looking to buy my first ak. need help plz.

[srice425]

hey guys, i am well educated in handguns, but i have no idea what im doing w and ak purchase. i have done some research here lately but i was hoping that you guys could help me choose my first ak.

heres what i am looking for:
i know that they all are somewhat accurate with the vepr being a little superior, but i am looking for accuracy and dependability.

i wanna tac it out and dont wanna put 500 bucks worth of accessories on a turd. (ie: swivel butt stock, universal mags, quad or tri rail, etc)

bsaically, i wanna get the most bang for my buck and i would like to spend between 400-600 dollars for the base package.

i was going to get a wasr 10/63 but i saw an article stating that they were made from military reject parts that scared me away. i dont want a p.o.s. (plz correct me if im misinformed.

intended use: home defense, small game hunting and 100-200yd target practice.

any suggestions?

 

[been]

i have a wasr 10/63 and love it.haven't really shot it for accuracy but plan to very soon.look into the vz58's the only problem with them is i don't think rails and stuff are that common and they aren't exactly AK's

 

[BrandonM]

You may look into a bulgarian ak 74. I don't know if you stuck on the 7.62x39 round but the 5.45x39 tends to be more accurate and does better at longer distances, also it has less recoil and costs less per shot. Also the converted saigas make for a nice rifle. They may be a bit out of your price range, but if you want to start with an all new well made ak the saiga is a good way to go. Arsenal sells them as the sgl31 and the sgl21. I have not shot the sgl21 but the 31 is quite a nice rifle.

 

[Eddymonster]

hey guys, i am well educated in handguns, but i have no idea what im doing w and ak purchase. i have done some research here lately but i was hoping that you guys could help me choose my first ak.

heres what i am looking for:
i know that they all are somewhat accurate with the vepr being a little superior, but i am looking for accuracy and dependability.

i wanna tac it out and dont wanna put 500 bucks worth of accessories on a turd. (ie: swivel butt stock, universal mags, quad or tri rail, etc)

bsaically, i wanna get the most bang for my buck and i would like to spend between 400-600 dollars for the base package.

i was going to get a wasr 10/63 but i saw an article stating that they were made from military reject parts that scared me away. i dont want a p.o.s. (plz correct me if im misinformed.

intended use: home defense, small game hunting and 100-200yd target practice.

any suggestions?

If accuracy is important, look at maybe buying an AR-15. I also would not recommend using an AK 47 as home defense. You might kill more then the bad guy in the process. As far as better quality AK47, look at Yugo, Egyptian or Russian made.

 

[srice425]

maybe im missing something, but i dont understand the difference between the saigas thatg ive been looking at and the arsenal saiga. they look totally different.

 

[BrandonM]

The way Saiga has to import them is with the sporter stock on them, also the top handguard is missing. They have to be converted to look like a real ak again. Which actually requires moving the trigger assy forward in the reciever. There are a couple of places that will convert a saiga but as for just buying one done right from a reputable factory the Arsenal converted saigas are probably the way to go. The saiga is about as close to an actual russian ak you can get without going into the high end boutique shops that charge a premium.

Do you have a caliber prefference? Arsenal even has .556 ak's.

 

[aestus]

If you want home defense, I'd go with an AK74. They're lighter, more accurate, typically the 5.45x39 not as corrosive as surplus 7.62x39 round and in most cases deadlier. The 5.45x39 is known as the poison bullet in the middle east due to how easily it tumbles and yaws immediately after penetration. The modern 5.56 MK262 77 grain bullet that the military is using in the middle east is basically our attempt to copy the russian 5.45x39 round which tumbles and yaws at short penetration depths, even at slower velocities. It's funny because the Russian 5.45 was their attempt at copying our original 55gr 5.56 round.

You'll want to hand inspect every ak47 or ak74 that you buy. It's not like an AR15 where you could buy one blindly online and have everything machined and assembled perfect. AKM type rifles tend to be hand assembled and you may get one with a canted front sight, ect.

If you get a WASR 10, be sure to check for mag wobble. If it has excessive wobble, you may be able to talk the price way down and do a $10 fix to the mag wobble issue. If you can get a Chinese Mak 90 for a decent price, I'd snatch it up. Sometimes these will go for $500 (usually 700+) and Mak 90's are some of the best AKs out there right now.

I'm partial to Yugo M70 AK's. The receivers are thicker and heavier and you'll have to buy accessories made specifically for the Yugo M70, but for a straight up AKM type rifle, they're hard to beat. Bulgarian AK are decent for the right price.

 

[Headhunter441]

The WASR-10 is a great gun for the money. I wouldn't worry about accuracy with it, I had mine shooting a ragged hole at 25 yards.

 

[en4cer]

intended use: home defense, small game hunting and 100-200yd target practice.

any suggestions?

Shotgun, .22 and a .556. :-)

As far as purchasing an AK goes, I just went thru this decision. After pricing the different versions of the AK, I finally decided for the money, the Arsenal Saiga was the way to go. They come highly recommened. Mine was 799 new and came with a couple extra Bulgarian magazines along with the standard 5 rounder. I went with the sgl 21. I'm not sure about the rules for links here but k-var is a great site to just look at the different arsenal models and get an idea on pricing.

By the way, this is a great forum. I lurk here but don't post very often. Lot of good info available.

Greetings to everyone.

 

[jackwhitter]

try a saiga with a thumbhole stock in 7.62x39mm if you can find one (also called a Saiga 236 Pro Hunter). i ended up with a yugo underfolder after looking cause i came across a good deal, but the saiga thumbhole was my next choice. any of the saiga's are excellent shooters though harder to add accessories since saiga sporterizes the rifles heavily.