AK-74... Best place to start... things I need to know

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Stonefly_Soldier

New member
Thinking about getting an AK74 since ammo is cheap and similar ballistically to a .223. I just want to know what to look for in the model. Mainly it's going to be a plinker. I might use it for 3 gun or something else at the local range. I also might consider a smith & wesson M&P 15r if i can find one for the right price. I plan to slowly modify and improve it as i go and i feel like dropping some money in the gun. Any suggestions of where to buy would be handy. Is the century an okay rifle or is it worth it to jump up to the arsenal or one of the various other importers.
 
I went this route... http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/storeproduct875.aspx

Better quality than Century, chrome lined barrel, but not as spendy as Arsenal. I've had mine a number of years and still really like it. The only two minor issues with mine was it came with a cleaning rod with broken tip and the roll pin they used to attach the US made gas piston walked out after a couple mags. Once spreading it out it hasn't been an issue. Overall I'd highly recommend...Fit and finish was very nice. It's just parkerized grey, I'm thinking of spraying over mine in black to give an extra layer of corrosion protection.
 
Arsenal.

They are expensive compared to some other dealers, but you get what you pay for. I own an arsenal and a wasr, and I am much happier with my arsenal. Not that my wasr is bad or anything, it has never not worked. But the Arsenal just seems to operate smoother and tighter and looks a lot nicer.
 
check out Centerfire systems http://www.myvirtualpaper.com/doc/Centerfire-Systems-Inc/centerfire_holiday_2011b/2011110301/
the surpluss 7N6 is great ammo at a cheap price,buy you will need to clean it right after ever time you use it chrome lined or not . Hot soapy water ,solvent,then oil . You must clean the piston,piston tube and bolt to avoid rust from corosive ammo . check out AIM for ammo and get a case tor starters ,it goe's fast . bulgy kits built right are great also ,Nodak Spud receivers are the best. The Old Arsenal Bulgeys were some of the best if you can find one .
 
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I have a Century AK74 which seems to be adequate for shooting human sized targets out to 200 yards.I added a scope mount that is adjustable for height above the bore so I could get the scope as low as possible.
I've found a large disparity in accuracy among available ammo and uniformly poor results from Wolf 70 grain.
This rifle is a viable plinking piece as well as useful for repelling boarders/zombies.
Compared to the S&W M&P, I have a place for the AK74 mainly because you can buy a rifle and as much ammo as you can carry for about the same $$ as just an AR upper.
 
Do you mean the "full AK conversion" as in Class III? If you have the bucks, sure, go for it.

If you mean the "swap out the parts to make it made in USA" I also say go for it. Had mine done years ago. Bought a kit from a company, brought it to my LGS, done. Don't remember the cost, but it was affordable. $100-$150 something like that.

The only thing to watch is the mags. Some models are disigned for the 10 round mags, you would have to modify the catch to take the 30s. Not sure about the law on something like that. So I just got a 30 rounder.

Great gun, The additional LOP on the kit really made the gun more comfortable to shoot. I like the '74 much better than the '47.

I never saw the point of an expensive AK platform. I have an expensive Hungarian 7.62 that's very tight and has a great finifh. My 5.45 is Romanian, crap finish, lose parts. They both shoot about the same. Again, if you have the cash and like the looks, go for it. Its your money, enjoy it. Will an expensive gun be "woth it"? That's up to you.
 
A buddy of mine shot Russian ammo through his 74 in a training class not too long ago (almost 2000 rounds), had ZERO malfs, and some really cool flames out of the end of the barrel....we've nicknamed his gun the "Flamenwerfer."
 
Converting a Saiga to pistol grip configuration is a simple do it yourself job...the details are all over at the Saiga forum.
The beauty of it is, you can buy the Saiga for about $300....shoot it while accumulating the conversion parts...then do it. Easy on the wallet that way. Myself, I focused on buying a couple cases of ammo first.
My 5.45 Saiga accepted, and functioned with, surplus poly mags without any alterations at all. Most recommend installing a bullet guide to use the surplus mags.
I have not noticed any unusual muzzle flame from mine using surplus ammo, but I am shooting outside in daylight.
 
I have the CAI AK74 clone. It is great for what I bought it for...to see if I liked the round and the platform. No problems whatsoever, so far. I have a bunch of different plastic and steel milsurp mags...they all work fine. For me it is a great entry level way to go. Next level up will be a Saiga that I convert as I go. But the CAI doe fine for a start. I probably would have started with the Saiga, if they were locally available at the time. But I got a decent trade deal on the new CAI 5.45.
 
Converting a Saiga to pistol grip configuration is a simple do it yourself job...the details are all over at the Saiga forum.
The beauty of it is, you can buy the Saiga for about $300....shoot it while accumulating the conversion parts...then do it. Easy on the wallet that way. Myself, I focused on buying a couple cases of ammo first.
My 5.45 Saiga accepted, and functioned with, surplus poly mags without any alterations at all. Most recommend installing a bullet guide to use the surplus mags.
I have not noticed any unusual muzzle flame from mine using surplus ammo, but I am shooting outside in daylight.
Click to expand...

Route I went .. sort of ...

I bought a NIB Saiga 132 for $250 at a local gun show. It is chambered in 7.62x39 and came with a 10 round mag.

I purchased this ...

http://www.dinzagarms.com/saiga_762x39/x39rtk.html

and slightly altered dirt cheap standard 30 round AK mags.

Ammo for it is very inexpensive at $0.21/round from several sources.
 
Definitely do one of two things / go with one from Centerfire Systems , i like the Polish and or Bulgarian AK74s definitely,

Or really the thing to do is Arsenal / best of the best that is a product known already for strength ruggedness and reliability etc- An Arsenal AK is an AWESOME WEAPON. And you get itself a few thousand rounds because its so cheap - Put THOSE A THOUSANDS away so you have a few stashed and you're set z!!
 
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