5.45x39 AR?

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OK Bowhunter

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Anyone shooting one of the 5.45x39 AR's? The way I understnd it will shoot the cheap AK74 ammo and is a cheap way to have ammo to practice. Are there any issues? Will it use regular AR15 mags? Where is the cheap ammo?
 

Fyrtwuck

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I've been looking into this myself. From what I understand, the magazines will be different. The cheapest ammo, you'll have to shop for. H&H has a S&W 5.45 X 39 upper for sale back in the gunsmithing section that I've been looking at. I'm still undecided if I want an upper or just go ahead and get an AK-74 type rifle.
 

SMS

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I was interested in doing this at one time...but never got around to it.

Now, a quick look at Ammoman.com shows that 5.45 no longer has any significant edge on cheap .223/5.56. In fact some cheap Russian .223 is actually cheaper than some Russian 5.45.

So other than the fun factor, why shoot a 5.45 AR?
 

RYCOM405

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I was interested in doing this at one time...but never got around to it.

Now, a quick look at Ammoman.com shows that 5.45 no longer has any significant edge on cheap .223/5.56. In fact some cheap Russian .223 is actually cheaper than some Russian 5.45.

So other than the fun factor, why shoot a 5.45 AR?



^^^This.
 

Perplexed

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I have a 5.45 AR that I bought a couple years ago, when 5.45x39 was quite a bit cheaper than .223. As in, 12 cents a round shipped. It's not that way anymore, unfortunately.

As far as magazines go, I've not had any issues with the half dozen I've used; in fact, I've shot with a .223 20-round mag with no issues, though I can't recall offhand who made that mag.
 

z06man

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I have a 5.45 upper that I really like. I use C Products 5.45 mags and have yet to have a failure with them though I admit I haven't shot it a lot. These are the mags I've heard most people complain about. It's been a good system for me. I've read of people using standard AR mags, but you can't load them full, 20 rds in a 30 rd mag I think. Just remember most 5.45 ammo is slightly corrosive and you need to take a little more care of your rifle accordingly.

Also you can still get 5.45 ammo from AIM Surplus for 12.7 cents a round if you buy by the case. I can't find 5.56 for less than 19 cents. That's 50% more.

Lotsa cheap fun. I hope to get mine out this weekend and run through a few mags.
 

Honeybee

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Centerfire Systems has 5.45 X 39 in both FMJ and HP for $199.99 per thousand and .223 FMJ non-corrosive 55 GR for $179.50 per thousand.
(A little more in Spam cans)
 

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