AK-47 help

W

waymore

New member
So I am looking to get my first assault rifle and im going into this pretty blind. I own several handguns and got to my local range frequently because I enjoy shooting. I was thinking it would be fun to have a rifle with me to diversify my range time.

It seems like I can get an AK-47 for much less than an AR-15 so that is one of my main reasons for looking at AK's. I was hoping someone could give me some good ideas on what I might want to spend my money on.

I am looking to spend under $600 on the rifle. I have seen a Draco AK-47(technicaly a pistol) for around $360. Has anyone seen or fired one of these? What are some things I should be looking for in the rifle? Any suggestions?

Thanks
 
AKs can be a minefield.
Atlantic Arms has a good rep, you can probably trust anything they offer. Atlantic backs them up quite well if any problems occur.

Otherwise, don't bother with a handgun AK unless all you want is a toy.
And, I'd stay away from Century International. Good prices, but seems to be one of the most problematic of the bunch with canted front sights & other assembly/machining issues.

Denis
 
First, the AK-47 in Semi-auto format is NOT an Assault Rifle...it just looks like one ;)

Try to remove the AR term from your mind...think instead, "Household Self-Defense Firearms".

An "Assault Weapon" is simply any gun pointed at you by a criminal...and still used improperly at that.
Its actually meant for Belt-Fed machine guns, but as most of the public & media are ill-trained,
they consider anything that looks vaguely like something a bad guy in a movie would carry
to be an assault weapon.
 
If you want a cheap AK, it wouldnt hurt to look into the "Certified" WASR AK's that Henderson Defense sells. They look them over to make sure that they dont have canted sights or crappily machined magwells. These are the common problems that Romanian AK's deal with. They cost a little more than the standard WASR, but its worth it.

That said, if you can pony up a little extra, Atlantic Firearms sells some good AK's for not a whole lot more.

There's a whole lot more room for error in terms of manufacturing quality with the AK vs the AR. That said, some companies still manage to screw up the AK.

I'd personally get an Arsenal/Saiga AK, but they run closer to 750 bucks
 
Davidsons online has Aresenal AK 47 and 74 in stock and if you purchase it through them it comes with the davidsons warranty. Buy the Arsenal and don't look back. I have 3. I'll take my AK74 over my AR 15 all day long. Ammo is cheap for the 74 too!
 
I bought an unfired Maadi made back in 93 for $500 at a gunshow. Its been great. Bulgarian Arsenals are $600 at gunshows. Can't go wrong with Arsenal.
 
I have WASR I purchased for around $300.00. Everybody should have an AK-47 in he gun safe. Thing will digest any ammo fed it. Have never had it fail to fire on me.
 
I won't recommend one brand over the other, but I will recommend getting your hands on as many AK variants as possible. If the length of the Warsaw Pact buttstock is any indication, I'm pretty sure no Eastern European soldier was over five and a half feet tall. Just one guy's opinion. Find some AK-owning friends and see if you can get some trigger time on their rifles. See what's comfortable for you and what's not before you lay down $500+ on a firearm.
 
If you're enamored of AKs, consider a Norinco SKS model D or M that can take standard AK mags.

The peak of the post-Obama fire sale has passed, but you can probably still pick up a decent AR-15 or AK from a local gun show for less than 600. I built a brand new AR at just over 6 lbs for just over 600.

My 2cent review (cuz that's all it's worth):
ARs are pretty solid and very accurate and light. AKs are durable and accurate enough. SKS are very solid, accurate, and heavy.

Enjoy doing lots of research. Ignore the bigots from any of the above-mentioned camps.

Now for a suggestion that makes "numbers sense" but I have limited experience with: AK 74s that shoot 5.45x39. They can be found for under 600 and the ammo is as cheap (if not cheaper) than 5.56NATO or 7.62AK.

You'll probably buy more than one over the next 5 years, but enjoy reading up on them all before you buy your first.
Happy shooting.
 
