Looking at buying an AK

[rcase1234]

Hello everyone. Don't know much about AK's but I think I wanna buy one. Wanna spend like $600 or under. Leaning towards a Romanian WASR 10. Would this be a good choice?

[Fishbed77]

Yugo O-PAP rifles can be found for $600 or less these days, and they are a big step up in quality above the Romanian WASR-10s.

http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/comp....html?Itemid=0

[rcase1234]

Thank you! Just read some reviews and they sound a lot better!

[skizzums]

i have a vz2008 that i am very pleased with, im having a hard time finding any in stock at the moment, but if you can find one, they are usually pretty cheap and mine shoots really really good, on the downside, upgrades cost a bit more since its a little smaller than a standard ak, it has to be built for a vz

[skizzums]

heres one

http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.as...fle&groupid=11

pre-order though

[chris in va]

Saiga conversion. It'll be brand new and no slop.

Or a VZ 58. Proprietary hardware though.

[rcase1234]

I got it narrowed down to the Yugo O PAP and the Czech VZ 58/2008. Which one would you choose?

[Venom1956]

well since the VZ isnt an AK and the PAP is and your looking to buy an AK seems the answer is obvious.

[rcase1234]

I realize this Venom but it was suggested and now I am lookin at one

[CTS]

This is just a personal opinion but I would stay away from anything associated with Century Arms or Century International. I have heard some real horror stories.

[Venom1956]

I wouldnt recommend it as a replacement for a AK since nothing AK made will 'bolt on' so to speak so forget new hand guard or rails or grips stocks. Heck even the mags are different. Unless the VZ is EXACTLY what u want I doubt you'll be satisfied since aftermarket support is few and far between in comparison.

The VZ is a great gun. Much better in some regards to an AK. But an AK it isn't

[skizzums]

there is some nice aftermarket stuff for the vz, i post a pic of mine, just a little pricier for the stuff

http://www.zahal.org/groups/shop-sa-vz-58-cz-858
i got the quad-rail here , pricey i know, especially for a 500$ gat

http://www.lapolicegear.com/mako-vz58-quad-rail.html
heres a cheap one, not quite as tacti-cool

http://store.a51tactical.com/index.p...9&currency=USD
decent cheap adjustable stock


one thing to think about is the brakes, flash suppressors, the threads are not left handed like ak, they are right, but the stock one is pretty decent

[Dc777]

I have a wasr and I havnt had any issues out of it so I will say that it is a great gun, but personally I like my sks's better. They will do everything the ak will, but to me they are more accurate. My sks's are just the Chinese made norincos. It sounds weird saying tat china built anything that isn't junk but in this case they did a fine job. An sks can be found for less money also.

[5thShock]

Have had good luck with two Romanian rifles, a SAR 1 and a SAR 2. Check out this link, scroll down and down for info on the WASR series. My understanding is that a WASR can be a good gun.

http://www.novarata.net/Linx310/model.shtml

[Venom1956]

there is some nice aftermarket stuff for the vz, i post a pic of mine, just a little pricier for the stuff

This is true but in comparison its not even close.
Price isnt the issue either just simply the selection. AR and AKs are the dominate weapons in the tactical market. Hence they get the most parts made for them just simple demand.

Plus Im not a fan of optics mounted on Poly handguards sure it works but there is no way that can hold a zero as well as something metal. Not slamming it just its not for me.

I do like the look of the alum ones tho, to be honest i just love the wood on the VZ keeps the rifle slim and clean looking.

[WeedWacker]

Aluminum quad rail systems for the vz.58

http://www.wolverinesupplies.com/det...Handguard.aspx

http://www.themakogroup.com/product_p/vfr-vz.htm


Apparently a group called North Eastern Arms Group makes an Ultimak style rail but it barely gets it low enough to cowitness a T-1 Micro. Been looking around because I'm curious but I can't seem to find a supplier.

