AR vs AK vs SIG

[Irish B]

So ive come into a bit of extra money and it's time to buy an assault rifle. My goals are to make this gun for home defense and for planning. So I plan to add a light, laser, red dot, and foregrip as well as adjustable stock. It's always been between ar and ak for me until two weeks ago when I shot a friends sig 556 and fell in love with it. The ak is the cheapest, so I can buy lots of tacticool stuff and tons of ammo which means lots of practice. The ar is moderately priced but around here 5.56 ammo is cheaper than 7.62. The sig is the most expensive but it feels so good to shoot. Only problem is the sig hates and jams on cheap ammo. Help me choose! Please defend your choice. . .

[RT]

The AR will be the easiest to customize. Additionally, the ergos of an Ak leave something to be desired.

[Wahoo95]

AR all day and any day. Its a more modular platform with many more options to better fit your needs. Additionally, its a more ergonomic design with light recoil which makes it easier to shoot fast and accurate.

The AK is nice but crude and the ergonomics suck. Add the heavier recoil and you get a rifle that's harder to shoot fast and accurate. Not saying it can't be done, just saying its much more difficult to run an AK as fast as an AR.

The Sig is front heavy ....well its just plain heavy. It lacks any modularity and depending on the model you may be bard pressed to get it set up properly with a sling. I have helped at least 4 guys sell their Sig 556's after they ran them through a Carbine class.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[Jo6pak]

So I plan to add a light, laser, red dot, and foregrip as well as adjustable stock

This sentence makes the decision for you.

AR

[Strafer Gott]

M4 is in your future, with some quad rail to mount your stuff on. It costs a lot more in weight penalty to put a luggage rack on a Sig. An optic is enough on a Sig. The extras bring an M4 up to weight, and add to it. The weight penalty
isn't worth it in the tradeoff on a Sig. With the AK, you don't need the optic, or the stuff.

[Mrgunsngear]

I love ARs and AKs. I voted AK. It's just so simple/reliable/durable it's hard to argue against it. A quality MI rail will cost around $100 and will allow you customize it however you want. A MAKO stock is $60 and is extremely durable (the Israeli Army uses them on their duty Galils) as hell. If you get a WASR (great AK as long as it's properly assembled) you're still right at $$600-700 total.

For HD, I'm not sure there's a better round than the Hornady SST 7.62x39. The terminal ballistics of that round are just NASTY. It also performs well in drywall testing.

The SIG has had reliability issues in my experience. I'd stay away until they fix that.

Again, I love ARs and have one on one side of my bed; AK on the other. It really is a flip a coin decision here.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l178/tiffani33/Guns/IMAG1025.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l178/tiffani33/Guns/IMAG0908.jpg

[Mark In Texas]

You are assuming your AK would be 7.62. Look at AK-74s. Cheap and effective ammo and a reliable platform. That said, I personally think that AKs with optics, lights and lasers look weird and unwieldy. I have Tapco Galil style firniture on mine and thats as far as i could go. i tried an optical sight but was never happy with it as it was on the receiver dust cover and it mover around a little.

So that rifle is being sold. i have my new AR and an Eotech to go with it. yeah, ammo costs more and the file cost more, but after the cost of the rifle the rest is marginal.

The AK will be in the Gun Show forum in 2 more posts:D

[RC20]

So ive come into a bit of extra money and it's time to buy an assault rifle. My goals are to make this gun for home defense and for planning. So I plan to add a light, laser, red dot, and foregrip as well as adjustable stock. It's always been between ar and ak for me until two weeks ago when I shot a friends sig 556 and fell in love with it. The ak is the cheapest, so I can buy lots of tacticool stuff and tons of ammo which means lots of practice. The ar is moderately priced but around here 5.56 ammo is cheaper than 7.62. The sig is the most expensive but it feels so good to shoot. Only problem is the sig hates and jams on cheap ammo. Help me choose! Please defend your choice. . .

Sig jams. Hmmmm. AR or AK. I voted AK as it is a good go to.

AR if you want better accuracy though some AKs are doing good.

