SGL 31-61
The SGL 31-61 is the go-to rifle for anyone in the United States looking for a fixed-stock clone of the Russian AK-74M. The SGL 31-61 is a professional Saiga conversion performed by Arsenal, Inc. (or FIME Group LLC, depending on the year) in Las Vegas, Nevada, that returns the rifle to its military configuration, with only a few minor differences due to US laws and how the rifle itself is constructed. Anyway, these rifles were originally built on AK-100 series machinery in Russia and imported into the United States as Saigas, as mentioned, then converted back into standard AK configuration, and sold to the general public. As a result, these rifles are as close to a true mil-spec. Russian AK of any sort that one can own in the United States short of a custom "clone" build from a parts kit or an actual Russian bring-back from Vietnam. Let's go ahead and take a closer look at this AK-74M clone.
As mentioned, the SGL 31-61 is a fixed-stock clone of the AK-74M used by the Russian military. Consequentially, this rifle is chambered in the 5.45x39mm cartridge. Just like their military counterparts, the SGL is a soft-shooting, accurate, and reliable rifle, as one might expect from any AK-pattern rifle in this caliber. Here we see the right-hand side of the rifle in its entirety, but let's go ahead and take a closer look at some of the more unique parts of it and then get into the field-stripping process.
Starting at the muzzle, you'll note the Arsenal muzzle brake, which is similar to the military AK-74M brake, although not identical. These brakes are designed to where gas exiting the barrel behind the bullet are forced out of small ports drilled into the expansion chamber of the brake. These holes are designed to keep the muzzle down, and prevent any muzzle drift towards the right-hand side of the shooter. After these holes are two crescent slits cut into the face of the expansion chamber (not visible) that force gases to hit the front of the muzzle brake, pushing the entire rifle itself forward slightly, negating felt recoil. The brake also features large cuts in the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions so muzzle flash is directed primarily to the sides. This means very little gas is kicking up dirt/snow/dust underneath the rifle, and very little muzzle flash is interfering with the sight picture.
Further back is the gas block. There isn't a whole lot that's noteworthy here since it wasn't changed much at all from the AK-74 that came before it, but you'll see the equipment lug visible underneath it. Even though the bayonets are affixed to the lug built into the front sight block, AK-74s and AK-100s retained the lug on the gas block so under-barrel grenade launchers from the AKM-series could still be used without modification. Worth noting, the front sight and gas block are pinned in place on the SGL 31-61. However, in the late-1980s, the Soviets switched to dimple-pressing these fixtures onto the barrel, so for an AK-74M, these pinned-on parts would be "incorrect." This is simply due to Arsenal/FIME not having the machinery needed for dimple-pressing the parts into place. This is beneficial in some ways, however, as pinned parts are easier to replace/install.
Further back still are the handguards of the rifle. In the late-1980s, black polymer furniture was introduced to the AK series. However, since black-stocked AK-74s are somewhat uncommon, the AK-74M and '100 series have come to be known as the "black rifles" of the AK series. The furniture shown here is US-made by K-Var, but it is near-identical to its Russian counterpart aside from being marked "US" and being slightly more easy to ding up. On the lower handguard, you'll note a slight bulge for the fingers and palm swell, and some vertical rectangles towards the front where the thumb would rest when firing.
Here we see the biggest give-away of an AK-74M or other '100 series rifle. As you may or may not be aware, stamped receiver AKs have three rivets on either side that keep the barrel trunnion in place. However, on the '74M and '100 series, a fourth rivet was introduced on the left-hand side, seen here. This fourth rivet is shaped differently, and actually serves the purpose of improving lock-up with the bolt rather than holding the trunnion in place. Worth noting, however, is that some of the first AK-74Ms made did not have this fourth rivet installed, so their receivers were more similar to standard AKS-74 receivers. If a rifle you come across does have the fourth-rivet present, though, it is without a doubt an AK-74M or '100 series rifle as no other AK variants have the fourth rivet present in their design.
Further back on the left-hand side of the receiver is the optics dovetail, which became standard for all AKs with the introduction of the AK-74M and '100 series (before then it was reserved for rifles filling a special combat role and typically only used with night vision optics). This allows the user to attach a quick-detach optic, be it a magnified optic, red dot optic, reflex sight, night vision optic, etc.
Here's the biggest difference between a real-deal AK-74M and the SGL 31-61. The Russian AK-74M would actually have a side-folding polymer stock (like what is found in the SGL 21-94 review) whereas the SGL 31-61 has a fixed polymer stock. However, although rare, some export and training versions of the AK-74M were made with fixed stocks like what is seen here, and at least one is rumored to have been seen photographed in Ukraine during the conflict with Russia over Crimea.
Lastly, let's take a look at the sights of the rifle. Here we see the rear sight. As you can see, it is numbered from "1" to "10." These go by hundreds of meters, so we're looking at a 100m setting, 200m setting, and so on until 1,000m. You will also notice a "П" at the very back of the leaf sight. This stands for the "battlefield zero" setting which, on an AK-74 with 16in. barrel, corresponds to a 400m zero. This allows the firer to aim center-mass and hit the enemy "good enough" from 0-450m without adjusting hold-over in combat. For more precise firing, the numerical settings would be best, but with training and practice, the "П" setting is really about all you need.
NOTE: This sight is not used at all for zeroing the rifle. These are elevation settings that are to be used after the rifle has been zeroed. Thus, if you're shooting high at 100m while on setting "1," proper procedure is to adjust the front sight until zeroed rather than just slide the rear sight up to "2" or "3" until it's "close enough." Doing so would make none of the numbers on the rear sight leaf match the corresponding distance as far as bullet drop compensation goes. You'd basically be handicapping your rifle.
NOTE: This sight is not used at all for zeroing the rifle. These are elevation settings that are to be used after the rifle has been zeroed. Thus, if you're shooting high at 100m while on setting "1," proper procedure is to adjust the front sight until zeroed rather than just slide the rear sight up to "2" or "3" until it's "close enough." Doing so would make none of the numbers on the rear sight leaf match the corresponding distance as far as bullet drop compensation goes. You'd basically be handicapping your rifle.
Speaking of the front sight, here it is. The front sight of the AK-74M is a simple post, like all previous AKs. It is threaded its entire length so it has a near-infinite elevation adjustment. This post threads into a windage drum (visible on the side of the front sight block here) which is drifted left-or-right for windage corrections.
Here we see the sight picture of the SGL 31-61/AK-74M. As you can see, it is fairly simple: it's the standard post-and-notch configuration seen since the introduction of the M91/30 way back in the 1930s by the Soviets before World War II. As the saying goes, however, "if it isn't broke, don't fix it."
There you have it: a fairly quick look at the SGL 31-61, which has come to be known as one of the best AK-74s to ever reach the American commercial market. Built on the same machinery the Russian military's AK-74Ms are made on, these rifles are excellent pieces for a collector or casual shooter alike, and all types of sports shooters in between. However, due to the executive order from 2014 banning the import of Russian-made firearms, these rifles have seen their price increase to nearly $1,200.00 or more. With the introduction of the Arsenal SLR-104FR as direct competition in early 2014, the SGL series has slowly been seen as something that has been shifted over to more of a "collectors' market" rather than the everyday shooters'. That said, the SGL 31-series is as outstanding as it ever was, and if you own one, you should not be afraid of putting a few thousand rounds downrange with it.