Type 81 'M' Reviews, suggestions, upgrades

[Dmitri]

Lets hear from the owners, what do you think about these new super cool Type 81 "M"s ? What kind of improvements would you like to see and what upgrades you find most useful ?

I will start.

I finally received my underfolder this Tuesday (271××) . And i sure do have mixed feelings.. the only other Type 81 i own or ever bought is t81 SR, even thought i held out for 5 years from entering t81 club, the SR was just too ###y to pass up. Considering how many SVD clones i made in the past, this was a no brainer. So i am relatively new in T81 space with only the SR to compare to.
So i must say the SR is far superior in quality comparing to the newly received underfolder. The phosphate finish on this "M" is pretty thin and has blemishes in various places. the dust cover looks a bit crooked/twisted and doesnt fit the receiver as nice as SR. The underfolder is solid side to side, but it does have that 1/4" up and down slack.
Now my least favorite part.. after field stripping the rifle and carefully observing it i understood where all these misaligned barrel issues comes from. There are 4 rivets that fasten barrel extension to the receiver, two on each side. So if barrel is nicely pressed into the receiver prior to drilling and riveting it, the rifle turns out perfectly straight. For some weird reason, perhaps flawed jigs, some barrels are not properly/evenly inserted into the receiver. Resulting in all kinds of angled variations .. So, again, i dont know how all the other models compared to this last shipment, and i doubt that majority of the "M" guns are as bad. But seeing how nice the SR is in comparison, there is much to be desired..

Now lets get to the pics.
Here is an example of the blemish on the receiver:

And here is the difference between SR blued dust cover vs. M

SR:

"M":

And here are some pics of nicely pinned SR barrel, vs M

SR:

M:

As you guys see there are some serious differences. I still really want to own an M model, and i dont see why there needs to be a compromise in quality, considering it comes from the same factory...


Here are few other observations when comparing SR to M

The part of the receiver, where barrel is inserted, looks different. SR has longer block with pins positioned farther apart. The barrel block on the M model is cut shorter with both pins closer together.. not sure why that is..

Also all 4 pins on the SR are same large size.. and the M version has two smaller pins at the rear

Here is the gas system and barrel profile difference between the two models..

Hope you guys find this info helpful, and i would like to know why there is such difference between the last two shipments, and these were only 1 year apart..

For those that are wondering how to improve this toy looking orange finish on the furniture, i will post some step by step tutorial as soon as i know whats happening with this particular rifle, i'll wait for Tactical Imports to respond with suggestions..
But here is the type of finish you can achieve with the same wood..
(As long as its the same wood that was used as on SRs.. i will know once i dig into the new set)

 

[Thiopento]

Dude thanks for the write up ! How’s your SR shoot btw ? Mine does 3-5 map, which is a real shame for what looked like several upgrades that would make it accurate.

 

[JasonGTA]

I don't have anymore type 81s on hand and my t81m hasn't arrived yet so I cannot look at the front trunion to verify, but AK front trunions are riveted onto the receiver before the barrel is pressed in. With the barrel already in the trunion there is no space to get the bottom rivet support in to get a good press on the rivet. I assume the t81 is made the same way but again I do not have one infront of me to confirm

 

[Dmitri]

Dude thanks for the write up ! How’s your SR shoot btw ? Mine does 3-5 map, which is a real shame for what looked like several upgrades that would make it accurate.

last few times i had it out i was getting around 3" with non corrosive norinco, but have had 2-2.5" groups with better quality ammo.
I think groups could be better with higher magnification. With x4 zoom your crosshair probably covers more than 4" area..

 

[Dmitri]

I don't have anymore type 81s on hand and my t81m hasn't arrived yet so I cannot look at the front trunion to verify, but AK front trunions are riveted onto the receiver before the barrel is pressed in. With the barrel already in the trunion there is no space to get the bottom rivet support in to get a good press on the rivet. I assume the t81 is made the same way but again I do not have one infront of me to confirm

You are probably right. They rivet the barrel extension first.. In that case it should be even easier to clamp it properly.

 

[fleabaggins]

Just wanted to give everyone a laugh:
Was at the Calgary Arms Show today. One fellow had a full stock 81M for sale. Was advertised as new and unfired in the box.
The fellow only wanted $3000.00 for it.
Yes, you read that right - 3k.
His justification to another patron was that TI was sold out of the full stock, and he bought this one on the first day they were for sale.
I am pretty confident he took it back home with him…….

 

[BeaverMeat]

Dude thanks for the write up ! How’s your SR shoot btw ? Mine does 3-5 map, which is a real shame for what looked like several upgrades that would make it accurate.

