school me on the AK please

[k511]

been interested in the AK platform for a while now and thinking about getting myself one for the holiday just cause...stopped by the local shop today and he had a century international arms, and a yugo with a coonan reciever....the CIA had the wood furniture and the coonan had some aftermarket plastic...anyhow not knowing a much about the AK-47 Ive come here to start my learning....what are the basics im looking for in a decent AK? and are these makers any good? thanks for any and all info in advance

[Aaron1100us]

I just recently bought an AK. Do you care abouy accuracy, build quality, how it looks? The WASR10's I hear are reliable but aren't made the best, loose tolerances and the receivers are stamped, not milled.

I decided on an Arsenal SLR101 with a Bulgarian milled receiver and chrome lined barrel. Supposed to be accurate and should last forever and then some.

Buy I'm pretty sure all AK's are dependable and will last for a long time.



Sent from my PB99400 using Tapatalk 2

[k511]

yea....i dont buy junk, more than willing to pay for a quality firearm....also looking at the draco pistols now....

[TXAZ]

Polytech from China makes some of the best, also $$$

[Mrgunsngear]

What do you want to do with it?

[Hairbag]

Davidsons online has the Arsenal AK 47 solid milled receiver in stock grab one while you can great AK's

[chris in va]

Having owned an AK for a few years, skip it and look at a VZ 58.

[Carne Frio]

I have Norinco, Polytech and Arsenal and am very happy with them.
If I was to get an AK now, it would be another Arsenal. Quality

[Fox84]

I have Wasrs, Saigas and Veprs. They all shoot well everytime I pull the trigger. Even my Wasr3 .223 runs flawless with the right mags. I like them all

[Yung.gunr]

I agree with Chris, at least look into the VZ58 as part of your decision process. I only have a converted Saiga, which I love, but, if you have the $$ for an Arsenal you ought to at least look at the the VZ.

Here is a video one of our guys posted recently about his VZ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsZEaABt1tM

[Hairbag]

I had a CZ VZ58 and sold it (sorry now) but good luck in finding one. Century is making a VZ clone but i'm not a big fan of Century so.... but alot of folks love em. If your going VZ58 look for the original CZ technic? spelling? but be prepared to spend some$$$$ truth be told i think the arsenal is just as good with a chrome lined barrel to boot. It would'nt hurt my feelings having a VZ58 rock solid guns and light too! The VZ58 and Arsenal are good choices but not cheap anymore.

[Quentin2]

It really comes down to your application and budget. I bought a WASR five years ago and it never gives me problems. To me it makes sense to buy low on the AK and buy quality with most other firearms. The AK is a rough and tumble creature so why not go with the LCD. (least common denominator) Now an AR, well I'd throw a grand at an upscale version.

I would give the WASR a close inspection or have a knowledgeable friend do so. I cherry picked mine from a bunch the vendor had a a gun show. I've done some upgrades but nothing was needed to improve reliability.

[1 old 0311-1]

In the last 20+ years I have owned 15-20 including SAR 1's, WASR's, Yugos, Chinese, Arsenal, Egyptian, and Russian. All were 100% EXCEPT the big bucks Arsenal. It was junk.
The WASR will be the cheapest, as the price goes up from there, you just get 'bling' NOT more reliability.
Stick with eastern European metal mags, $12-$14 from a lot of places, CDNN, Cheaper than Dirt, etc.

[AKsRul.e]

The Days of NIB $300 AKs are long OVER.

You get what you pay for.

Century Romanian AKs at $500 are the lowest priced gun around. That Yugo with a coonan receiver is a parts gun.

Be prepared to spend $700 + msrp on a nib quality rifle.

The Arsenal AKs start about there.

[JohnKSa]

The VEPRs are nice, but you'll have to be careful to make sure that it will take standard AK mags or be willing to use the proprietary mags.

If you can find one, the Hungarian SA-85M rifles are very good quality. I had a couple of milled Bulgarians and sold them after I got my SA-85M.

[Captain H]

Arsenals start at $900 here in the Houston TX area. WASRs start at $500.

