I have seen these for sale with US made receivers/parts to allow use of pistol grips. The price is around $250.00. Of course they appear identical to the AK-47, but in .223 instead of 7.62x39mm. Are these guns good? Are they current issue in Russia or anywhere? Are parts/mags going to be as plentiful as the AK-47. Basically, if I select an AK, which one should I buy? Thanks for your opinions.
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Opinion of AK 74 in .223?
- Thread starter Ed2000
- Start date
Ed2000,
I own one of the SAR3's, and it has been pretty good. I haven't shot it extensively, but have put a few hundred rounds through it and checked it pretty closely with no problems. The only complaint that I have is that it really dings up the brass, putting such a dent in the side that it is not reloadable. Therefore, I buy cheaper South African or Russian ammo to shoot in this rifle.
Being an AK, it is not extremely accurate (as compared to my Remington 700 or even my Bushmaster), but with the open sights it will shoot 3" to 4" at 100 yards. I am not an open sight guy, so that impressed me. I have the Kobra red dot sight that I haven't got figured out yet that should make it more accurate for me. The cheaper ammo may be part of the reason that it is not as accurate.
There have been complaints about the SAR3, that it had problems with the hammer and that magazines are hard to get. I haven't fired it enough to know if the hammer is going to be a problem; the magazines that I use I got through interarms for a reasonable price (E. German).
For the money I paid (just over $300) it was a good purchase. I don't plan on varmit shooting with it, just home defense. It seems to be a good, dependable weapon that allows me to use the same ammo as my Bushmaster if I need to.
Casey
I own one of the SAR3's, and it has been pretty good. I haven't shot it extensively, but have put a few hundred rounds through it and checked it pretty closely with no problems. The only complaint that I have is that it really dings up the brass, putting such a dent in the side that it is not reloadable. Therefore, I buy cheaper South African or Russian ammo to shoot in this rifle.
Being an AK, it is not extremely accurate (as compared to my Remington 700 or even my Bushmaster), but with the open sights it will shoot 3" to 4" at 100 yards. I am not an open sight guy, so that impressed me. I have the Kobra red dot sight that I haven't got figured out yet that should make it more accurate for me. The cheaper ammo may be part of the reason that it is not as accurate.
There have been complaints about the SAR3, that it had problems with the hammer and that magazines are hard to get. I haven't fired it enough to know if the hammer is going to be a problem; the magazines that I use I got through interarms for a reasonable price (E. German).
For the money I paid (just over $300) it was a good purchase. I don't plan on varmit shooting with it, just home defense. It seems to be a good, dependable weapon that allows me to use the same ammo as my Bushmaster if I need to.
Casey
Blue Duck357
New member
Sorry I don't have the reference book I need handy, but the Russians don't issue the .223 AK74, they use a similar but lower powered round (5.45X39?). I have seen some of these at gunshows but I understand ammo is hard to come by. Completely second hand info but I've heard these .223 AK's dont function nearly as well as the 7.62 or 5.45 rounds they were designed for.
Regards, Blue Duck
Regards, Blue Duck
Check out ak-47.net for info on all ak related matters.
The biggest complaint with chinese 223 AK's is weak firing pin springs that make the guns notoriously "double". They use a special 30 round magazine that is less curved than a 7.62 magazine , but the chienese guns can use ak74 mags if you only load 20 rounds or so.
The Romanian guns use a slightly different magazine from what i've heard/read at AK-47.net.
Good luck if that rifle takes hi-caps it sounds like a bargain.
The biggest complaint with chinese 223 AK's is weak firing pin springs that make the guns notoriously "double". They use a special 30 round magazine that is less curved than a 7.62 magazine , but the chienese guns can use ak74 mags if you only load 20 rounds or so.
The Romanian guns use a slightly different magazine from what i've heard/read at AK-47.net.
Good luck if that rifle takes hi-caps it sounds like a bargain.