It’s the trigger… all of the T81s I’ve owned had an inconsistent break because the whole thing is sloppy. I had high hopes for the SR so I bought two of them. I swapped the triggers between the two rifles because one trigger mechanism fit better in the other rifle. Go figure.

In the end I sold them because I could not get them to perform on par with my SKSes. The SKS can have a really nice trigger with some elbow grease and patience.

Detachable mags, a pistol grip and aesthetics wasn’t worth it (to me).

 

[scianna54]

Just wanted to give everyone a laugh:
Was at the Calgary Arms Show today. One fellow had a full stock 81M for sale. Was advertised as new and unfired in the box.
The fellow only wanted $3000.00 for it.
Yes, you read that right - 3k.
His justification to another patron was that TI was sold out of the full stock, and he bought this one on the first day they were for sale.
I am pretty confident he took it back home with him…….

It is like this at most gun shows.

 

[Thiopento]

last few times i had it out i was getting around 3" with non corrosive norinco, but have had 2-2.5" groups with better quality ammo.
I think groups could be better with higher magnification. With x4 zoom your crosshair probably covers more than 4" area..

I like your optimism I don’t think it’s the optic though friend =\ Even with iron sights it’s the same 3-5 moa for me, that’s maybe 200 rounds worth of groups too. Optics themselves too don’t change the inherently accuracy of a rifle, my ruger 10-22 groups way tighter than the t81 for example with irons and zoom from 4-12x. Made me really sad because I so expected the t81 SR to be relatively accurate, the heavy, longer barrel, better build quality, stabilized optic and that’s just not the case unfortunately. Made me really sad lol because it kinda takes the bite out of the whole reason the rifle was made !! Like the fella below my damn refurbed bbq SKS with irons shoots tighter groups wtf, makes my stomach turn =\ The T81SR looks pretty though! Especially with the wood on yours you did an exemplary job !

 

[Murray 3-D]

Just wanted to give everyone a laugh:
Was at the Calgary Arms Show today. One fellow had a full stock 81M for sale. Was advertised as new and unfired in the box.
The fellow only wanted $3000.00 for it.
Yes, you read that right - 3k.
His justification to another patron was that TI was sold out of the full stock, and he bought this one on the first day they were for sale.
I am pretty confident he took it back home with him…….

A guy walked out of there friday morning with a fixed Type 81M that he supposedly payed 1400cad for. Gone roughly within the first 1hr. Saw an underfolder on a table as well, but didnt check the price.

 

[Curtton]

Lets hear from the owners, what do you think about these new super cool Type 81 "M"s ? What kind of improvements would you like to see and what upgrades you find most useful ?

I will start.

https://i.imgur.com/NJjOrhc.jpeg

I finally received my underfolder this Tuesday (271××) . And i sure do have mixed feelings.. the only other Type 81 i own or ever bought is t81 SR, even thought i held out for 5 years from entering t81 club, the SR was just too ###y to pass up. Considering how many SVD clones i made in the past, this was a no brainer. So i am relatively new in T81 space with only the SR to compare to.
So i must say the SR is far superior in quality comparing to the newly received underfolder. The phosphate finish on this "M" is pretty thin and has blemishes in various places. the dust cover looks a bit crooked/twisted and doesnt fit the receiver as nice as SR. The underfolder is solid side to side, but it does have that 1/4" up and down slack.
Now my least favorite part.. after field stripping the rifle and carefully observing it i understood where all these misaligned barrel issues comes from. There are 4 rivets that fasten barrel extension to the receiver, two on each side. So if barrel is nicely pressed into the receiver prior to drilling and riveting it, the rifle turns out perfectly straight. For some weird reason, perhaps flawed jigs, some barrels are not properly/evenly inserted into the receiver. Resulting in all kinds of angled variations :) .. So, again, i dont know how all the other models compared to this last shipment, and i doubt that majority of the "M" guns are as bad. But seeing how nice the SR is in comparison, there is much to be desired..

Now lets get to the pics.
Here is an example of the blemish on the receiver:

[Img]https://i.imgur.com/zD2Zqxo.jpeg

And here is the difference between SR blued dust cover vs. M

SR:
[Img]https://i.imgur.com/h3iM2hU.jpeg

[Img]https://i.imgur.com/o5YWm3P.jpeg

[Img]https://i.imgur.com/jgl0udb.jpeg

"M":
[Img]https://i.imgur.com/WuD5gX4.jpeg

[Img]https://i.imgur.com/ZHNvRIS.jpeg

And here are some pics of nicely pinned SR barrel, vs M

SR:
[Img]https://i.imgur.com/eeWBLdx.jpeg

[Img]https://i.imgur.com/h3iM2hU.jpeg

M:
[Img]https://i.imgur.com/gjV1MfB.jpeg

[Img]https://i.imgur.com/9vwTJ61.jpeg

As you guys see there are some serious differences. I still really want to own an M model, and i dont see why there needs to be a compromise in quality, considering it comes from the same factory...


