AK74 or AK47

militant · November 4, 2014, 10:06 PM

I am planning on getting a new rifle. I can get an ak47 or 74 right now for similar prices. I'm looking for good accuracy, ammo availability and reliability.

Venom1956 · November 4, 2014, 10:18 PM

What AK models are you comparing? Prices may be similar but Quality might differ greatly.

militant · November 4, 2014, 10:42 PM

Bulgarian ak74 and a Century Arms NPAP ak47. Both are 499.99

bamaranger · November 5, 2014, 01:46 AM

It may be a regional thing, but the 5.45mm round is hard to find in my area, and has been for a while. The 7.62 stuff is still common.

Talking bulk steel case.

2damnold4this · November 5, 2014, 07:36 AM

I would personally rather have the AK74 but ammunition for the AK47 is easier to come by.

Mobuck · November 5, 2014, 07:57 AM

Entirely depends on which ammo you prefer. Similar parts, same operation, different hole in barrel and magazine.
Far better(more varied) ammo selection for 7.62 than for 5.45. I can't say there's an accuracy advantage between the two as it's more of an individual rifle thing than an overall "this one's better than that one".
Shooting either round through an AR proves that both rounds have adequate accuracy potential but means nothing when different rifles are involved.

Greguw · November 6, 2014, 06:31 AM

Ballistics are pretty close on the 5.45x39 to .223 . We had a good run of cheap fun 5.45x39 Russian ammo . Ak74 sales have fallen on there face .
Thanks to the ATF reclassifying 7n6 as armor piecing ... Century and all the builders that were making pistol versions of the ak74 and 47 screwed us ... ATF took care of cheap 7.62x39 years back I knew it was coming , it was just a matter of time for the ak74 round .
When your having more fun then your suppose to be having its only going to last so long .
I have both AK74 and AK47 and enjoy the 7.62x39 much better than the 5.45x39 .

Yung.gunr · November 6, 2014, 11:31 AM

Definitely the 47. Way easier to get stuff for it.
If you can personally inspect it, I would get anything as lowly as the dreaded CAI. I've seen only a few and for the lower prices they seemed definitely serviceable.

Generally I wouldn't fret to much about getting the 1.5 reciever. Not really necessary for semi auto and no grenade launching action.

TB9 · November 6, 2014, 11:32 AM

I have 4 ak's 2 Bulgarians 2 Romanians 2x-5.56x45 and 2x- 7.62x39 one is an slr106 fr and one's a ssr 85c2 the Romanians are an wasr-3 I got back in 2006 and de-banned and a wasr 10/63 uf I got in 2007 which was the last ak ive purchased I have plenty of magazines for each . all are straight tight and sighted in and im happy. and as I watch the prices of ak's and magazines and such head into the stupid sphere over the last 7 years I just shake my head and wonder, ***. not enough people voting , any way I recommend 7.62x39 HTH.

Skarekrow88 · November 6, 2014, 12:08 PM

I own an Arsenal SGL-20, AES-10B, and VZ-2008 so obviously my vote is for 7.62x39 all day everyday. 5.45x39 ammo is going to dry up and is already drying up. I really would like to own a 74 but as we all know guns cant go bang without ammo.

dontcatchmany · November 6, 2014, 02:09 PM

I have a Smith and Wesson M&P15 R in 5.45x39.

I got it originally because the 5.45 had a similar trajectory to 5.56 up to around 200 yards...ish. I was planning to get another AR in 5.56 with the 5.45 being cheap (shipped about 14 cent per round) ammo for practice (5.56 was considerably more expensive at the time).

I have about 8,000 rounds of 5.45 now with about 5,500 being 7n6 the rest is Wolf or Silver Bear

Never did get the 5.56.....yet.

I like the 5.45 and it actually is fairly accurate, but the Romanian corrosive 7n6 ammo does have some "fliers" and mis fires where the Silver Bear and Wolf does not.

