AK74 vs AR15(same cal)

tahunua001 · July 27, 2011, 09:16 PM

hello all,
I've been rattling around the idea of either buying an AK74 or building myself an AR15 in 5.45 soviet.
I already own an AR15 in the generic 5.56 nato and one in 9MM.
I also own a century Romanian AK47
I love my ar15s to death but if the 9mm has taught me anything it's to be wary of conversion kits for the AR15. that said, I love all three, the ak47 will shoot anything I put in it no matter how fast I squeeze the trigger but even the 9mm beats it to hell as far as accuracy goes. so I need input

if you had the choice would you prefer the AK reliability or the AR accuracy?
also if anyone has had the AR
how does it stack up for comfortableness?
I know the 762 soviet conversions dont take well to cheap ammo(FTFs, snapped extractors, ETC) how reliable are the 5.45 AR15s?

rdf.hack · July 27, 2011, 09:20 PM

The AK any day. Easier to clean, cheaper and sturdier magazines, and some can be 1MOA accurate, ask Sharpsdressedman, whose AK-74 has a 2 in group at 200 yards.

essohbe · July 27, 2011, 09:25 PM

An AK74 is going to be almost as accurate as the AR if you are used to shooting it. With a scope the difference is probably marginal so it will come down to preference. I pick the AK but to each their own. If you're used to ARs maybe give it a try but the AR 5.45 uppers have gotten some bad reviews; However, really the round was made for the 16" AK barrel (not saying it can't perform better in an AR - I'm just making a useless point

).

Just research before you buy. I think that with the abundance of corrosive 5.45 ammo the AK is easier to clean also and not worry about than an AR. Just me though. Do what thou will. The AR and the Ak are equally comfortable to me, it's really going to be your individual preference there I think.

And yeah, you have the magazine advantage with the AK.

Evil Monkey · July 27, 2011, 10:20 PM

They're both the same damn thing, rifles that shoot bullets. There's no realistic accuracy or reliability differences if you have a high quality product whether it's an AK or AR.

I find that the only difference between the two is that the ar15's selector switch is easier to use and ambidextrous, which is why I like the ar15 better.

barring that, I would just choose which ever is cheaper or play eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

EdInk · July 27, 2011, 10:33 PM

Absolutely the AK

MidwestRookie · July 27, 2011, 10:44 PM

I wish I had the extra cash to spend, because I want one of the Bulgy AK74s really really bad...

for 5.45x39 I'd definitely go AK..

brian923 · July 28, 2011, 07:28 AM

Id say ak ONLY because the mags are going to work better for that cartridge. As to the old reliability issue, if you keep an AR clean, it will run forever. You still have to clean an AK to keep it reliable. Also, id like to personally see the 2" 200 yard group shot. Is he handloading 5.45x39? I doubt surpluse in this caliber can do that. If it can, ill stop reloading my 223 and get an ak..... Im thinking not...

rdf.hack · July 28, 2011, 08:49 AM

Here: http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/i.../t-598694.html

And no, he doesn't reload.

essohbe · July 28, 2011, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Also, id like to personally see the 2" 200 yard group shot. Is he handloading 5.45x39? I doubt surpluse in this caliber can do that. If it can, ill stop reloading my 223 and get an ak..... Im thinking not...

Lol. Believe it or not, the AK74 is surprisingly accurate. I'm good for 2moa with irons @ 100yds and that's with bad eyesight too. There's no reason why anyone couldn't get as good or better, farther, with a scope.

rdf.hack · July 28, 2011, 10:24 AM

The AKM variants also can be accurate. I know a person with an AK/S Polytech who can get 2MOA at 100 yards.

Katophract · July 28, 2011, 11:58 AM

Get the rifle that's made for the round. I wouldn't get a .223 AK and I wouldn't get a 5.45 AR. True, there are good examples of each one but I don't like to gamble with my money.

