The real world SLR-105 rifle is a gas-operated, magazine-fed and semiautomatic rifle, utilizing the long stroke gas system designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. These rifles are actually manufactured in Bulgaria and are then modified in the United States to comply with the “922 (r)” law, which regulates the import of semiautomatic rifles into the US. And due to the amount or number of American made parts used in the rifles, they are actually considered “Made in the USA” for the purpose of this law.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I saw this airsoft rifle while searching the Internet for something to add to my present airsoft armory. I have always been a fan of the M16/M4 rifles, which shows within my present and previous list of airsoft AEGs like the G&P M4A1, G&P Special Ops, G&P M4A1 Commando and the G&G GR300. But there has always been something inside me saying that I should get an AK rifle to add to my collection. And being the meticulous person that I am, I wanted something that I will actually love and cherish and not something that will just live inside my rifle bag for the whole month and come out only when I use it. To make the long story short, I wanted something special.

When I first laid my eyes on the CA SLR-105 compact, I immediately fell in love with its looks, from the quality of the metal receiver to the fine craftsmanship of the real wood fore grip and butt stock.



EXTERNALS

The rifle that I got did not come on its original box although it was from the CA SLR-105, which was the long version of this rifle. The package came with the rifle, a user manual, a 500-round high-cap magazine, and a tool used to adjust the front sight.



Externally, the rifle looks and feels great. The real wood fore grip and butt stock appears very solid and very well made. The flash hider is that of an AK 74 type. This can be removed by depressing a spring loaded locking system located on the bottom right hand side of the front sight and unscrewing the flash hider counter clockwise. This would enable the user to place an AK-type silencer if preferred. The front sight is height adjustable using a special tool that came with the package. At the end of the short outer barrel is the fore grip assembly. There is a sling mount on the left side of this assembly, which is very solid as it is actually a part of the metal frame that hold the real wood hand-grips. The main fore grip as previously mentioned are made of real wood. The type of wood used is not specified but looks of high quality and appears solid.



The rear sight is located just behind the top part of the fore grip but on the front part of the receiver. It is made of metal and can be adjusted.



The receiver is again all metal and solidly built. The top cover comes off as with a normal AK rifle but does not house the battery although I think that it would be possible to re-wire this so that a stick type AK battery can be used.

On the right side of the receiver is the spring-loaded charging handle. When pulled back, the hop-up adjustment lever can be accessed. The hop-up lever is made of plastic and is quite difficult to adjust. It is adjusted by sliding it back and forth. Simple, you might say. But if you are blessed to have fat fingers, then this can be a problem as the lever is somewhat a few centimeters inside the receiver and the gap is obstructed be a thin metal rod that runs across, and acts as a support for the charging handle.

Also found on this side, is the fire selector switch, which is firmly screwed and locks in place. And as you would expect with most AK AEGs that I have seen is that you will get the usual scratch on the receiver caused by the fire selector lock. On the other side of the rifle, you will find the side scope mount, again a big bonus as not only do some brands not include this, but also it is said to be a bit tricky to put in place. The only plastic external part of this rifle is the handgrip but is firmly screwed in place.



The real wood butt-stock is again made of high quality solid wood. This houses the battery, which is I bit of a pain to fit in as you would need to remove the metal butt plate held by two screws… yes… you will need a flat head screw driver to do this. Inside, you will be able to just fit a large 8.4v battery, but this will be really tight and when you place a large battery inside, it will also add a lot of weight on the already heavy rifle. I would recommend using a small battery just to save the weight. The rear sling mount is located at the bottom end of the butt stock and not on the left side as with the real SLR-105. I think this is because the hollow butt stock is not strong enough on the side.



MARKINGS

Something this rifle is not lacking is the authentic markings. On the top of the rear sight are engraved measurements from 0 to 10. On the top left side of the receiver is a serial number, which as far as I know is unique to every rifle. This one bears the mark: “SER.007211”. Just below the top cover is another set of serial numbers “KG 44 6616”. On the front end of the lower receiver, still on the left side, are the markings: “Model SLR-105” and “Cal. 6mm”. Just on top of the side scope mount is the “Arsenal” logo or trademark and the words: ‘LAS VEGAS, NEV USA”. On the other side, the fire selector is properly marked with Russian symbols for “semi” and “full auto” mode.



INTERNALS

Takedown of the CA SLR-105 compact is a pretty straightforward AK AEG takedown. First, remove the top cover. This will reveal a metal tubing about the same size as a stick battery. As far as I can make out, this does not serve any purpose. Then take the charging handle assembly out. By this time you should already see the top of the gearbox. Next, remove the handgrip by removing the screw at the bottom. When this is done, you will be able to gain access to the motor housing assembly. The motor is branded with the CA logo and the words Classic Army across it. According to the label the motor is a “high performance”, “high torque” motor.



The next step is to remove the fire selector lever. We wanted to see if it is possible to access the gearbox without disassembling the entire front end of the rifle, as this would be quite lengthy and laborious process. Once all the above disassembly is done, you will notice that the gearbox is ready to come out but there is not much space to pull it out. The next thing we did was to detach the motor housing by removing the two screws on each side of the top of the motor frame. Then we disassembled to hop-up unit and removed the inner barrel by threading it forward and out through the outer barrel. This created enough space to pull the gearbox out.



First thing that I noticed, is that the wires connected to the motor are soldered permanently. This is my first CA takedown so I do not know if this is the same case as with other CA AEGs. The motor installed, like that of any other AK AEGs is a short type. The gearbox is a CA type version 3 AK gearbox with metal bearing bushings. This would attribute to the very respectable ROF using an 8.4v mini battery. Inside is your standard CA branded gears. The air nozzle is made of a blue colored plastic that looks durable. The piston body is plastic but the piston head and the last tooth are metal. The spring appears to be a standard M100 equivalent considering that it produces a 318 to 325 fps muzzle velocity when chronoed. The entire internal assembly is well lubricated and the wiring, aside from them being soldered to the motor connections are decent.





PERFORMANCE

The rifle felt well and solid in the skirmish field, although I was very careful not to scratch the wood works. Firing is comfortable both from the shoulder and from the hip. One thing I noticed is that the weight of the rifle is quite heavy so it is very important is choosing the right accessories to minimize additional weight. I would recommend using a small battery and a high cap magazine instead of a drum or electric hi-cap magazine. I would also advice getting a sling.

CONCLUSION

Pros:

• Very beautifully- and solidly-built
• Pre upgraded, firing at 318fps to 325fps
• Good rate of fire (ROF)
• Comes with high-capacity magazine
• Wood and metal works are well-made
• Internals appear very durable

Cons:

• Heavy
• Fiddly battery installation
• Plastic high-cap magazine
• Tight battery compartment

This is one of the most beautifully crafted AEG rifle I have ever seen. The authentic markings and detail of the real wood furniture adds to the realistic feel of this rifle. If you are looking for an AK rifle to add to your arsenal of AEGs, I highly recommend that you get one of this.