[1BLINDREF]

My son turned 18 yesturday and I'm looking to buy him his first AK47. I've never been interested in AKs and I don't know much about them (I'm into hand guns) I've done some reading, but that hasn't helped - too many different makes and options :confused: I don't want to buy a POS. I need advice as to which AK would be the best first AK - what country, caliber,model,...??? My $ limit is 450.00 without ammo.
Thanks in advance for any help!:)

[skypirate7]

Maybe an Arsenal? What are those going for these days?

But $450 is a bit tight. If that's a firm limit, then you'll probably have to get a WASR (with a bit left over for mags and ammo).

WASR's are crude but they work.

[anthony-white]

Check this out:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/board.html?b=4
That board is full of everything you wanna know about the AK variants. I think for that price range you could find a chinese MAK90; a great version of the AK47. I have a few AKs and prefer the chinese. There is also Saiga, which doesn't look quite the same furniture wise, but is made in Russia with good reports of quality. Great gift Idea by the way!

[trbon8r]

You probably won't find an Arsenal in the $450 range unless you get real lucky at a gun show. Take a look here:

http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/programming/listview.asp?CatId=2

These guys have AKs for just about every budget. I'm not much of an AK expert either. I own a Chinese MAK90 that has been living in the back of the safe because it is so inaccurate, and not much good for anything besides dumping magazines. I will give the gun credit though, it does work every time you pull the trigger.

I also have a Saiga, which I have yet to do the AK mag conversion for. The Saiga is new and I haven't shot it yet. Supposedly they are decent shooters, but won't take AK mags unless you convert them first.

[MachIVshooter]

Go to a shop that has a few Romanian WASR's on hand and find the nicest one. On your way home, swing by the hardware store and grab some 320 and 400 grit sandpaper and a small can of semi-gloss acrylic or varnish. Go home and strip the furniture off the rifle, sand it baby-butt smooth and apply 3-4 coats of finish. That's what I did with my slightly-used $200 WASR-10 hi-cap.

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n117/Hunter2506/100_0192.jpg

[full metal]

For two hundred more and worth it i would buy my son,hell i want one for me the worlds best ak to day.the russian vepr it is made on a rpk reciever.its a lot thicker than the standerd ak much nicer no the best out ther today.well good luck.

[1BLINDREF]

My son has some money that he is putting towards the AK. I posted this question to get some ideas and prices of what would be a good first AK. My son likes old military style weapons - riffles mostly. He likes the history behind these style guns. He would prefer something with wood furniture over plastic. The $450 limit is not etched in stone. He understands the value in buying something of better quality and would be willing to save up more money if thats what it would take to buy something better.
Thanks, and please keep the ideas and advice comming!

[gm]

Arsenal of bulgaria or one of the russian made veprs,ohio rapid fire makes good ones too.Alot depends on who put it together and what receiver they used along with the quality of parts.


I would avoid those wasrs and romainian copies.Theres probably ones still floating around with bent gas pistons,crooked front sights and twisted gas tubes not to mention bubb'd magwell openings and magazine catches.Some fixing may be required.My nephew has one but it required fixing the latch and replacing the trigger along with opening up the sling loop.


As always,check the rifling as well,some had excellent receivers and parts but used old barrels that were corroded at the ends where they were stored.

[MachIVshooter]

The $450 limit is not etched in stone. He understands the value in buying something of better quality and would be willing to save up more money if thats what it would take to buy something better.


IF he is willing to save a little longer, I'd go for one of these (http://lancasterarms.com/index.htm). I recently picked up the Polish Tantal sidefolder 5.45mm. They are just starting with the Tantals, and Furniture has been hard to come by so mine has mismatched handguards. But I have fondled their standard AK's and for $200 over a Romanian, there is no comparison. List prices on the website are about what you'll pay; Lancaster doesn't give dealers much room.

[full metal]

I dont recomend a romanian. I own one very poor quality and ugly like the guy who put his picture up above i to sanded the stock and repainted it.but like all ak's very reliable.i really liked the yugo m70 under folder much better quality way better looking then the romanians and the wood stocks dont need repainting.good luck.

[1 old 0311]

Try www.classicarms.us they should be able to help you.

[skypirate7]

Oh man I can't believe I forgot about Yugo AK's!!!

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Yugoslavian_AK_M70AB2_7.62x39_Under-Folder_Rifle.html

$430... that's definitely the best AK you can get for under $450. The receiver quality is top-notch (on par with the Russian AK's from what I've heard). The barrel isn't chromed but most 7.62x39 isn't corrosive so this shouldn't be a problem for cleaning. Non-chromed barrels tend to be slightly more accurate.

But they're currently out of stock. I think they'll let you preorder.

[azhunter12]

Yugos are better than the wasr's. Another option is the Saiga. You can get one for $280 and can be moded to be like a real ak. They come in 7.62x39, 223, 308,.410ga, .20ga, and 12ga. The one thing about the Saiga is 922r compliance parts. You can't have any more than 10 imported parts on your rifle. This is a good place to learn about the Saiga :http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?act=idx. Just my 2¢. AZhunter. ☻

[possum]

i would highly recommend a yugo, you might be able to get one for that budget, and i know you can definetly get a norinco mak-90, they are sweet and you might have some left over!