mancat 2,368 Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 (edited) I just picked mine up from my FFL yesterday. I bought it from a dealer friend of mine, and I ended up having to wait several months for it when his order to Century got stalled. It turned out to be well worth the wait. All proper features, including full-length RPK bipod (vs. incorrect PKM bipod), carry handle, adjustable rear sight. Trunnion is arsenal stamped and dated 1969, and all parts are serial matching except the dust cover and safety lever. When looking at the wear on the trunnion, bolt, and carrier, the gun appears virtually unfired, and the barrel even looks new - chrome plating is still a matte grey color. I'm really impressed with the quality of the AES-10B. I tossed an AIMR straight flash hider on it to keep it somewhat correct for a Romanian RPK. I'll throw up some pics after getting a coat of amber shellac on the stock. Edited May 8, 2012 by mancat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gregomega 929 Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 Man, I want one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
2ndAmendican 23 Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 That does it, I'm gonna have to pick up a Romy kit from Apex and build one. Or maybe a Yugo RPK from Rguns. Either way, I gotta have an RPK!!!! Nice stuff guys. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BpS12 512 Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 And another one gets the bug, lol. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gregomega 929 Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 I went from just wanting a saiga sporter, to wanting to restore it to its origional configuration, to wanting an SGL, to buying my first kit(M92) to now wanting all variants of the 7.62x39. my current list I hope to attain: SGL21-94 for a true AK104 clone, Izzy AKM on a 74uLLC receiver tula kaiber pass on a 74uLLC receiver AES-10b and one day find a folding kit for it, that would be awesome! Yugo PAP M70(wood) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BpS12 512 Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 "AES-10b and one day find a folding kit for it, that would be awesome!" Do you mean the wire folding stock? I'll have one available once I bullpup mine. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted May 13, 2012 Report Share Posted May 13, 2012 Got a few coats of amber shellac on the stock of my AES-10B. Only problem is, I'm not sure if I even like it. You can't really see it in the photo, but the coloring turned out to be far more "orange" than usual. I may strip it and instead go with a pecan stain and deft satin poly coat. This is the shade of AES-10B wood with golden pecan stain and satin clear. I think I like this more. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 (edited) So I shot my AES-10B shortly after posting the pics. It shot great and I got it zeroed in using the bipod. The front sight had to be turned up a bit at 100m. What I noticed is that when the bipod is folded up to shoot while standing, the POI shift upwards is quite large. I expected a bit of a shift, but at 200yd I went from hitting the target consistently with the bipod extended, to shooting what looked like several feet over the target. Edited May 14, 2012 by mancat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gregomega 929 Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 (edited) "AES-10b and one day find a folding kit for it, that would be awesome!" Do you mean the wire folding stock? I'll have one available once I bullpup mine. Sorry on the late reply, didn't know you were asking me. Like this but in 7.62x39: Edited May 14, 2012 by AZG 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gregomega 929 Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 So I shot my AES-10B shortly after posting the pics. It shot great and I got it zeroed in using the bipod. The front sight had to be turned up a bit at 100m. What I noticed is that when the bipod is folded up to shoot while standing, the POI shift upwards is quite large. I expected a bit of a shift, but at 200yd I went from hitting the target consistently with the bipod extended, to shooting what looked like several feet over the target. Weird, I wonder what's making the difference. Thanks for the report. I really want to get one of these. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MT Predator 2,294 Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 So I shot my AES-10B shortly after posting the pics. It shot great and I got it zeroed in using the bipod. The front sight had to be turned up a bit at 100m. What I noticed is that when the bipod is folded up to shoot while standing, the POI shift upwards is quite large. I expected a bit of a shift, but at 200yd I went from hitting the target consistently with the bipod extended, to shooting what looked like several feet over the target. Weird, I wonder what's making the difference. Thanks for the report. I really want to get one of these. Since the bipod is barrel mounted, supporting some of the rifle's weight on the muzzle end is going to push the muzzle and the round up on target. Having the bipod's weight hanging on the muzzle end is going to do the opposite effect. This is true with any rifle if you support the weight on the barrel or hang shit off it. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 (edited) Yeah I understand. I just didn't expect the POI change to be so large. Well, the bipod is pretty beefy. I guess I'll zero the rifle with bipod folded and then make field elevation adjustment with the bipod deployed. I do like shooting the AES-10B standing. It balances like an old battle rifle, and the recoil of 7.62x39 is mostly reduced to a gentle push. Edited May 14, 2012 by mancat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kresk 10,063 Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 Got one from Classic Arms when they were $399. Refinished the wood and receiver--used Brownell's Baking Lacquer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 What's the wood finish? Looks like an oil job. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kresk 10,063 Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 What's the wood finish? Looks like an oil job. Stain then clear lacquer. Decided not to use steel wool to dull it down--just left it high gloss. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BpS12 512 Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 Tritium, that's really nice. It all blends together beautifully, AZG, I see, you want the "ax" butt stock. I haven't seen many of those around, Good luck. How do you guys deal with that dinky little pistol grip? To me, it feels like trying to hold onto a popsiclestick, lol. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 Get rid of the hard plastic Century grip. It has no gripping surface at all. I like the feel of bakelite pistol grips. