AK variants - what to look for?

[JIMinPHX]

The price of AK pattern rifles has been really dropping lately & Christmas is just around the corner, so I was wondering...

What should you look for in an AK when buying one? Are certain features desirable? Are there certain ones to stay away from? Do certain types not work well?

The Romanian ones look to have some of the most attractive prices. Is there anything wrong with them?

I'm thinking about using this mostly for a truck gun & plinking. It might see some use as cabin defense against critters, but that's not likely to happen very often. I really just want to get one to mess around with it & learn how they work.

I've never used one of these things before, so I really know nothing about them. Any info is appreciated.

Thanks,
Jim

[waksupi]

Jim, I helped work over a few thousand of the Romanians last year. I think they are a serviceable rifle, and easily tuned if they aren't when you get them. I would pull the gas tube and check for any remaining blueing salts, as they weren't all that good about boiling them out. Pepsi or similar is a good cleaner, followed by water, and oil.

[JIMinPHX]

Thank you Waksupi for that first hand insight. That's a whole lot more information than I had to work with before.

I'm a little surprised to only see one response on this. I realize that the AK is not the classic old shooting iron of choice among the rank & file on this board, but I figured that at least a few more people would chime in with some opinions.

Oh well,
live & learn.

Thanks again Waksupi,
Jim

[steve in kc]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=nHyixxEat6c

holy moly. I JUST watched this video before I read your post. Weird.

Eric is the MAN. Veteran, Bullet Caster, Gunsmith... Well, just check out his Youtube channel...you'll be hooked.

[JIMinPHX]

Thanks for the video link. That was a good first education for newbie like me.

[MtGun44]

Underfolder is a wobbly ***, side folder is much more solid if you want a compact rifle. Frankly, I have
never gotten serious about loading for an AK, but even with Prvi Partisan brass milsurp ammo,
(which I presume to be better quality than steel Rooskie stuff - I may be wrong, same groups)
I can't get better that 4-6" groups at 100. Maybe using quality jbullets or boolits may help,
but I think that Col Cooper captured the most information about the AK in the fewest words with
"The People's bullet hose".

Bill

[Phat Man Mike]

those are you get what you pay for!! I own a few of them.. if your looking to put 5 shot's in a dime at a 150 yards good luck! just clean it really good when you buy it and have fun shooting it!

[waksupi]

I can't get better that 4-6" groups at 100. Maybe using quality jbullets or boolits may help,
but I think that Col Cooper captured the most information about the AK in the fewest words with
"The People's bullet hose".

Bill

They are a battle tool, not a target gun. If you get one that shoots under 3", you have a real tack driver!

[2 dogs]

I know about AKs. Shot them for years. Took me a long time to realize that it wasnt a piece of junk just to burn cheap ammo but a superior battle rifle. My go to guns in my house are AKs. I like the Arsenal guns the best. I do not like the ones Century has put out. Most of the stamped guns will last just as long as the milled ones and they are lighter to boot. We did not realize this fact when they were first available and just assumed the milled guns were better. As for folders, the side folders are far superior to the underfolders and wire folders. You see alot of AKs available in kits, here companys like Rifle Dynamics and Red Jacket get the nod, look at Warriortalk.com GetofftheX.com and the AKforum for lots and lots of information.

[bkbville]

The Romanian models you mention (WASR's) are terrific.

Most any AK you get today will have a US receiver, US barrel, and US fire control group (typically the TAPCO) in order to meet US 922r requirements.

Saiga's (which are new and russian) are "sporters" - so they don't have a pistol grip because some idiot in BATF determined pistol grips are not for hunting. Many if not most Saiga owners convert these back to pistol grip configurations (adjusting for 922r)

The Czech VZ is an excellent AK - but iirc uses different mags and technically isn't exactly an AK in configuration.

[Shiloh]

I can't get better that 4-6" groups at 100. Maybe using quality jbullets or boolits may help,

Bill

And you never will. A bit of trigger work will help some, but it is a cheap, stamped, loose tolerance service weapon. If you want target accuracy from a battle rifle, buy an AR-15 for several hundred dollars more. You could build a tack driver for about $800.

