looking for a combat rifle

B

bullfrog99

New member
I own a bushmaster "shorty ak" rifle but i am concerned with long term reliability.
should i stick with what i have or get a fal or ak or something. about 800 bucks is the max i am willing to pay for it, is their a better choice than my bushie carbine?
 
I think the Bushmaster Ak shorty is an excellent chioce... I would not sell it for an AK!

However in a prolonged and dirty fire-fight an Ak will likely be more reliable after say 1000 rounds without cleaning... Of course the AR is more accurate, and the the bullet is more destructive than the 7.62x39 fmj. ( Though hollow points in this caliber are supposed to be great deer killers).

The solution? Buy a good quality AK with a pistol grip, that has scope rail, takes 30 round mags for about 310 ( minus shipping and dealers fees)! Go to aimsurplus.com!!!!
They also sell Ak mags pretty cheap and will cut you a discount on quantity ( they also have thermamold mags for your AR . Dont buy Orlite...they are bake-lite and crack!).

I dont reccomend the .223 Ak due to mag scarcity and my Russian freinds tell me the stamped steel AK's hold up better in the lower pressure 7.62 than the AK-74 type 5.45, and ammo is scarce compared to the former BUT the 5.45 is an excellent round and East German mags can be found pretty cheap so it's your call.

Hope this helps...Happy shooting!

P.S. These have beened banned and will lilkely be a good investment later on....
 
I don't think I would sell the AR to buy an AK either. If you are thinking of adding to your collection, though, I would suggest the SLR-95.

The SLR-95 is a Bulgarian AK-47. It has a milled receiver and is the most accurate of the AKs right out of the box. The beauty of an AK right now is that you can get ammo for about $80/1000 rds., 30 rd magazines are around $15 and it will even accept a 75 round drum magazine.

It will feed 7.62X39 JHP all day long without missing a beat. It will function in heat, cold, dirt, snow, ice, sand, you name it.

The drawback of the rifle is that it is not nearly as accurate as an AR. That is true of all the AKs, though.

You can usually find these rifles for around $800 or so. I've seen them for under $600 and over $900, so shop around.

------------------
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The milled receiver Bulgarian AK's are one of the better variants, and can even be coaxed down into 2 MOA with the right ammo. 30-round magazines are still reasonably cheap, save for the 75 and 100 round drums, which I saw go for well over $200 at a gunshow in Central Florida last weekend. Glad I bought my drums when I did. I have a just over 2000 rounds of handloaded 7.62x39 through my SLR-95 (keeps my Dillon RL-550 busy), and it's still ticking like a champ.

As for the AR-15 Orlite magazines, a bit of chemistry will remind the novice that they are not Bakelite, but are closer to DuPont's Zytel in construction. The older patrons of this board will readily identify Bakelite. Bakelite is a cellulose-based composition, known for its use in vintage table radio housings, CZ-52 grips, clothes iron handles, G/K-43 handguards, and the like. Orlite, Zytel, and Thermold are a good bit more modern, and more rugged, the Israeli's use the Orlite M-16 magazines with excellent results.

akscan2.jpg
 
You can buy a Century L1A1 Sporter for around 600 bucks. This is an FAL variant that does real well.
Do your shopping and you'll find a good one.

Find a good one and you wont need another rifle. Ever.
 
I like the Bushmaster AR's, they are GGGReat Rifles. But I agree with the AK as a long term-super reliable combat rifle. CDNN has a large batch of POLY-TECH AK's $429.00, which in my opinion are the best. Well, the Russian Legend is the "Best" but who can afford those.. Call CDNN before they are all gone.
 
Gewehr98,

When I was in Tzhal ( Israli army, Machne Shmonim 1997) I was told it was bake-lite...I dont have an extensive knowledge of plastics ( and most Israli's don't etheir)so you may be right about the composition.

HOWVEVER ORLITE MAGS ARE NO LONGER ISSUED TO FRONT-LINE FORCES...simply cuse' they are not as sturdy or reliable as Factory metal mags...so the Israeli's have "Reverted" to what works and dosent split at the seems.
 
7.62_VEPR.jpg
http://www.robarm.com/vepr%207.62x39mm%20new.htm

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>The VEPR II 7.62x39mm rifle is based on the same high quality RPK receiver as the standard VEPR but has been equipped with
an ergonomic buttstock, pistol grip, and handguard made from fiber reinforced nylon for better handling and greater accuracy.
The VEPR II 7.62x39mmwill accept standard AK47 magazines and Drums.

With this rifle you can have amazing accuracy and the reliability of an AK. This rifle will be available in November 2000. Contact
us at 801-355-0401 for a dealer near you.[/quote]
 
Some kind of decent AK in 7.62x39

Do a search in the archives for "Valmet" and tell me that it doesn't float to the top of the list among the AK variants.
http://www.thefiringline.com/NonCGI/Forum3/HTML/003304.html

But the arguments of AK's vs AR's will never be resolved. There must be hundreds of threads here with combat veterans swearing at or by each of these choices.

[This message has been edited by Solitar (edited November 02, 2000).]
 
I have used both in combat and I must say the Russians were right, Reliability beats Accuracy!

Go with the AK.

The AK also does not make that "made by Mattel" "GOOOIING!" sound when you fire it!

Second thing is Psychological.

IF! you ever use it you will get scared, the M-16/AR-15 really feels like a toy in that situation! NOT FUN!

The AK's weight and wood stock make you not feel so underarmed! Also the AK does not make you wonder if the action is "clean enough"! IF YOU GOT AMMO IT WILL FIRE!

Second choice would be the HK G1.
 
If you do a search on this topic you will have enough reading to get you through the winter. :)

I own a Bushmaster Dissipator, and a Century L1a1 FAL. I've shot other ARs and AKs. I've got a little experience with the M1a.

I used to be a huge proponent of the AR until I discovered all of the different ways that you they could be made to jam. Are they as reliable as an AK, probably not, but they are probably reliable enough for 99.99% of any situation you could wind up in. However there is that other .01% that can nail you.

Right now my go-to rifle is the FAL. It is heavier, but simpler. The adjustable gas system is a plus. My AR is more accurate, but it doesn't inspire as much confidence in me as it used to. With the FAL I can't carry as much ammo, but I can lob bigger bullets farther, and thats a good thing. Plus it is really easy to clean.

I have a friend with a $300 SAR 1 AK47 clone, and I think that he is starting to go toward it as his go to gun instead of his Bushmaster. It isn't nearly as accurate, but he took it out and played with it in the mud and it wouldn't quit.

These are all good guns, but they all have their pros and cons. The perfect military style gun for us civilians just doesn't exist. Yet...
 
I am going with George Hill's first response, as I am suggesting an FAL variant. Just make sure you choose one with an Imbel or Entreprise receiver and a metric pattern. They are very reliable, and mags are $7 to $10 each.

As sweet as the M96 is, there's only one source for parts at this time, and that could be a real problem if you're ever in need.
 
The M96 has all the small parts on hand and in large bins - ready to go.
You can order all the parts you like.
But I suspect you'll never need them. The M96 is built like a tank. Solid. Reliable.
Will fire EVERY TIME.
Dispite the shared magazine - the M96 is everything the M16 is not.
 
It is a wee bit heavy, George. For a shoulder arm that uses that darn weasel round. I don't think just "combat", I think combat/survival...so I want something that can fire something heavier than 70 grains OTS.
 
Then I'll suggest the HK SL8 if you want lighter.

As for the bigger round... AK is not a bad option... and Those VEPERS are the best AKs I have EVER seen. Nicely milled - not stamped.
 
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