Here are few other observations when comparing SR to M

The part of the receiver, where barrel is inserted, looks different. SR has longer block with pins positioned farther apart. The barrel block on the M model is cut shorter with both pins closer together.. not sure why that is..

[Img]https://i.imgur.com/8vYuvUz.jpeg

Also all 4 pins on the SR are same large size.. and the M version has two smaller pins at the rear

[Img]https://i.imgur.com/5LQtV8i.jpeg

Here is the gas system and barrel profile difference between the two models..

[Img]https://i.imgur.com/gnhYGsl.jpeg

Hope you guys find this info helpful, and i would like to know why there is such difference between the last two shipments, and these were only 1 year apart..

For those that are wondering how to improve this toy looking orange finish on the furniture, i will post some step by step tutorial as soon as i know whats happening with this particular rifle, i'll wait for Tactical Imports to respond with suggestions..
But here is the type of finish you can achieve with the same wood..
(As long as its the same wood that was used as on SRs.. i will know once i dig into the new set)

https://i.imgur.com/rfdTXPV.jpeg
[Img]https://i.imgur.com/4OmwuG9.jpeg[/QUOTE]

very interesting info, thanks. BTW to complete your findings.

i just checked, the barrel block of the 18.5" light barrel is the same as the 18.5" heavy.

and the 20.5" heavy barrel lmg is the same as your SR.

so the rivets that are close together is known to have bent while the rivets that are further apart are not known to have bent, at least i havent heard of it. interesting? hhhhmmm

 

[enefgee]

Heavier barrels should require a heavier longer trunion, as should longer barrels. This is why, if you check, Canadian longer barrel AK's from the 1980's are built on an RPK receiver (1.1mm versus 1mm thick and a longer trunion). Also, the amount of designed-in flex in this construction method is quite large, with the entire trunion being held in with leaded rivets so that they can flex under recoil. If you weld in the trunion - which seems quite logical, the receiver will fracture - which is why some folks in the US who tried to build AK clones failed miserably as the guns tore themselves apart. I'm using the AK analogy because these guns (T81) were designed using the same build principals. Vertical movement in the underfolder is pretty much universal, as is getting bitten by one. Remember you're buying a clone of a rifle that was designed to be used by 3rd world armies and revolutionaries, not target shooters.

 

[Dmitri]

So it looks like they choose the type of trunion according to barrel length and not the profile.. interesting...

 

[Curtton]

So it looks like they choose the type of trunion according to barrel length and not the profile.. interesting...

or its not choosing the type of trunnion but which factory it was made at. according to Guns and ammo article written by Timothy T. Yan, he said the rifle was made in factory 266 (26) and the lmg was made in factory 356 so it was no surprised the LMG werent bent. different factory but i suspect the M went back to factory 266.

 

[Dmitri]

or its not choosing the type of trunnion but which factory it was made at. according to Guns and ammo article written by Timothy T. Yan, he said the rifle was made in factory 266 (26) and the lmg was made in factory 356 so it was no surprised the LMG werent bent. different factory but i suspect the M went back to factory 266.

That is good to know.. i wonder if TI can propose/demand that the next shipments would be made in the 356 factory.

 

[Curtton]

That is good to know.. i wonder if TI can propose/demand that the next shipments would be made in the 356 factory.

no idea... but rumour has it that the two factory works with different exporter so im guessin it was a side deal with norinco.

 

[Dmitri]

So, I did some cosmetic overhauling to my underfolder. Sanded down and refinished the wood, brought up the grain significantly and stained it to match my SR. Rounded off the bottom handguard, while still keeping the swell.. i still need to finish the wood with 4-5 coats of polyurethane, hopefully tomorrow.
I also polish the factory finish on all the metal to get rid of the blemeshes and scratches i had, and then gave it a sort of weathered or battle worn finish. I used cold blue to balance it out and give it a bit more depth. It turned out great so far, finish doesnt feel like BBQ paint anymore and much smoother to touch. I really dig the new loo

I will post final results tomorrow or day after..
If anyone is interested i have some time to refinish few more guns in similar fasion... pm me if interested.

 

[sdizzyday]

What did you use to 'Polish' the factory metal finish?
Looks great, by the way.

 

[nbd]

Wtf. Thats nice wood grain. Why would they hide it?

 

[JasonGTA]

side by side size comparison, black grip is off a VZ58, purplish/brown grip is Romanian AK