[skizzums]

my quad is not poly, its aluminum, the alum's are just waaay too expensive. more than the gun in some cases. nothing wrong with ak's of any kind in my opinion, I just own the vz and was saying I have a great experience with it, I shoot on bi-pod at 2" groups with cheap steel over and over, its more accurate than my sks by far, sks is lucky to 4-5" groups at 50 yards

sks's are awesome though, its an amazingly durable weapon. my sks was my first gun and has had at least 3k through it with maybe 3 jams. really great gun and prices have come back down some. I did the sks bullpup, shortened the barrel to 16.5 and haqd it crowned, looks really good and shoots great for a mid-range weapon, cnat go wrong with sks, especially if your on a budget, the aftermarket stuff is incredibly cheap and vast

http://s998.photobucket.com/user/nwa...ml?sort=3&o=15

heres my sk with the sgworks.com bullpup kit(which I have had a couple issues, but overall very happy with it and the customer service

down here has a pic of my vz58 if you look at the upper left, not a really good pic, but you get the idea
http://s998.photobucket.com/user/nwa...ml?sort=3&o=16

[EdInk]

I can't believe people are calling a WASR for $600 a fair deal!
Supply and demand.....I guess.

Sorry, they are just not 600 worth of quality gun in those things. IMHO.

You are much better off with a Saiga conversion!

[Fishbed77]

I got it narrowed down to the Yugo O PAP and the Czech VZ 58/2008. Which one would you choose?

Both are great rifles.

O-PAP pros/cons:

-Mags and accessories are much more plentiful and less expensive for the O-PAP (and other AKs) than for the VZ-58/2008. Note that the O-PAP (and other Yugo AKs) do not use standard AK stocks/handguards, though.

-Made in Serbia by Zastava. Those guys know how to build a good AK. All Century does is install a few parts (trigger group, grip, piston, slant brake) for 922(R) compliance. Not much they can screw up.

-RPK-style heavy-duty receiver. A bit heavier weight than other AKs, though.

-Nice, big Western-style buttstock.

-The eagle crest some of them have on the stock is cool.


VZ 58/2008 pros/cons

-Nice fit & finish (though the O-PAP fit & finish is better than most AKs).

-Better ergonomics than an AK, in my opinion.

-Lighter.

-Mags are less common and more expensive.

-The VZ-2008 is more or less assembled by Century with US-made receivers and barrels. That would give me a little pause, based on Century's spotty history. But all reports of the VZ-2008 have been pretty positive.


Personally, if I had no AKs, I would buy an O-PAP before I bought a VZ. It's just a more versatile platform in my opinion. Everyone should have at least one AK.

[rcase1234]

Thanks for the post Fish bed that was very helpful! Now, not sure if I wanna spend this much (just keeping an open mind) anyone have any experience with a James River Armory AK 47(Polish)?

[skizzums]

http://www.wideners.com/itemdetail.c...m_id=100000750

heres a decent price of the o pap from a reputable company, new production btw

[rcase1234]

Thanks for the website! I will probably order an O Pap or N Pap within the next month or so. Not sure about which one but I know I want a Yugo M70 AK. Thanks for the help everyone!

[skizzums]

if you can find one in your price range that has a milled reciever instead of a stamped, do it

its not super important, but def better quality, but usually comes with a price tag to match
mine is stamped and work just fine btw

[Fishbed77]

if you can find one in your price range that has a milled reciever instead of a stamped, do it

its not super important, but def better quality, but usually comes with a price tag to match
mine is stamped and work just fine btw

This is one of the most prevalent AK myths out there.

There is no difference in overall "quality" between a milled or a stamped AK receiver. There are great milled-receiver AKs out there and there are great stamped-receiver AKs out there. There are also terrible examples of each.

Some folks consider milled AKs to be more durable, but Russian testing showed the opposite to be true - milled receivers proved to be more susceptible to cracking than the more flexible stamped receivers. Also, there really is no evidence to support the myth that milled AKs are more accurate than stamped AKs (at least in semi-automatic fire).

Some people like the look and feel of milled receivers better, and that is OK. They do generally cost more because they are more expensive to produce. One thing that is certain is that milled AKs tend to weight more, so they soak up recoil better at the cost of being heavier (though the O-PAP, with it's RPK style stamped receiver, is just as heavy as many milled AKs).


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