An AK for the Tall Man

T

Tall Man

New member
Recently, I solicited the advice of TFL regulars in 'The Art of the Rifle' regarding 22LR rifle suggestions. Thank you for the positive and comprehensive feedback to that particular thread.

My curiousity regarding the AK-47 has also been piqued for some time now. I'm interested in owning at least one of these semi-automatic rifles, but I don't know where to begin.

It seems that there are more calibers and countries of origin for the AK series of rifles then there are days in the week.

What I'm interested in is this:

1. What are the top two caliber selections that I should consider? Reliability and ammunition availability is my concern here.

2. Which country, or countries, have a record of producing reliable AKs? Is there a particular brand that I should look for?

A search of the Web turned up a few fawining, worship-at-the-AK-altar sites, but I was hoping to get some direct and undistilled opinions from the TFL crowd.

Any questions, ask.

Thanks again!

Tall Man
 
i like the veprs...

http://www.robarm.com/main_reasons_to_buy_a_vepr.htm
MAIN REASONS TO BUY A VEPR II

The Following are reasons to choose the VEPR over any other Kalashnikov based rifle:

1.Highest Quality of Manufacture. Compare side by side with other AKs. The others cannot compare. Made from 100% newly manufactured parts.
2.Most Accurate. Consistently better groups than other AKs.
3.True RPK Receiver. Stiffer and longer wearing than any other AK receiver. Made for Soviet Squad Automatic Weapon.
4.Hammer-Forged, Chrome-Lined, Heavy Barrel. Most durable AK Barrels Made.
5.Ergonomic Stock and Pistol Grip. Permits much more controllability and comfort than standard AK Furniture. Compare side by side with standard
AKs. You'll notice that the stock is the proper length and the grip has the proper contour. Even better, the handguard doesn't get hot as fast!!! This
was buy design. Our customers have said that the VEPR feels more like an HK than an AK!!!
6.Two-Stage Trigger. Allows much better trigger control and accuracy.
Click to expand...

http://www.robarm.com/vepr 7.62x39mm new.htm
http://www.robarm.com/accuracy.htm
 
If you absolutely must have an original looking AK, then get a Bulgarian SA-93 if you want a really good milled AK.


If you are willing to get a gun that looks a bit less like what an AK is supposed to look like, then get a Robinson Vepr2. If you want cheap price per shot, get it in 7.62x39. If you want flatter trajectory and lower recoil, go with .223. If you want deer hunting as an option, check out the .308... They can be at least looked at at http://www.robarm.com/ I'm not sure where you can get them in your area though. I think they run between 5 and 6 hundred, same with the SA-93 anymore I think, even though they USED to be like 300....

Want to go on the cheap, get a SAR-1,2,or 3. They are stamped reciever Romanian guns, but they can be quite good. They are the lower end of AKs but really with a bit of polishing here and there and a good tuneup by a qualified smith, they can shoot with the best of them...
 
I'm with dZ on this one. They are the only AK47s I would ever describe as pretty. They cost more than something like a Romanian SAR1, which is the route I would go if you wanted to spend less.

Calibers:

7.62x39, good intermediate round. What the gun was made for to begin with. And under $80 per case of $1000. Mags are dirt cheap. Disadvantages: Probably not going to be as accurate as the 5.45 or .223 versions, steel core ammo is known not to be as effective at stopping as the other calibers. Personally I don't think either of those are serious problems, you don't buy an AK for MOA groups, and you aren't the military so you aren't limited to one kind of ammo. Buy some jacketed softpoints for serious use, or buy some S&B, shoot it up, and reuse the brass to load your own. This would be my choice due to the cheap mags and cheap ammo.

5.45, about $120 a case. Flatter shooting, supposed to be more effective wounding in combat. (according to the Mujahedin anyway). Have only ever shot one, and it seemed to have a lot less felt recoil. Not that the 7.62 has very much either. Those ugly orange bakelite mags are really cheap.

.223, biggest advantage is that it is super common. If you own an AR or do any reloading this would probably be the way to go. Unfortunatly the magazines cost more. I see them for around $30 as opposed to $8 or $10 for the others. According to what I've heard this is the most accurate caliber out of a Vepr, but that is second hand information.

.308, my personal favorite rifle caliber. I'm a FAL shooter. However I've never fired an AK in .308. There are a couple of Vepr's in .308, and they are supposed to be pretty nice. The downside of this is that there are no magazines availible with more than 10 rounds. The good thing about .308 is that if you can't kill it with that round you are probably in Africa hunting something with big horns or tusks! :D

These are just my opinons, so take them for what they are worth. :)
 
I am holding my VEPR II in 7.62x39 even as I type this. It is a bit on the heavy side, but the fit and finish of this gun is outstanding.
 
Thanks, guys

I'll condense your replies on to a small note page that I'll carry with me to future gun shows. This way, if I see something that interests me, I can peruse your input to determine if the product(s) before me are worthwhile.

Tall Man
 
If you have loads of cash, what you really would love is a Valmet or Galil ;) Waaaay better sights than an AK
 
the best ak...yup, if you have the money...the galil and valmet are both superior than anything else out there for easily 3 or 4 times the price...the mags are even more. i fired a valmet back when you couldn't get ammo :o and like the galil i got a chance to shoot but could never justify the price or weight of it :(

if you're like the rest of us :) and want the best "bang for the buck" i would look bulgarian(for milled) or romanian for stamped. they just look "right" and part of the fun is selecting the custom furniture.

i have the sar-1 in 7.62x39mm and the sar-2 in 5.45x39mm :D ...each cost <$300 and ammo for either is <$100/1K you can get (3) 5.45 mags for the price of (2) 7.62 mags...i sorta like the bakelite (grows on you)

the 7.62mm is the classic russian round and has more penatration and a bigger bullet. the 5.45mm is more accurate and has a "buzz-saw" effect after impact...you gotta shoot some melons to believe it. i've never handled a sar-3 (.223) one...too late to beat the CA ban...but have heard of some feeding failures, bad conversions of mags.
 
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