Cornhusker77 · July 28, 2011, 01:23 PM

I vote AK, but then, I'm in my AK phase right now.
Last year when I was in my AR Phase I might have voted the other way.

brian923 · July 28, 2011, 04:14 PM

I may stand corrected, but i have read my fair share of internet BS. If it is true, its pretty darn good. I believe the AR to be superior in all aspects, but then again, thats just my opinion. A cool tourtur test to check out is over at danieldefense.com. its from a t.v. seties on sportsman channel. I think many will think twice about the AR platforms so calledinability to be abused and keep shooting. All this being said, i do not own an AK, and probably never will. But, i still stand by what i said eatlier and say the 74 will probably run better in the 5.45 mearly because of the curved magazins
Brian.

rdf.hack · July 28, 2011, 05:29 PM

@brian923

To each his own. And not all ARs are created equal either. A lot has to do with the magazines being of a poor design, the new STANAG compliant magazines are a whole lot better than the older ones we used previously.

That being said, I will probably never own an AR-15 or AR-10. I've had bad experiences with one in 5.56 (owned by a friend), the ergonomics were terrible (I prefer all controls on the right side and as close to the trigger, I have small hands and couldn't easily operate the safety or bolt release.) and when it jammed, I punched the FA, fired a round and had a case failure that blew the magazine out of the rifle and warped the mag well. My friend went out and bought an MSAR after he returned the gun for a refund and he has been much happier with it.

tahunua001 · July 28, 2011, 05:46 PM

not all ars are that bad. if his was your average cookie cutter ar15 then I can see your point. my ar15 I yanked the carbine handguard and standard a2 pistol grip and replaced them with a badger ordnance handguard and a hogue pistol grip. now it is without a doubt the most comfortable rifle I own. I actually would love my ak a lot more if I were to put a hogue pistol grip on it

Jo6pak · July 28, 2011, 06:10 PM

For 5.45, I'd get the AK

July 27, 2011, 09:16 PM	#1
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	AK74 vs AR15(same cal) hello all, I've been rattling around the idea of either buying an AK74 or building myself an AR15 in 5.45 soviet. I already own an AR15 in the generic 5.56 nato and one in 9MM. I also own a century Romanian AK47 I love my ar15s to death but if the 9mm has taught me anything it's to be wary of conversion kits for the AR15. that said, I love all three, the ak47 will shoot anything I put in it no matter how fast I squeeze the trigger but even the 9mm beats it to hell as far as accuracy goes. so I need input if you had the choice would you prefer the AK reliability or the AR accuracy? also if anyone has had the AR how does it stack up for comfortableness? I know the 762 soviet conversions dont take well to cheap ammo(FTFs, snapped extractors, ETC) how reliable are the 5.45 AR15s? __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

July 27, 2011, 10:33 PM	#5
EdInk Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2009 Posts: 3,968	Absolutely the AK __________________ Sic Semper Tyrannis

July 28, 2011, 07:28 AM	#7
brian923 Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2009 Posts: 183	Id say ak ONLY because the mags are going to work better for that cartridge. As to the old reliability issue, if you keep an AR clean, it will run forever. You still have to clean an AK to keep it reliable. Also, id like to personally see the 2" 200 yard group shot. Is he handloading 5.45x39? I doubt surpluse in this caliber can do that. If it can, ill stop reloading my 223 and get an ak..... Im thinking not... __________________ 07 FFL offering truly custom AR15'S! https://www.facebook.com/Reactionarms

July 28, 2011, 11:58 AM	#11
Katophract Senior Member Join Date: August 7, 2010 Location: Vernal, UT Posts: 209	Get the rifle that's made for the round. I wouldn't get a .223 AK and I wouldn't get a 5.45 AR. True, there are good examples of each one but I don't like to gamble with my money. __________________ It's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll.