Ive shot a romanian AK I believe, the russian version. I like it. The one I fired had no scope mounts so think about picking up some of them when you buy it. The one I used was also bought from a gun show in va for about 425 dollars with 2 30 round clips, a ammo sack, and bayonette maybe some other things im not sure. But ive never liked AKs or AR or M16. Only fired one of them but their not my "thing" I like my ruger mini 30. Check out the ruger mini series, or a universal M1 You can get a M1 for a pretty reasonable price. Some other things about the AK the safety is sooooooooooooooo difficult to manuever. I like how they feild strip, durable, how you can release the action by hitting the stock on it. Its a pretty cool weapon.
 
You can get this rifle (without the Ultimak, Aimpoint and Surefire x300) for under $600. This is a Yugo underfolder. It is 100% reliable and holds a very, very tight pattern. I like it because it conceals easily in my vehicle or bag.
bdb7ec32.jpg
 
Arsenal is the current common best to get. Expensive but very well worth it.


buys:
interarms
waffenwerks
arizona response systems
arsenal
polytech
tgi

avoids:
most century
ones with US barrels
lancaster
 
Get Red Jacket Firearms to build you a simple standard AK-47. Quality, and decent price if you already have a kit (~ $99-199). I built my own at a much lower cost.
 
If you're dead set on the Ak platform, I'd recommend a saiga in all honesty.

My Brother has one in 7.62x39 with a 20 inch barrel. With good quality ammo, they are accurate rifles. I regularly get rounds touching each other out at 100 yards. Should the gods allow, his rifle is capable of 1 MOA with the right ammo, and provided we do our part.

Also the options for customization are endless, and usually are easy enough to do yourself if you feel confident.

Right now, we're contemplating getting a pair of Saigas in 5.45 and customizing them ourselves as a joint project.
 
waymore.
Have you compared the ergonomics of the SKS with those of the AK?
The AK's levers and safety rub me the wrong way. The standard SKS magazine is always attached.

For about $425 here, a really good Russian SKS (with blade bayo.) can often be found at gun shows.
An extra $100 buys a Tech Sight which gives you the aperture and much longer sight distance, for the SKS, 'AK clone' and a few other types.
 
AK

The SKS is a turn off for me. To long and heavy for what it is supposed to be, a carbine.

Even a "bad" AK with canted sights and awful wood, will likely run fine and do all and more you want to 100 yds or more.
 
If you are looking for a semi-auto AK, I'd look for the following features:

1.5mm quality stamped receiver

chrome lined barrel (not us-made non-chrome barrel)

traditional underfolding stock - 2 reasons: Makes gun quite compact and you'll wish you had this if/when next ban rolls around.

Quality parts set - polish parts are my choice - preferably all numbers matching and with little or no wear.

Tapco fire control parts are ok

FWIW, I feel like everyone should own at least one AK. If you can afford a Polytech, that would be the best way to go. Short of that, I'd want one with the features I've listed. Folks will tell you that there's nothing wrong with the 1mm receivers. If that is the case, then why do the Polytechs (1.6mm receivers) general fetch the highest prices?
 
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Since you're looking for a cheap AK, look at the WASRs. If acceptable to you then learn about WASR issues and pick a decent one if you're FTF. I've been more than satisfied with mine for over 4 years.

I agree with the poster above who said to use the term "assault rifle" properly. The media has brainwashed us to use it incorrectly and it's not to our benefit.

BTW, have you thought about caliber?
 
I have a Saiga (still mostly in sporter configuration, but 922r compliant with hi-cap), a Vector (traditional underfolder), and a WASR... All work, but the WASR took some futzing to make it presentable. I picked the one on the racks that looked to be best put-together, but it had hideous handguards that appeared to have been an eastern-european fencepost in a previous life. Some sanding and a lot of tung oil made it look quite a bit better. Swapped the goofy TAPCO sidefolding stock that came with it for a fixed one as well and called it good. Left the TAPCO trigger parts, it was acceptable right out of the box. My WASR TAPCO trigger is as good as my Vector, and the main reason I bought the Vector a few years previous was the decent trigger.

If you go Romanian expect it to be more of a project, but that can be ok.
 
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