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gregomega 929 Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 AZG, I see, you want the "ax" butt stock. I haven't seen many of those around, Good luck. How do you guys deal with that dinky little pistol grip? To me, it feels like trying to hold onto a popsiclestick, lol. Yes I do, very badly. Thank you for noticing. I'm into the rare cool stuff. Just saw a para trooper m1 carbine on American guns and decided I need to have one. Also although it looks good, I can't stand the standard ak grip. Kind rubs me the wrong way after a while of use. Still like the look though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BpS12 512 Posted May 19, 2012 Report Share Posted May 19, 2012 AZG, I had an M1 carbine about 25yrs ago. Traded it for a 5" barreled S&W .357 Mag. I like the. 357, but I loved that M1. Worst trade I ever made. Accurate to a nickle at 100yrds. Always wanted to put the para stock on it and already had the canvas sheath for it. Mancat, my 4&1/2yr old granddaughters hands fit the bakelite better than mine, and I have small hands for being 6'1", lol. I suppose if I used artic mittens with it maybe. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vulcan16 971 Posted May 19, 2012 Report Share Posted May 19, 2012 (edited) "AES-10b and one day find a folding kit for it, that would be awesome!" Do you mean the wire folding stock? I'll have one available once I bullpup mine. I'm interested in your wire folding stock. Edited May 19, 2012 by Jetmech Quote Link to post Share on other sites
2ndAmendican 23 Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 Well a buddy decided he is going to buy my Polish underfolder, so as soon as I get the money from him, I'm getting either a used Romy kit from Apex, or a virgin Yugo kit from Rguns. Seeing all these beautiful Romy RPK's has ruined me. LOL. Thanks guys. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 I noticed that the underside of the adjustable rear leaf has additional range markings on it. They correspond to the selected range on the opposite side of the leaf, from 300m to 1000m. It looks like these are there so that the gunner can adjust the elevation without raising his head or taking the rifle off of bipod to see the markings on the topside of the leaf. Flip leaf forward, adjust, and flip it back down. Thoughts? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
haugpatr 972 Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 I noticed that the underside of the adjustable rear leaf has additional range markings on it. They correspond to the selected range on the opposite side of the leaf, from 300m to 1000m. It looks like these are there so that the gunner can adjust the elevation without raising his head or taking the rifle off of bipod to see the markings on the topside of the leaf. Flip leaf forward, adjust, and flip it back down. Thoughts? I wondered that myself and your explanation seems reasonable to me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
King Cash 104 Posted May 22, 2012 Report Share Posted May 22, 2012 My new one: 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DropKick867 9 Posted May 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 Since starting this thread, just got to shoot mine for the first time yesterday. Lots of fun and compliments from some of the other folks on the line. It was shooting off a bit to the right, and I tried to adjust, but the windage drum was frozen. I've since fixed that. At the range I switched to the side rail-mounted red -dot...which was fine despite the tension screw being a bit loose and me with no screwdriver...but still lots of fun!!! I'm really coveting the sweet red finishes on a lot of the pics posted...however, the grain on my laminate furniture is so harsh, staining would be wasted effort....I might go for a couple more coats of Top-Oil, though...it looks good now, but it could be better. I need to get a decent drum mag....the one I got from ATI (not slamming the corp, but this one mag in particular) is a no-go; total junk for reasons I won't list here. Any suggestions? E-Bloc surplus? Chinese? Also, as so many have mentioned, the plastic pistol grip (black) feels like I'm holding a pencil...and I would perfer a color closer to the bakelite.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 (edited) Grab a Romanian or Polish bakelite grip. Polish generally come in higher quality but are more expensive.. I bought a lot of about six Romy bakelite grips and only got three that were in really good shape. Actually, if you get some that are poor, you can buff them a tiny bit with steel wool until the fiber is a bit exposed, and stain them with Minwax Red Mahogany (let it really soak before wiping), then polish with a rubbing compound when dry. It will restore it to an almost original appearance. Also regarding the front sight drum: let some penetrating oil soak into it a bit. It will break free eventually, and after that should move freely using a proper adjustment tool. Mine was dead on for windage from the factory, which is nice to see on a Romy gun. The grain on a lot of Romy laminate IS harsh.. It can make for some interesting patterns when stained. Edited May 24, 2012 by mancat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 Got a few coats of amber shellac on the stock of my AES-10B. Only problem is, I'm not sure if I even like it. You can't really see it in the photo, but the coloring turned out to be far more "orange" than usual. I may strip it and instead go with a pecan stain and deft satin poly coat. Since the shellac bubbled up, I decided to refinish the AES-10B already. I didn't like how strong the shellac orange was any way. So, stripped the furniture and stained with Minwax Golden Pecan. Instead of sanding the hell out of the rough wood, I simply built up a heavy layer of clear lacquer (Deft semi-gloss) and buffed between coats until it was a uniform surface. What I like about Deft is that it cures HARD. I have a couple beater stocks finished in Deft that I've dropped on gravel with little effect. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
2ndAmendican 23 Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 Mancat, that looks nice. Great job. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 Thanks bud.. I got a 6x24 scope set up on my BP-02 and should hopefully have a chance to get some groups at 100/200yd within a few days. I'm interested in finding out if the AES-10B has a large accuracy edge on a standard AKM. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
2ndAmendican 23 Posted May 26, 2012 Report Share Posted May 26, 2012 Thanks bud.. I got a 6x24 scope set up on my BP-02 and should hopefully have a chance to get some groups at 100/200yd within a few days. I'm interested in finding out if the AES-10B has a large accuracy edge on a standard AKM. You're welcome. Please post your results, as I'm interested as well. I have always heard that the RPK's group better, but have not gotten it from the horses mouth so to speak. It's always been one of those "well I heard that Bob told Fred, that Jim's RPK grouped really nice". Would love to hear direct. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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