The 5.45 was not intended to be long range accurate....100 ish yards and close combat, with maximum damage to human flesh targes.

Not that familiar with 7.62x39. I did carry an M14 in Vietnam with 7.62x51 and it was proven to have some range with quite a bit of destruction.

I am looking for a 5.45x39 rifle fairly cheap as a "backup" for the S&W....actually would like a "pistol" in 5.45, but that would cause a stir here and I do not intend to do that.

I have shot the 5.45 at approx 225 yards to an approximately 20"x20" steel pig and can usually hit it 8-9 times out of 10 on a calm day (not counting corrosive ammo misfires). Never have looked at the pig to see the damage and do not know what damage it would do at a closer range.

I am left handed and have a completely replaced left shoulder. The recoil of the 5.45 is very tolerable unless I shoot 500ish rounds on a given session.

When the ammo runs out?....well I ain't thought about that yet. Heck I might hold on to the 7n6 and sell it later for much more that I paid for it

dakota.potts · November 6, 2014, 05:08 PM

We have Monarch 5.45 ammo at Academy, $9.99/30 rounds. It's Prvi made in Serbia and I don't see that going away. However, steel case 7.62 is still cheaper

Mrgunsngear · November 6, 2014, 05:22 PM

IMO, unless barrier penetration is a priority there's not a lot of benefits to the 47. 74 is lighter, less recoil, performs better in soft tissue, is more accurate, and shoots flatter.

Brotherbadger · November 7, 2014, 03:17 AM

Quote:

Bulgarian ak74 and a Century Arms NPAP ak47. Both are 499.99

I'd rather have the NPAP. Easier to find ammo, and it's cheaper. Also depends on what your plans for it are.

silvermane_1 · November 7, 2014, 06:02 AM

mlitant, the answer is simple, get both.

2damnold4this · November 7, 2014, 07:31 AM

Quote:

IMO, unless barrier penetration is a priority there's not a lot of benefits to the 47. 74 is lighter, less recoil, performs better in soft tissue, is more accurate, and shoots flatter.

Maybe Mrgunsngear could do a side by side comparison which included some of your ballistic jell tests.

militant · November 7, 2014, 09:23 AM

I chose the AK 47 NPAP. Ammo availability was the main reason.

Hairbag · November 7, 2014, 11:27 PM

I have both and i like my AK74 much better than my 47 and my AR15!

SaveAmerica · November 11, 2014, 12:28 AM

Get the NPAP, 7.62x39 is a nice round and easier to find now than 5.45. Also, the 5.45 is close to the AR's 5.56 round while the 7.62x39 gives more punch.

ar15usa · November 16, 2014, 09:43 AM

AK74 is more fun to shoot

Ignition Override · November 17, 2014, 01:43 AM

Have you read a bit about the Czech Vz-58? It uses the same 7.62x39. I've only noticed one at Memphis/Jackson TN gun shows over the last six years.
For those who are unaware, at first glance it looks like an AK, but in reality is a very different gun. And they have milled parts with a BHO device.

The assembled guns cost a fair bit more than the common WASR, but plenty of guys/gals prefer the Vz-58. Magazines are Not interchangeable.

For quick visual evaluations, Youtube: "Hickok45" video "Vz58 vs. AK-47".
And Youtube: "Military Arms Channel", "Vz-58".

kawasakifreak77 · November 18, 2014, 05:42 AM

I got me a WASR in 7.62 for my first AK & I FREAKING LOVE IT. All I've done is put in a tritium front sight, magpul grip & added an Arsenal sling, nice & simple. Now I just shoot it a lot, ammo is everywhere & it's cheap! In all honesty I get about 3" groups with it at 100m, plenty accurate for a plinker. I have accurate rifles for precision work.

I also traded into a sealed crate of 7n6 but cannot find a '74 locally to save my life! The local fun store has stacks of Silver Bear iirc so if I can ever find a rifle, I'll burn that up for practice.

