to draw the conclusion on what it is they're looking for. This may have persuaded me to acquire a PSA 103.
Thanks

Great job. This is the Arfcom I love

TX-Zen,
A big "Thank You" for all your hard work putting this comparison post together.  I'm an AK "newbie" having just bought a PSA AK-103 at 78y/o (yeah, I know I'm about 50 years too late to the AK game).  I'm trying to learn everything I can and this post is a wonderful resource.  Thanks again.
akbluz

I still can’t believe PSA got FN to make ak barrels. A decade ago that was just a “what if” daydream.  I’d like to know how that boardroom conversation went. So awesome.

Sweet Baby Gee Zus!  That was an incredibly detailed and informative post/comparison.  I can't imagine how much time it took to put that together and I know it's a couple of years old at this point but I couldn't help commenting, thank you Sir.

Look at those gorgeous 7.62x39 rifles in the original post!

I'm gonna snag one for wallpaper. And future reference.

Nice read..............which would you put in front of the line?

Lots of phone calls, slowly working my way up to the CEO. Huge PO to make it worth it for them and it was a slow year for everyone so they were looking for business. Also worked out an exclusive contract so we had the rights to be the only company purchasing AK barrels from FN. it really was a cool project. It would be tough to do now with all of the military contracts going around.

well, I can tell you it was about 4 to 5 hours of us sitting there comparing everything together, taking pictures and notes. I'm willing to bet it took Zen a few hours or more to put everything together in this post. Was a bit of a grind, but it was a fun neat project to do. Reminds me of the old days when we would do big write ups like this fairly regularly.

And that boys, is how you make history. The idea of a great American AK was for many years a no-win scenario.

Mr. Spock: "As I recall, you took the Kobayashi-Maru 3 times, your final solution was, shall we say, unique"
Admiral Kirk: "It had the advantage of never having been tried before"

And they are great posts dry. The only reason I stopped was because I usually made an in depth response to a "should I buy this piece of crap or spend the $ for the good rifle?" Posts and then they'd come back and I say, "look! I bought the piece of crap! Now help me fix all the things wrong with it"

It takes a lot of time to formulate a good response just to have them ignored time after time. Zen is better than me in that he hasn't let that slow him down. Just his work gets in his way these days.

As for putting this all together, it was Zen's baby, I just came along for the ride and helped where I could, giving a 2nd perspective. He wrote up an excellent comparison.

...and it's VERY much appreciated, it doesn't get more comprehensive than that!

@TX-Zen, any idea what type of ammo Rob used to get these accuracy results?

I'm just here to drool over that Russian AK103

great write up.  Good stuff to know.  Too bad only one of them is easily obtainable at this point.

This thread very pleasantly reminds me of the old days! Thank you for posting this very thorough and data rich examination of these rifles!

A damn good read!