RetiredMajor
New member
Tacos are cheaper in Mexico than here.....so avoid tacos, you're paying too much.
picking out my first AK-47
- Thread starter chaffinyo
- Start date
I have a Vepr AK in 762x39, it is my favorite, and two Arsenal milled receiver AK's,, with a scope and quality ammo,,like Lapua,,you can get 2 MOA at 100 yards. These are expensive AK's at $800 to over a grand on Gunbroker even back when I bought them. However you will have just as much fun with a $400 AK.
I would probably go with 762x39,,,I do not like corrosive ammo and do not clean my guns every time I use them,,and prefer not to worry about them,,however if you could get non corrosive ammo for the AK74 I would buy one. The Saiga AK's from K-VAR seem like the best deal to me.
I would probably go with 762x39,,,I do not like corrosive ammo and do not clean my guns every time I use them,,and prefer not to worry about them,,however if you could get non corrosive ammo for the AK74 I would buy one. The Saiga AK's from K-VAR seem like the best deal to me.
I'm not saying to avoid them, I'm just saying that I wouldn't buy one. Like I said, I'm sure that they're amazing guns, but at the end of the day it's just a Russian receiver with American parts(if it's legal). It's like paying $1,000,000 for a Toyota Corolla with a McLaren F1 body on it. The WASRs go for about $500, probably cost about $100 to make, and then someone puts it together better and charges $1,000. It's like legal drug dealing. I wish I made $250 an hour.
Market forces can be very strange. Politics drives AK prices as much as simple supply and demand. The requirements to disassemble a perfectly good weapon and replace dozens of parts with US made ones probably drives up the costs.
Yes, I would feel a little exploited if I bought a $1000 AK made from 30 year old recycled spare parts from old Romanian military depots (WASR-10) but fortunately the current market price is $500. I think they were a little bit cheaper before our current President took office. During the early Obama scare in late 2008, you could not find an AK on the store shelf, and those that were present were marked up hundreds of dollars.
Currently, the nicer AK's are made from milled receivers vs stamped pressed metal or are build using RPK receivers (a squad automatic weapon in 7.62x39) like the VEPR (I think, I have never seen one). They may deliver slightly better accuracy than the Century WASR-10 but I bet the WASR is just as reliable and gives most folks the same enjoyment spewing out cheap imported Commie surplus ammo.
The AK was designed as a weapon for illiterate peasants. It was expected to work in the most extreme climate with little maintenance. Reliability, simplicity, AND being dirt cheap to make has been its greatest asset throughout the last half century. Expecting great accuracy from an AK is like expecting to win the the Indy 500 in a Toyota Scion.
Yes, you can certainly spend a lot of money buying expensive AKs and attempt to achieve better utility and accuracy through extensive modification. However, I find those that do this someonewhat similar to those that buy a cheap used subcompact Honda Civic and spend thousands in upgrades like loud mufflers, expensive wheels, and plastic wings. Value is in the eye of beholder or at least the one who pays the bills.
You are probably better off starting with a more accurate platform like the AR if you care a lot about accuracy and ergonomics. I would enjoy an AK for what it is, a noise maker with a infamous reputution that should put a smile on your face after a couple of magazine dumps.
Yes, I would feel a little exploited if I bought a $1000 AK made from 30 year old recycled spare parts from old Romanian military depots (WASR-10) but fortunately the current market price is $500. I think they were a little bit cheaper before our current President took office. During the early Obama scare in late 2008, you could not find an AK on the store shelf, and those that were present were marked up hundreds of dollars.
Currently, the nicer AK's are made from milled receivers vs stamped pressed metal or are build using RPK receivers (a squad automatic weapon in 7.62x39) like the VEPR (I think, I have never seen one). They may deliver slightly better accuracy than the Century WASR-10 but I bet the WASR is just as reliable and gives most folks the same enjoyment spewing out cheap imported Commie surplus ammo.
The AK was designed as a weapon for illiterate peasants. It was expected to work in the most extreme climate with little maintenance. Reliability, simplicity, AND being dirt cheap to make has been its greatest asset throughout the last half century. Expecting great accuracy from an AK is like expecting to win the the Indy 500 in a Toyota Scion.
Yes, you can certainly spend a lot of money buying expensive AKs and attempt to achieve better utility and accuracy through extensive modification. However, I find those that do this someonewhat similar to those that buy a cheap used subcompact Honda Civic and spend thousands in upgrades like loud mufflers, expensive wheels, and plastic wings. Value is in the eye of beholder or at least the one who pays the bills.
You are probably better off starting with a more accurate platform like the AR if you care a lot about accuracy and ergonomics. I would enjoy an AK for what it is, a noise maker with a infamous reputution that should put a smile on your face after a couple of magazine dumps.
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@Flakbait - I completely agree with you.
I'm sure that companies aren't THAT greedy that they mark up the prices of AKs close to 10 times what they should be. I think the scare of an eminent assault weapons ban combined with the desire of some people to have "the best" is what causes the prices to be so high. If everyone said screw off, we won't pay more then $500 for your $300 rifle then I'm sure the price would be adjusted accordingly. I can't blame them, if I could sell $0.75 sodas for $7.50 I would too.
I think that the AK platform is one of the few that the "you get what you pay for" motto applies more vaguely. Sure it will be prettier and it will have that cool name that everyone wants stamped on their receiver, and the magazines will fit better, but it's still an AK and it's not meant to be a precision machine. Like you said, if he's looking for accuracy he should be getting an AR. If he wants an awesome rifle that scares the crap out of old politicians, makes a lot of noise, and sends lead where he wants it then he can't go wrong with an AK, be it a Vepr or WASR-10 so long as they all work as intended.
I'm sure that companies aren't THAT greedy that they mark up the prices of AKs close to 10 times what they should be. I think the scare of an eminent assault weapons ban combined with the desire of some people to have "the best" is what causes the prices to be so high. If everyone said screw off, we won't pay more then $500 for your $300 rifle then I'm sure the price would be adjusted accordingly. I can't blame them, if I could sell $0.75 sodas for $7.50 I would too.
I think that the AK platform is one of the few that the "you get what you pay for" motto applies more vaguely. Sure it will be prettier and it will have that cool name that everyone wants stamped on their receiver, and the magazines will fit better, but it's still an AK and it's not meant to be a precision machine. Like you said, if he's looking for accuracy he should be getting an AR. If he wants an awesome rifle that scares the crap out of old politicians, makes a lot of noise, and sends lead where he wants it then he can't go wrong with an AK, be it a Vepr or WASR-10 so long as they all work as intended.
TheFineLine
New member
Bundy's and Bait's comments +1
In the 80's I bought a Norinco under folder for $300 brand new. Luke a dumba$$ I sold it before the ban. A few years ago I bought a Yugo M70 under folder for a little more than four hundred. At the time is was one of the best bangs for your buck on AKs. Better quality than the Romanians that seem to dominate the gun stores in my area. Others here may be more knowledgable on AKs and can correct me, but look into the Yugo AKs.
My Yugo below my son's mini-14
My Yugo below my son's mini-14
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Yeah the Yugo AKs are considered really good. Unfortunately(not for you...) they are right around $800 now. That's for an unissued parts kit version, but still, I'm sure that you did very well. If you wanted to you could probably sell that one for ~$750. So don't feel too bad about selling the Norinco one lol ...