Project Appleseed

I had an opportunity to shoot my PSL at an appleseed this past weekend, and I thought I would post a review. First off, the PSL-54C (AKA Romak III) is an AK variant chambered in 7.72x54R. It is very similar in appearance to the venerable Dragunov sniper rifle but that is where the similarities end. I had installed an aftermarket adjustable stock, as the shorter combloc stock that came on it was too short. I zeroed the 4x16 PSO Tip2 scope at 25 meters. The adjustable cheek rest was helpful in obtaining good cheek weld, a failing of the issue stock.

The Bad:
The PSL is equipped with a difficult to use bolt hold open, but the safety cannot be engaged while the bolt is back. PITA on the line.

The scope is equipped with a rubber eye cup that requires the shooter to physically press thier eye on to it to get proper eye relief. This is impossible to do while wearing safety glasses. When glasses are removed it is a safety issue, and the eye cup tended to slip with each shot and required readjustment. With safety glasses back on and the eye cup removed, obtaining proper eye relief was very difficult and time consuming. The scope is also offset, making getting in to a good tight position with the sling difficult.

Sling mounts on the PSL are horrible. the rifle's foregrip is VERY long and it is on the side making proper sling usage a nightmare. Standard length GI slings are just too short for an effective Hasty. I ended up using zip ties and a spare sling swivel to mount it about half way down the foregrip. WAAAY better.

Barrel Whip. The PSL's barrel is long and very thin. after about 5 shots hits start to wander as the barrel heats up. not as much of an issue at a Winterseed in the north, but on a hot day it is very noticeable.

The Good
the iron sights were effective. the ammo is dirt cheap and powerfull.

Overall, I think that I would scrap the scope and go with iron sights, and try to find a better stock. Adding a sling swivel point to the foregrip is also in this rifle's future.

I love my PSL when shooting AQT's. The rifle runs like a house of fire! The first thing to go was the scope. Them things just suck to use on these rifles. Still has the short original stock. I have no neck so this works for me using the irons. The sling does take some getting used to. I am just running a standard AK sling. The USGI slings don't work without mods. As for barrel heat vs. accuracy I haven't had a problem. I run 4min rapid AQT's with it all the time. You are shooting 4MOA not 1.

You are sooo right! I guess I subconsciously think a scoped rifle would do better. I really need to do something about that sling and stock though (for me).

What ammo do you shoot?

I do not recall any issues with locking the bolt back and I know I can put the safety lever into the "Safe" position on mine with the bolt open. ComBlock stock was a BIG problem (look up Feb '10 Lewiston AAR for pictures of the mashup that was done for me to use the silly thing).  I did not notice any heating issue but maybe the winterseed weather (or merely cool temps) mitigated that in my case. I do have an AK sling side mounted but its not bad for a Hasty config.

I can bring mine if you want to Boarder Raid up into Wa sometime.

Quote from: Mister Clark on September 11, 2012, 11:03:13 PM
You are sooo right! I guess I subconsciously think a scoped rifle would do better. I really need to do something about that sling and stock though (for me).

What ammo do you shoot?

The cheapest crap I can find! All of the surplus stuff is corrosive, so I don't pick and choose. I do stick to light ball though. I have read the heavy ball has caused receivers to crack.

I have benched this rifle just to check accuracy potential. This one will hold 1.5MOA which from what I hear is rare on some builds. I was running Chinese surplus at the time.

Quote from: gibbs459 on September 12, 2012, 02:46:33 PM
The cheapest crap I can find! All of the surplus stuff is corrosive, so I don't pick and choose. I do stick to light ball though. I have read the heavy ball has caused receivers to crack.

True. PSL's shouldn't try to shoot anything heavier than a 150 grain bullet. I've heard conjecture that reducing the gas fed back to the piston (which already gets slapped around by normal ammo) should make it possible to use heavier ammo, but I don't know if anyone has actually tried it.

I've had good luck with TulAmmo 148 grain. It's new production and noncorrosive, and costs about $11.50 a box. The lacquered steel cases feed as well as brass Prvi Partisan, but it's 3/4 the price.

Dave

Am I the only one that thinks a PSL or like draganuv/dragonov/however the heck you spell it clone chambered in .308 is a brilliant idea?

Im thinking about building a PSL for the riflemans bootcamp thats really the only way i could afford it . Who has cheap kits now adays

I haven't seen a PSL kit for sale anywhere in almost a year. I got mine from Centerfire Systems 18 months ago but they're all out.

You're probably going to have to watch the auction sites. Ditto for a receiver. At one time Nodak Spud made PSL receivers that would take a standard AK stock instead of the regular skeleton stock but those have dried up too. The Romanian receivers fit the skeleton stock but they're a royal pain to work with.

Unless you already have the tools to build an AK, getting a PSL kit isn't going to save you any money. I paid $300 for the kit, $100 for the receiver, another $60 for hardware and wood finishing, and about $400 for tools. And I still had to borrow some stuff.

Dave