Any of you guys own .223 AKs? I'm asking for a friend.

Correia · November 18, 2000, 02:23 PM

Went shooting this morning with a couple of buddies, up in the mountains of N. Utah. It was probably right around 0 degress with about 10 inches of snow on the ground. One of us brought his SAR 1, another of the guys really liked it, especially with the short stock, he thought it would be a great gun for his wife. He already owns an AR that is too long for his wife to shoot well.

The question is, how is the reliability of the .223 AK, I know that the gun wasn't designed around this cartridge to start, but for those of you who own them, what do you think. He is mostly interested in having commonality of calibers, especially one that he can reload for easily.

Bam Bam · November 18, 2000, 09:01 PM

Correia,try http://www.kalashnikov.guns.ru

Zorro · November 18, 2000, 10:34 PM

I love mine combines the reliability of the AK with the easy to find .223 ammo.

Only drawback is that the Magazines are harder to find and more expensive.

Other than that they are great!

The Regular 7.62X39MM round is good too.

There was an experimental 7X39MM round that duplicated the ballistics of the 7-30 Waters BUT with an efficient Spitzer boattail bullet, too bad no one ever pursued it.

Casey · November 20, 2000, 03:52 PM

Corriea,

Yes, I own one of the SAR-3's. I use it for a housegun.

It is very dependable, despite what some of the purists in the AK forums will tell you. I think there was a problem with an inital design/manufacture, and some folks have memories like elephants.

The only problem that I have had with it is the fact that it puts a deep crease in the cases as it ejects them, which for a reloader like me is a problem. Therefore, I don't reload for this gun as I do for most of the others I own.

It is fun to shoot; not as accurate as other rifles, but if you want dependability, you pay a price. Reminds me in concept of the original .45 Colt; known for it dependablitiy but not accuracy. Light weight and simple design. It will never replace my Bushmaster or my Rem 700, but then they will never replace it either!

Casey

vitiaz · November 20, 2000, 04:54 PM

Ditto what Zorro sez...mags are tough to find(but you can
use '74 mags in a pinch). Both of mine are more accurate
than my either of my 7.62x39s.

November 18, 2000, 02:23 PM	#1
Correia Senior Member Join Date: December 3, 1998 Location: SLC Utah Posts: 3,740	Went shooting this morning with a couple of buddies, up in the mountains of N. Utah. It was probably right around 0 degress with about 10 inches of snow on the ground. One of us brought his SAR 1, another of the guys really liked it, especially with the short stock, he thought it would be a great gun for his wife. He already owns an AR that is too long for his wife to shoot well. The question is, how is the reliability of the .223 AK, I know that the gun wasn't designed around this cartridge to start, but for those of you who own them, what do you think. He is mostly interested in having commonality of calibers, especially one that he can reload for easily.

November 18, 2000, 09:01 PM	#2
Bam Bam Senior Member Join Date: April 26, 2000 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 842	Correia,try http://www.kalashnikov.guns.ru

November 18, 2000, 10:34 PM	#3
Zorro Senior Member Join Date: October 29, 2000 Posts: 1,072	I love mine combines the reliability of the AK with the easy to find .223 ammo. Only drawback is that the Magazines are harder to find and more expensive. Other than that they are great! The Regular 7.62X39MM round is good too. There was an experimental 7X39MM round that duplicated the ballistics of the 7-30 Waters BUT with an efficient Spitzer boattail bullet, too bad no one ever pursued it.

November 20, 2000, 03:52 PM	#4
Casey Senior Member Join Date: April 26, 2000 Location: Delaware, OH, USA Posts: 279	Corriea, Yes, I own one of the SAR-3's. I use it for a housegun. It is very dependable, despite what some of the purists in the AK forums will tell you. I think there was a problem with an inital design/manufacture, and some folks have memories like elephants. The only problem that I have had with it is the fact that it puts a deep crease in the cases as it ejects them, which for a reloader like me is a problem. Therefore, I don't reload for this gun as I do for most of the others I own. It is fun to shoot; not as accurate as other rifles, but if you want dependability, you pay a price. Reminds me in concept of the original .45 Colt; known for it dependablitiy but not accuracy. Light weight and simple design. It will never replace my Bushmaster or my Rem 700, but then they will never replace it either! Casey

November 20, 2000, 04:54 PM	#5
vitiaz Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2000 Posts: 158	Ditto what Zorro sez...mags are tough to find(but you can use '74 mags in a pinch). Both of mine are more accurate than my either of my 7.62x39s.