[Mrgunsngear]

Mark brought up a good point---5.45x39 ammo is 13 cents/round right now at most places. Tough to beat that---hence I have thousands and thousands of rounds in my stash! :D

The AK 74 is a great option as well...
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l178/tiffani33/Guns/DSC01382.jpg

[Destructo6]

If you don't yet have an AR, I'd go with that. Buy a quality version or you risk the experience being tainted, not by poor design but by poor execution.

SIG jams? Really? Mine has never failed. Might be a problem with that particular gun. Anyway, it would not be incorrect to think of the SIG 556 as a highly refined AK: the operating system of an AK and the control placement of an AR.

The early versions, with the Ar style collapsible stocks, are probably a little more customizable that the "Classic" version. All in all, there isn't as much available for them as an AR, not by a mile. Of course, if what you want is, indeed available, then should you be worried about what isn't available?

Buy a good quality red dot. Again, bad quality will probably leave a bad taste in you mouth regarding red dots. If you can't afford the good stuff, stick with irons until you can.

Add a laser last, if at all.

[Father Time]

If your going to add a bunch of acsessories to your rifle then the AR is the way to go...

The AK is great but unless your looking to keep it simple then its not the rifle for you.

The SIG is.... well its not the same rifle that they get over in Europe lets just say that. There have been numerouse reports of poor quality control and workmanship that lead to reliability issues.
I've only handled two but they where a mess inside.


And BTW please don't call semi-automatic carbine's "assault rifles".

[armoredman]

Best of both worlds, SA vz-58 5.56mm with AR-15 magazine well adapter.. :)

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/armoredman/vz%2058%205%2056mm/withscope.jpg

Seriously, go with what fits you and your budget best, and what you want to do with it. If it just to use for "end times", and you need rugged as all get out with limited repair support, go for the AK. If you're going to use the cheaper ammo to do 3 guns matches or other fun things, a good solid AR-15 of any decent stripe will do. The SiG is just conspicuous consumption of a AR style platform. ;)

Or blow them all away and get that beauty I just posted. ;)

[BIG P]

Ilike & own both AR/AK.My choice would be the AR rifle not the carbine.
Just like the feel of the rifle better,The extra range & power dont hurt either.
You can trick them out just as easy as a carbine.

[Justice06RR]

Another vote for the AR.

You can keep it simple, lightweight, and reliable - or you can go all out and put every accessory you want on it. Ammo is just as cheap and plentyful as 7.62.

Its also great to be able to swap uppers and lowers, and change to different caliber. Ever heard of the 300Blackout? its a 7.62x35 cartridge (very similar to AK's 7.62) and completely interchangable with the AR15 platform save the barrel, for obvious reason of course.

[Auto426]

The Sig 556 is an intriguing option, but unfortunately we can only get our hands on the neutered versions produced by Sig USA. I'd love to be able to get my hands on a real Swiss version and some ammo through it, but we can't have those.

Between the AR and AK its a personal thing. They both have plenty of taticool goodies that you can buy and they will both get the job done. The AR has more ergonomic controls and the AK is typically a little more forgiving of poor maintenance. I bought an AR first, but I plan on adding an AK sometime in the future as well.

[Skans]

I am a huge Sig fan. I would buy the Sig and look for a stamped steel Swiss lower (not cheap) and have it made into a semi-auto receiver. That's the only accessory I would want on it, and for what some folks spend on rails, sights, and whatnot, I would hava a high quality Swiss rifle that is NOT just another AR-15.

[Crow Hunter]

I would hava a high quality Swiss rifle that is NOT just another AR-15.

Actually, you would have a high quality Swiss lower with a near Chinese knockoff quality upper attached to it that vaguely looks like a real Swiss upper.

:D

[loose_holster_dan]

i've got all 3.

really not a fan of ak, because i like optics and gadgets, so that's out. yeah you can trick it all out, but then it looks closer to an AR anyways.

i don't own a nice high dollar AR-15, so my sig 556 wins.

i would put the sig above any AR in the sig's price range.

the only thing i didn't like about the sig was its tendency to wear the finish off VERY QUICKLY behind the ejection.