I've almost convinced myself to buy an 80% AR lower & the specific 5.45 parts since I've a friend that has built a couple nice ARs. I don't even like ARs but.. The only thing I don't like about the WASR is the lack of BHO & the funky safety, but I'm getting accustomed to it. The AR would solve these problems but it almost seems like sacrilege!

deadcoyote · November 21, 2014, 05:09 PM

I have an AR and a 7.62 AK (NPAP). I love em both, but wanted the bigger round in the AK. Additionally, like many here you can buy 7.62x39 at any shop in my county and I've never seen the 5.45x39 available. If you really prefer an AK and want the smaller round with the flatter trajectory I believe you can buy the Yugo PAP series rifles in 5.56 now with an adaptor so it takes AR magazines. It'll run you $100 more than a standard PAP rifle, but you'll have AK reliability with easy to find .223/5.56 ammo and AR mags.

November 4, 2014, 10:06 PM	#1
militant Senior Member Join Date: August 12, 2012 Location: USA Posts: 519	AK74 or AK47 I am planning on getting a new rifle. I can get an ak47 or 74 right now for similar prices. I'm looking for good accuracy, ammo availability and reliability. __________________ A hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44

November 4, 2014, 10:18 PM	#2
Venom1956 Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2008 Location: WI Posts: 3,656	What AK models are you comparing? Prices may be similar but Quality might differ greatly. __________________ E-Shock rounds are engineered to expend maximum energy into soft targets, turning the density mass into an expanding rotational cone of NyTrilium matrix particles, causing neurological collapse to the central nervous system.- Yeah I can do that. I guarantee you will know it if a bicyclist hits your house going 1000 mph. -Smaug

November 4, 2014, 10:42 PM	#3
militant Senior Member Join Date: August 12, 2012 Location: USA Posts: 519	Bulgarian ak74 and a Century Arms NPAP ak47. Both are 499.99 __________________ A hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44

November 5, 2014, 01:46 AM	#4
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,303	ammo It may be a regional thing, but the 5.45mm round is hard to find in my area, and has been for a while. The 7.62 stuff is still common. Talking bulk steel case.

November 6, 2014, 11:32 AM	#9
TB9 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2013 Location: N.H Posts: 120	I have 4 ak's 2 Bulgarians 2 Romanians 2x-5.56x45 and 2x- 7.62x39 one is an slr106 fr and one's a ssr 85c2 the Romanians are an wasr-3 I got back in 2006 and de-banned and a wasr 10/63 uf I got in 2007 which was the last ak ive purchased I have plenty of magazines for each . all are straight tight and sighted in and im happy. and as I watch the prices of ak's and magazines and such head into the stupid sphere over the last 7 years I just shake my head and wonder, ***. not enough people voting , any way I recommend 7.62x39 HTH. __________________ Why thats... Brilliant ! now go lay down by youre dish and shut up .

November 5, 2014, 07:36 AM	#5
2damnold4this Senior Member Join Date: August 12, 2009 Location: Athens, Georgia Posts: 2,526	I would personally rather have the AK74 but ammunition for the AK47 is easier to come by.

November 5, 2014, 07:57 AM	#6
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	Entirely depends on which ammo you prefer. Similar parts, same operation, different hole in barrel and magazine. Far better(more varied) ammo selection for 7.62 than for 5.45. I can't say there's an accuracy advantage between the two as it's more of an individual rifle thing than an overall "this one's better than that one". Shooting either round through an AR proves that both rounds have adequate accuracy potential but means nothing when different rifles are involved.