I have a Romanian SAR-1 (similar to WASR build quality, pre WASR rifle)and had an Arsenal SA M-7 Carbine (milled reciever). The Arsenal is a beautiful rifle and is the gem of the AK world. The fit and finish is like any US made firearm. With that said, my SAR-1 is just as accurate and reliable. I did have to install a newer Tapco G2 trigger group to the SAR-1 to remedy trigger slap, but the WASRs already have that trigger group so no problem. My SAR-1 is my go to rifle that I will never sell. I ended up selling the Arsenal because it was redundant.

If I was in your shoes buying a new first AK right now, I would shoot for one of Centurys PAP polish AKs ($750ish).

If you have the cash to buy an Arsenal, but the performance will not be different than the lower priced guns IMO. They will be prettier though.

[tahunua001]

I owned a century WASR 10/63(romanian AK47). I sold it for a number of reasons.

1. price: I bought it during obama scare 2009 when everyone was convinced that the newly elected president was goign to bring back the gun ban. demand soared and so did the prices. I spent 800 dollars on a rifle that was worth less than 500 at the time, I sold it 6 months ago for $600 and once again I see similar rifles going for the same price.

2. ammo availability/price: I purchased the AK47 to augment my personal defense guns due to the large supply of surplus 7.62x39mm ammunition and the ease it was to stockpile. however over the course of the last 3 years the demand has only risen while the supply of ammo has only dwindled. surplus 7.62x39mm is now nearly the same price as 5.56x45mm only it is all corrosive for the most part and modern production 7.62x39 is not nearly the same quality as modern 5.56 in terms of reloadability, reliability, accuracy or consistency.

3. ergonomics: I tried for 3 years to like that gun. I fired close to 2,000 rounds from that gun. when compared to a modern plinking rifle like the ruger 10/22 then the AK is a fine specimen however when compared to paramilitary platforms it is quite lacking and in some cases temperamental. for instance my particular AK had a canted front sight post and a very loose magazine well(both common among century AKs). the magazine well was so loose that the rifle would jam quite consistently(almost 50% of the time) unless modern polymer magazines were used, surplus steel mags were a no go). when I got tired of trying to adapt to the iron sights I mounted a red dot on it however the height of the red dot did not allow for a good cheek weld. after many different attempts at wrapping the stock in paracord to give a higher cheek weld I finally gave up and switched back to iron sights.

furthermore is tactical use. I can hold an AR15 and without removing my firing hand from the gun or losing sight picture I can reload, unload, engage/disengage safety and cycle the bolt. this can be accomplished by both right and left handed shooters(though it takes more practice with lefties). on the other hand the AK47 having it's charging handle on the right, the safety on the right and a bottom mounted magazine release rather than side mounted means that there is no way to accomplish all of these functions without giving up sight picture.

I wanted desperately to like the AK platform however in the end I only developed a distaste for it. I am an AR15 man all the way and in my eyes there are few, if any paramilitary designs out there, antique or modern that are better for a self defense/home defense rifle. I recognize that the AK47 was a good battle rifle during the cold war that certainly left it's mark on world history however I find little practical application for them as a modern sport rifle when the ar15 is:
cheaper to buy
cheaper to shoot
more ergonomic/adaptable
easier to find parts for(online and locally)
and modern production.
there are a finite number of AKs out there. the only modern production AK that I am aware of is the century centurian rifle and they are not being cranked out very fast.

[Ignition Override]

chris in va and Yung.gunr beat me to it.

Even "Sturmgewehr" and "hickok 45" demonstrate the Vz-58 on their Youtube channels.
"hickok45" actually disassembled both his WASR and his Vz side-by-side. The Vz is not only milled, but has the bho feature.

I'm hoping that "faliaphotography" also acquires a Vz-58 and demonstrates it on her gun channel.

[navajo]

Another vote for the Czechpoint 58. Outstand firearm. Two years, two thousand rounds with out a hiccup.

[Mefford]

Saw your post, just joined the line, like to put my two cents in... I have a Romanian stamped 47 that I have beat like a rented mule. Kept it in the boat back home during fish runs, never cleaned it till I came down here, Never accurate at 175 yds, usually accurate @ 100-150. Eats anything, without complaint, always trustworthy. In my opinion, if you are looking for a guaranteed thing to carry into the bush, you take your AK. I own ARs and AKs, and if I could only carry one for the rest of my days, I'd take the AK hands down. Hope this doesn't ruffle any feathers, just one redneck spouting off

[k511]

think im going to go with the saiga and have my smith tune it up for me...