[Irish B]

There were two sigs. They both jammed on tulammo. I'm starting to actually lean towards an AR in 7.62x51. The only thing that turns me off about the AR in 5.56, and i have used many, is the lack of punch. Some may disagree but i see .223 as very light. Not something i want to trust to take care of whatever decided to break into my house, be it two legged or four. The .308 solves that. .308 ammo is fairly inexpensive around here.

[Skans]

I'm not sure why you would prefer .308 to 7.62x39 for home defense or relatively short range use??? However, either is better than 5.56.

[Micropterus]

How about a Sig AR 7.62x39????? :)

http://www.sigsauer.com/CatalogProductDetails/sig516-russian.aspx

[Irish B]

I'm in love with that new SIG 7.62 but I've beard there are a lot of problems with them. How about a SIG .308 or 6.8. Or I could just take the extra money to a local casino, try to double it, and go for what I really want. A tricked out 6.8 ACR.

[tirod]

Home defense? A hi cap auto pistol is superior, you carry it in a holster on the premises, you have it at hand when you need it. That's why they are preferred over a carbine or shotgun.

That old cliche that a pistol is what you have while you fight your way to a rifle? That's the point - nobody carries the rifle all day except an Infantryman in combat. Our early forebears here in American may have hung one over the fireplace, but considering the huge size of them in the day and that they were likely huddled up for warmth near it - it was at hand. Kept the powder a bit drier, too.

Nonetheless, the saber was carried, too, and a lot more often in peaceful times because of brigands and highwaymen.

So I plan to add a light, laser, red dot, and foregrip as well as adjustable stock.

Adjustable stocks on AR's don't make you a better shooter, and they don't shorten them very much for storage, but they are twice the price of fixed. ON a $ per MOA basis, or even improving the hit ratio, they basically don't return anything for the expense. Foregrip? Same. Red dot AND laser? Use one or the other, but both is expensively redundant, again, no improvement for the significant increase in cost. And - most shoots in HD are at less than 20 feet, nearly point blank range. Light? Those take a lot of practice - and not at a range, but one in a dark shoot house where you learn what works and what doesn't. That kind of training doesn't come cheap, and the prerequisite is lots of shooting and training beforehand. It's an add on to a grounded skill set already established.

Put the money in a quality AR without the toys and shoot it enough to be good with it, preferably from good instructors. Otherwise, for HD, a Glock and a quality flashlight would do as well for half the money. As for an AK or SIG, check carefully, most of the better shooters in competition who have a choice don't. There's a reason for that, they want to win, and the AR helps them do that more quickly and accurately.

Of the three, it's clearly the professional's choice.

[Art Eatman]

More than one little old lady has done just fine with a break-open 20 gauge shotgun. With that in mind, if home defense is the main deal, even an SKS would suffice. If you need more than ten rounds, you have a bunch more problem on your hands than quantity of ammo.

Planning and tactics within the home, having thought out the probable scenarios, are far more important than any particular weapon...

[Glockstar .40]

if you decide for an ak save 200$ and get an sks thats been converted to take ak mags. just as reliable and more accurate :)

[tahunua001]

I voted AR.
the AR vs AK argument was answered long ago for me and as a result I finaly gave up and sold my AK. sigs just never had a chance to enter the argument for me. poor reputations, lack of aftermarket options and nobody ever seems to carry them or spare parts, the sig 556 just never got a word in edgewise in this discussion.

once the surplus ammo dries up for aks, ARs are going to have a much stronger foot in the door as far as current production ammo goes. the demand for currently produced AK ammo will go up rapidly and the companies that do manufacture in large quantities will be ill equipped to handle to increased demand. also ARs have dozens of different caliber options to choose from while AKS for the most part only have two.

aks are not nearly as easy to work on for the home gunsmith as ars.
they aren't as easy to maintain.
they don't have nearly as many replacement parts readily available and thanks to good ole 922R every single one you get is like a toy car made with a combination of megabloks and legos, you just have to cross your fingers and hope that they fit each other close enough that you don't have to fix it every time you play with it.

economically the AR is starting to overtake the AK with 5.56 ammo holding steady and the price of rifles going down while the AK is rapidly costing more and more and ammo is getting more and ore scarce and expensive.

that's just my take on the matter. you can take it or leave it.