My Arsenal SLR-106

Introduction:

I first talked about my SLR-106 in my post about the AK-100 Series of rifles. Because the SLR-106 is essentially a Bulgarian clone of the AK-101, it fit the bill nicely. But in that post, my rifle was completely stock and how I got it from my local gun shop. That has changed a bit since then. I've been slowly accumulating gear in preparation to take a rifle course, so a solid portion of my budget has gone into making my rifle what I want. I had a couple of hiccups along the way in terms of getting everything set up, so I'm going to go into that a bit here, while also just telling you about how I have things set up.

Red Dot and Mount:

One of the biggest things I wanted to do with my rifle was utilize some kind of a red dot. Unfortunately for me, the particular rifle I bought had a canted front sight. It's not too severe, but I figured that a red dot would be an easy, effective way to shoot the rifle accurately. There was only one problem with this, my rifle lacks a side rail for mounting optics. This led to me having to get creative.

The mount that I thought would work best for me, is the Attero Arms Bravo Mount from Khyber Customs. This mount replaces the rear sight of the rifle, and provides a mounting platform for Aimpoint Micro-style optics, in my case, a Primary Arms ADS. The mount fits very well and is solidly attached. It also includes a set of backup iron sights that allow you to co-witness with your optic of choice.

 I'm not worried at all about a shifting POI with this mount-sight combination. My only complaint with the optic mount is that it makes it a serious pain to reinstall the dust cover after field stripping the rifle. I decided to go for the Primary Arms optic in part because I don't really have Aimpoint money. It also seems to be the best bang for buck in terms of quality. I haven't had it long, but at this point I really don't have any complaints about it, the dot is clear and the battery supposedly lasts a long time on medium brightness. Overall, for as much as they cost, you cant beat it.

Handguards and VFG

Up toward the front of the rifle, I decided to completely do away with the factory handguards. Instead, I installed an M-LOK lower handguard and a Khyber Customs "Cheese Grater" upper handguard. These not only improve the aesthetics of the rifle (in my opinion), but they also allow for better airflow and cooling.

The handguard is from TDI-Arms and I have *almost* nothing but good things to say about it. It is made of lightweight aluminum, and has plenty of M-LOK real estate for mounting whatever I can think of. It also features a QD sling attachment point on either side of the handguard. My one complaint with it though, when they say minor fitting may be required, they really mean it. The front bit where the handguard slides into the retainer for it was probably a millimeter and a half too tall. I wound up having to break out the dremel and do some touching up. This isn't really a complaint though, since this type of thing is fairly common given all the different AK variants. 

The cheese grater upper handguard is one of my favorite cosmetic upgrades for AKs. I feel like they add a good custom, hand-made feel, even though they're mass produced. They're also practical, allowing heat to vent off well and keep the rifle cooler for longer.

Conclusion:

Overall I like where I'm at with my rifle and don't think I'm going to be making any additions in the near future. If I do, it would maybe be something like a flashlight. I like that I have a decent amount of stuff put on, but it's not at the point where it feels like it's too much. I'm happy with it. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to let me know!