It was a Saiga converted to pistol grip configured by Century.Was your friends gun a century build?
Well yeah...did you fire more than one round?I've got a CZ 527 in 7.62x39 with a 16 or 18 inch barrel that will shoot a hole you can cover with a nickel or quarter at 100 yds. if I do my part. I hand load my rounds and that helps. I wouldn't say it's just a "round" issue but can't suggest any fix.
OP is talking about the 5.45x39 and not the 7.62x39.I've got a CZ 527 in 7.62x39 with a 16 or 18 inch barrel that will shoot a hole you can cover with a nickel or quarter at 100 yds. if I do my part. I hand load my rounds and that helps. I wouldn't say it's just a "round" issue but can't suggest any fix.
Uh, Oh, ....................... I misread it.OP is talking about the 5.45x39 and not the 7.62x39.
I shot a friends 5.45 rifle and I noticed a big amount of "keyhole" holes in my target. I asked him what was going on and he said "that happens sometimes". I just got a VEPR in this caliber. I wanted to get a 20" barrel rifle but I was only able to get a 16" one. I've read many stories in forums talking about issues with caliber. I read one that stated that, when cold, the rifle's accuracy is awful, but as it warms up the MOA gets smaller. That is exactly what I saw with my new VEPR! After about 15 rounds you could see the groupings get significantly tighter. There is also a slow motion video of Vickers firing an AK-74 and you can see the bullets roll as they come out of the barrel. I have a couple of theories/conclusions:
1. This is a very unstable round, who the heck tested it?
2. As the rounds warm the barrel the subsequent rounds loose less energy and gain more stability. That's why the grouping gets tighter.
3. This caliber is useless as a hunting round since you need accuracy on the first round.
4. This caliber is useless as a target or competition round.
I guess accuracy is not a real issue when firing a Krink full auto (and the barrel would get hot fast!). I thought that maybe the 20" barrel would be more accurate from round 1, but I have no data to prove or disprove my theory. Who out there has experience with this caliber/round and could chime in? I would love to get more data and theories about this.
I agree, the 74s do not have issues but many barrels made in the US do. The ammo I've seen is steel core and I'm sure tough to stabilize. The 74s have a 1:7.8 twist rate. One would think .004" difference in bullet diameter wouldn't make much difference unless US barrel makers are using common drills used for the 5.56.I know Tantals Century built off kits had a problem for a while due to US-made barrel issues, but I have not heard the same from Veprs.
While more of a fan of the 7.62x39, I've shot the 5.45 and have never had a problem with it. I don't think it's the round, but the weapon you're using unless as noted, it's the particular brand of ammo.
I shot a friends 5.45 rifle and I noticed a big amount of "keyhole" holes in my target. I asked him what was going on and he said "that happens sometimes". I just got a VEPR in this caliber. I wanted to get a 20" barrel rifle but I was only able to get a 16" one. I've read many stories in forums talking about issues with caliber. I read one that stated that, when cold, the rifle's accuracy is awful, but as it warms up the MOA gets smaller. That is exactly what I saw with my new VEPR! After about 15 rounds you could see the groupings get significantly tighter. There is also a slow motion video of Vickers firing an AK-74 and you can see the bullets roll as they come out of the barrel. I have a couple of theories/conclusions:
1. This is a very unstable round, who the heck tested it?
2. As the rounds warm the barrel the subsequent rounds loose less energy and gain more stability. That's why the grouping gets tighter.
3. This caliber is useless as a hunting round since you need accuracy on the first round. Myth; your experience is atypical. Groups tend to open up with more strings of fire, not the other way around. Many Vepr owners have achieve 1 MOA or better. It is a very good platform.
4. This caliber is useless as a target or competition round. There are hundreds of IPSC shooters with a lot of trophies who would disagree.
I guess accuracy is not a real issue when firing a Krink full auto (and the barrel would get hot fast!). I thought that maybe the 20" barrel would be more accurate from round 1, but I have no data to prove or disprove my theory. Who out there has experience with this caliber/round and could chime in? I would love to get more data and theories about this.