November 6, 2014, 06:31 AM	#7
Greguw Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2006 Location: Bucks County , Pa Posts: 519	Ballistics are pretty close on the 5.45x39 to .223 . We had a good run of cheap fun 5.45x39 Russian ammo . Ak74 sales have fallen on there face . Thanks to the ATF reclassifying 7n6 as armor piecing ... Century and all the builders that were making pistol versions of the ak74 and 47 screwed us ... ATF took care of cheap 7.62x39 years back I knew it was coming , it was just a matter of time for the ak74 round . When your having more fun then your suppose to be having its only going to last so long . I have both AK74 and AK47 and enjoy the 7.62x39 much better than the 5.45x39 .

November 6, 2014, 11:31 AM	#8
Yung.gunr Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2010 Location: Phoenix area Posts: 1,442	Definitely the 47. Way easier to get stuff for it. If you can personally inspect it, I would get anything as lowly as the dreaded CAI. I've seen only a few and for the lower prices they seemed definitely serviceable. Generally I wouldn't fret to much about getting the 1.5 reciever. Not really necessary for semi auto and no grenade launching action.

November 6, 2014, 12:08 PM	#10
Skarekrow88 Senior Member Join Date: March 26, 2013 Location: Alabama Posts: 332	I own an Arsenal SGL-20, AES-10B, and VZ-2008 so obviously my vote is for 7.62x39 all day everyday. 5.45x39 ammo is going to dry up and is already drying up. I really would like to own a 74 but as we all know guns cant go bang without ammo. __________________ "A life fought for others is a life worth living"

November 6, 2014, 02:09 PM	#11
dontcatchmany Senior Member Join Date: July 19, 2010 Posts: 460	I have a Smith and Wesson M&P15 R in 5.45x39. I got it originally because the 5.45 had a similar trajectory to 5.56 up to around 200 yards...ish. I was planning to get another AR in 5.56 with the 5.45 being cheap (shipped about 14 cent per round) ammo for practice (5.56 was considerably more expensive at the time). I have about 8,000 rounds of 5.45 now with about 5,500 being 7n6 the rest is Wolf or Silver Bear Never did get the 5.56.....yet. I like the 5.45 and it actually is fairly accurate, but the Romanian corrosive 7n6 ammo does have some "fliers" and mis fires where the Silver Bear and Wolf does not. The 5.45 was not intended to be long range accurate....100 ish yards and close combat, with maximum damage to human flesh targes. Not that familiar with 7.62x39. I did carry an M14 in Vietnam with 7.62x51 and it was proven to have some range with quite a bit of destruction. I am looking for a 5.45x39 rifle fairly cheap as a "backup" for the S&W....actually would like a "pistol" in 5.45, but that would cause a stir here and I do not intend to do that. I have shot the 5.45 at approx 225 yards to an approximately 20"x20" steel pig and can usually hit it 8-9 times out of 10 on a calm day (not counting corrosive ammo misfires). Never have looked at the pig to see the damage and do not know what damage it would do at a closer range. I am left handed and have a completely replaced left shoulder. The recoil of the 5.45 is very tolerable unless I shoot 500ish rounds on a given session. When the ammo runs out?....well I ain't thought about that yet. Heck I might hold on to the 7n6 and sell it later for much more that I paid for it

November 6, 2014, 05:08 PM	#12
dakota.potts Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Location: Keystone Heights, Florida Posts: 3,084	We have Monarch 5.45 ammo at Academy, $9.99/30 rounds. It's Prvi made in Serbia and I don't see that going away. However, steel case 7.62 is still cheaper __________________ Certified Gunsmith (On Hiatus) Certified Armorer - H&K and Glock Among Others You can find my writings at my website, pottsprecision.com.

