Type 81 Owners Corner !

I like it.

So do I, but instead of Tru oil, I would favor using leather dye to penetrate the beech a little and then finish in linseed oil coats -its easier to touch up after abuse.

I wonder if the current PLA furniture is also beech, or if it's something like chu wood? Beech doesn't take stain very well, but chu wood does.
 
So do I, but instead of Tru oil, I would favor using leather dye to penetrate the beech a little and then finish in linseed oil coats -its easier to touch up after abuse.

I wonder if the current PLA furniture is also beech, or if it's something like chu wood? Beech doesn't take stain very well, but chu wood does.

I must confess that I am not very knowledgeable about wood working and in particular wood finishing (I can get it done but I will not call myself skilled) so it is great for me to read posts like this. So many ideas in my head right now from this thread.

I very much hope my rifles arrive in good condition as requested. On my last call with TI they were finally able to give me a tracking number which showed my order was in transit, so it was pretty much impossible for me to get the refund I wanted at that point.

The label was printed about 2 weeks ago and if it was applied to my order right away but my order not given to CP until a couple days ago (as evidenced by CP online tracking) how would TI have been able to do the quality check I insisted on? Hopefully the label was printed out in advance but only put on my order when it was ready to go out.
 
I must confess that I am not very knowledgeable about wood working and in particular wood finishing (I can get it done but I will not call myself skilled) so it is great for me to read posts like this. So many ideas in my head right now from this thread.

I very much hope my rifles arrive in good condition as requested. On my last call with TI they were finally able to give me a tracking number which showed my order was in transit, so it was pretty much impossible for me to get the refund I wanted at that point.

The label was printed about 2 weeks ago and if it was applied to my order right away but my order not given to CP until a couple days ago (as evidenced by CP online tracking) how would TI have been able to do the quality check I insisted on? Hopefully the label was printed out in advance but only put on my order when it was ready to go out.

Hint: they didn't inspect it. They aren't inspecting anything, and if you get a different example, they will deal with the warranty claim until they run out of Spares.
 
Thanks Fellas!
I also trimmed (and Blued) the rear sight cross bar (as others have done) - MUCH better view, in my opinion.
ZoTHIFi.jpg

Skillfully done! Looks amazing.
 
Handled one today, observed a ("light") bent from barrel end to butt stock
The action was very gritty (even the person standing beside me noticed it from the sound) and the wood was of typical "Norinco softwood quality".

All in all a $450.00 at max. gun, which would never see the inside of my safes.
 
So the quad rail orders aren't out yet

Nope. TI finally admitted that they were not sent the fore ends on the first shipment and just received them. As a result anybody that ordered one gets fuct over the hardest; no extra mags and guaran-fvcking-teed to wait the longest wait out of everyone.

The deceit about the fore ends makes me wonder what else TI has been less than truthful about.
 
Mine came in today. Or more accurately, i stumbled over it leaving the house as Canada Post dropped it off outside the front door either late last evening or early this morning. Tracking number shows that the Electronic Shipping information was submitted to Canada Post on the 20th of Nov but it was picked up on the 1st of Dec from Calgary (!?!). Account information on the website still shows "Deposit Received" and i did not receive any email from TI or any responses to my queries. Received the magazine shortage letter and only 2 magazines - 8 magazines short of the original order.

A few observations,
1. Rifle was well packaged - lightly oiled in a sealed plastic bag. Rifle and magazines were zip tied. Magazines were in Oil paper inside a plastic bag. Came with the spare light coloured stock insert as well.
2. Rifle looks perfect - it's perfectly straight, tight, well machined and put together. Nothing rattles or is loose. No tool marks and bluing is even throughout. The metal part of the hand guard cover is painted and has a a few minor handling marks from assembly.
2. Magazine is tight in the mag well with no slop whatsoever. Bolt looks good. Only cosmetic issue is that a magazine came with multiple rust spots on it.
3. Wood looks darker in person than pictures. Well finished and installed.
4. Rifle is VERY smooth. Racking the slide is like breaking glass(and this is without oiling or cleaning). Trigger is a two stage affair - a few mm of take-up and then breaks crisply. No slop in it.
5. Going by how it was packaged, I am pretty sure that each rifle came with 4 mags and the sling from factory (see picture of how box was when opened). Note the opened zip tie on the bottom left that would accommodate 2 magazines wrapped in Oil paper. The said magazines appear to have been removed prior to shipping as everything else looked undisturbed.
6. No cleaning kit (that I've found so far).

Overall, pleased with the rifle. It is much better than i had anticipated/ read about. Feels very slender yet substantial. Very pointable, well balanced and not unwieldily at all.

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