Shiloh

[82nd airborne]

The tapco trigger is better than a factory AR trigger IMO.

[JIMinPHX]

Well, I had my first hands-on experience with one of those things the other day. They're pretty darn simple looking inside. Loose & reliable seem to be the buzz words that come to mind. The things are so darn simple looking that it almost takes the challenge out of figuring them out. That kind of kills a lot of the fun of it for me. They are still something new & different to learn & mess with. There's got to be something inside there that needs to be tweaked & adjusted or improved in some way. If I look long enough, I've got to be able to find something.

Thanks to everyone that responded. The information was appreciated!

[Ole]

I probably would have bought an AK by now but the ergos on them just don't work for me.

The stocks are usually too short and the handle is wrong for my arm length & hand.

Personally I'd rather have a modded SKS.

(which is probably why I know little about them)

[HATCH]

there are four basic versions

(1) imported high cap guns (like MAK90, prebans)
(2) imported low cap guns that were converted to high cap
(3) domestic built using a imported parts kit (original barrel)
(4) domestic built using a imported parts kit (US MADE barrel)

I love Mak90's. They are Chinese made and IMHO one of the best ones to own.
Sar/Wsar series rifles can be good rifles. It all depend on the day of the week the monkeys were converting it. Some are Great and some suck.

Century did a lot of work on converting low caps to high caps.

I guess over the years I have own 30 or 40 AK's and twice that many kits.
They are fun to build and can be built (with the right tools) in about 5 hours (not including refinishing)


If you really want to do some reading www.theakforum.net is the place to go.
There are people there that have forgotten more then I have ever known about AK's.

[JIMinPHX]

Ole,
It is possible to change a stock you know...

[MilSurpFan]

And you never will. A bit of trigger work will help some, but it is a cheap, stamped, loose tolerance service weapon. If you want target accuracy from a battle rifle, buy an AR-15 for several hundred dollars more. You could build a tack driver for about $800.

Shiloh

Shiloh,

With quality ammo and a decent sighting system (scope, red dot, aperture, etc) many Kalshnikov-style rifles will shoot well under 4 minutes. Both of my Saiga 223s consistently delivered 3" groups or slightly better at 100 yards with Remington UMC 55gr FMJs. This is very similar to the results I get from my clone A1 (real Colt A1 upper and barrel).

With the crude sights, short sight radius and the crappy ammo most people use, then yes, maybe more like 4-6.

Once you have an AR really working and delivering MOA or less groups, it is not a "Battle Rifle" and cannot be used in comparison to a garden variety AK. Granted, the AR is THE platform to build a match "Service Rifle" on and I surely won't argue that point, just that in reality it is not even close to an issue rifle and I certainly would not carry it in combat. Too tight, to unreliable. Wylde chambers, free-float handguards, NM sights, and match bullets have no place on the battlefield.

I argue strongly that the disadvantages with the AK are the sights and lack of good 7.62x39 loads, not the operating clearances or stamped construction.

[JIMinPHX]

I argue strongly that the disadvantages with the AK are the sights and lack of good 7.62x39 loads, not the operating clearances or stamped construction.

There's the challenge that I was looking for. I'll pick one up & see if I can get it to hit golf balls at 100 yards.

[c3d4b2]

Once you have an AR really working and delivering MOA or less groups, it is not a "Battle Rifle" and cannot be used in comparison to a garden variety AK.

I am confused or missing something...... I have seen out of the box AR's shoot quite well. Much better than the 3 to 4 inches they are claiming for the AK's.

[GRUMPA]

After reading all these posts about AK's, got me to thinking about my own AK. Now its that little nagging voice in my head wondering if I really get good accuracy, I just took it to the desert and made the soda cans move around, and that was over 18yrs ago. Now that I have room in my new place I'll have to try that thing out at 100yds.