November 6, 2014, 05:22 PM	#13
Mrgunsngear Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2011 Location: Carolina Posts: 3,415	IMO, unless barrier penetration is a priority there's not a lot of benefits to the 47. 74 is lighter, less recoil, performs better in soft tissue, is more accurate, and shoots flatter. __________________ Mrgunsngear Youtube Channel

November 7, 2014, 06:02 AM	#15
silvermane_1 Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2011 Location: Burien,WA Posts: 897	mlitant, the answer is simple, get both. __________________ Rugers:SR1911 CMD,MK 3 .22lr 6",Sec. Six '76 liberty .357 4",SRH .480 Ruger 7.5",Mini-14 188 5.56/.233 18.5", Marlins: 795 .22lr 16.5",30aw 30-30 20",Mossberg:Mav. 88 Tact. 12 ga, 18.5",ATR 100 .270 Win. 22",S&W:SW9VE 9mm 4",Springfield:XD .357sig 4", AKs:CAI PSL-54C, WASR 10/63, WW74,SLR-106c

November 7, 2014, 09:23 AM	#17
militant Senior Member Join Date: August 12, 2012 Location: USA Posts: 519	I chose the AK 47 NPAP. Ammo availability was the main reason. __________________ A hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44

November 7, 2014, 11:27 PM	#18
Hairbag Senior Member Join Date: October 22, 2010 Posts: 449	I have both and i like my AK74 much better than my 47 and my AR15! __________________ I'm hairbag and I approve this message.

November 11, 2014, 12:28 AM	#19
SaveAmerica Member Join Date: October 2, 2009 Posts: 20	Get the NPAP, 7.62x39 is a nice round and easier to find now than 5.45. Also, the 5.45 is close to the AR's 5.56 round while the 7.62x39 gives more punch.

November 16, 2014, 09:43 AM	#20
ar15usa Member Join Date: January 5, 2001 Posts: 26	AK74 is more fun to shoot __________________ ss

November 17, 2014, 01:43 AM	#21
Ignition Override Senior Member Join Date: February 18, 2008 Location: About 20 nm from the Big Muddy Posts: 2,884	Have you read a bit about the Czech Vz-58? It uses the same 7.62x39. I've only noticed one at Memphis/Jackson TN gun shows over the last six years. For those who are unaware, at first glance it looks like an AK, but in reality is a very different gun. And they have milled parts with a BHO device. The assembled guns cost a fair bit more than the common WASR, but plenty of guys/gals prefer the Vz-58. Magazines are Not interchangeable. For quick visual evaluations, Youtube: "Hickok45" video "Vz58 vs. AK-47". And Youtube: "Military Arms Channel", "Vz-58".

November 18, 2014, 05:42 AM	#22
kawasakifreak77 Senior Member Join Date: December 16, 2007 Location: St. John, Ks. Posts: 267	I got me a WASR in 7.62 for my first AK & I FREAKING LOVE IT. All I've done is put in a tritium front sight, magpul grip & added an Arsenal sling, nice & simple. Now I just shoot it a lot, ammo is everywhere & it's cheap! In all honesty I get about 3" groups with it at 100m, plenty accurate for a plinker. I have accurate rifles for precision work. I also traded into a sealed crate of 7n6 but cannot find a '74 locally to save my life! The local fun store has stacks of Silver Bear iirc so if I can ever find a rifle, I'll burn that up for practice. I've almost convinced myself to buy an 80% AR lower & the specific 5.45 parts since I've a friend that has built a couple nice ARs. I don't even like ARs but.. The only thing I don't like about the WASR is the lack of BHO & the funky safety, but I'm getting accustomed to it. The AR would solve these problems but it almost seems like sacrilege! __________________ Looking for oddball ammo. Tracers, AP, whatcha got?

November 21, 2014, 05:09 PM	#23
deadcoyote Senior Member Join Date: April 13, 2009 Location: northern CA Posts: 674	I have an AR and a 7.62 AK (NPAP). I love em both, but wanted the bigger round in the AK. Additionally, like many here you can buy 7.62x39 at any shop in my county and I've never seen the 5.45x39 available. If you really prefer an AK and want the smaller round with the flatter trajectory I believe you can buy the Yugo PAP series rifles in 5.56 now with an adaptor so it takes AR magazines. It'll run you $100 more than a standard PAP rifle, but you'll have AK reliability with easy to find .223/5.56 ammo and AR mags.