July 28, 2011, 04:14 PM	#13
brian923 Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2009 Posts: 183	I may stand corrected, but i have read my fair share of internet BS. If it is true, its pretty darn good. I believe the AR to be superior in all aspects, but then again, thats just my opinion. A cool tourtur test to check out is over at danieldefense.com. its from a t.v. seties on sportsman channel. I think many will think twice about the AR platforms so calledinability to be abused and keep shooting. All this being said, i do not own an AK, and probably never will. But, i still stand by what i said eatlier and say the 74 will probably run better in the 5.45 mearly because of the curved magazins Brian. __________________ 07 FFL offering truly custom AR15'S! https://www.facebook.com/Reactionarms

July 27, 2011, 09:20 PM	#2
rdf.hack Senior Member Join Date: June 7, 2011 Posts: 173	The AK any day. Easier to clean, cheaper and sturdier magazines, and some can be 1MOA accurate, ask Sharpsdressedman, whose AK-74 has a 2 in group at 200 yards.

July 27, 2011, 09:25 PM	#3
essohbe Junior member Join Date: March 22, 2009 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 817	An AK74 is going to be almost as accurate as the AR if you are used to shooting it. With a scope the difference is probably marginal so it will come down to preference. I pick the AK but to each their own. If you're used to ARs maybe give it a try but the AR 5.45 uppers have gotten some bad reviews; However, really the round was made for the 16" AK barrel (not saying it can't perform better in an AR - I'm just making a useless point ). Just research before you buy. I think that with the abundance of corrosive 5.45 ammo the AK is easier to clean also and not worry about than an AR. Just me though. Do what thou will. The AR and the Ak are equally comfortable to me, it's really going to be your individual preference there I think. And yeah, you have the magazine advantage with the AK.

July 27, 2011, 10:20 PM	#4
Evil Monkey Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2005 Posts: 812	They're both the same damn thing, rifles that shoot bullets. There's no realistic accuracy or reliability differences if you have a high quality product whether it's an AK or AR. I find that the only difference between the two is that the ar15's selector switch is easier to use and ambidextrous, which is why I like the ar15 better. barring that, I would just choose which ever is cheaper or play eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

July 27, 2011, 10:44 PM	#6
MidwestRookie Senior Member Join Date: September 4, 2010 Location: IL Posts: 462	I wish I had the extra cash to spend, because I want one of the Bulgy AK74s really really bad... for 5.45x39 I'd definitely go AK..

July 28, 2011, 08:49 AM	#8
rdf.hack Senior Member Join Date: June 7, 2011 Posts: 173	Here: http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/i.../t-598694.html And no, he doesn't reload.

July 28, 2011, 10:24 AM	#10
rdf.hack Senior Member Join Date: June 7, 2011 Posts: 173	The AKM variants also can be accurate. I know a person with an AK/S Polytech who can get 2MOA at 100 yards.

July 28, 2011, 01:23 PM	#12
Cornhusker77 Senior Member Join Date: November 25, 2009 Posts: 219	I vote AK, but then, I'm in my AK phase right now. Last year when I was in my AR Phase I might have voted the other way.

July 28, 2011, 05:29 PM	#14
rdf.hack Senior Member Join Date: June 7, 2011 Posts: 173	@brian923 To each his own. And not all ARs are created equal either. A lot has to do with the magazines being of a poor design, the new STANAG compliant magazines are a whole lot better than the older ones we used previously. That being said, I will probably never own an AR-15 or AR-10. I've had bad experiences with one in 5.56 (owned by a friend), the ergonomics were terrible (I prefer all controls on the right side and as close to the trigger, I have small hands and couldn't easily operate the safety or bolt release.) and when it jammed, I punched the FA, fired a round and had a case failure that blew the magazine out of the rifle and warped the mag well. My friend went out and bought an MSAR after he returned the gun for a refund and he has been much happier with it.

July 28, 2011, 05:46 PM	#15
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	not all ars are that bad. if his was your average cookie cutter ar15 then I can see your point. my ar15 I yanked the carbine handguard and standard a2 pistol grip and replaced them with a badger ordnance handguard and a hogue pistol grip. now it is without a doubt the most comfortable rifle I own. I actually would love my ak a lot more if I were to put a hogue pistol grip on it __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

July 28, 2011, 06:10 PM	#16
Jo6pak Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2010 Location: West Coast...of WI Posts: 1,663	For 5.45, I'd get the AK __________________ NRA Life Member, SAF contributor.

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