Next rifle, AR or AK, what books to research the purchase?

[lee n. field]

I'm looking into getting an EBR-like rifle, sometime between now and late 2008. (I'm guessing I'm not alone in that....). The AR and AK are the main possibilities I'm considering.

I'm starting to research this now. I'm well aware that there are abundant threads on Highroad and elsewhere that address this. I'd rather read books. I'm just neolithic that way.

Over the weekend I picked up Patrick Sweeney's Gun Digest Book of the AR-15, which was the only thing at Borders that looked halfway useful. I've already got Boston's Gun Bible

Any other books I should be looking at to make an informed choice?

 

[rbernie]

This would seem to be a pretty well respected book, and the authors happen to be THR members.

 

[The Deer Hunter]

What exactly will make your decision?

Why not get both? Or If your aftraid of an AWB get like 2 stripped receivers for each instead of getting one gun so you can just build them over time.

If you know nothing about the two, here are some generalizations:

The AK-is meaner looking, thus more likely to be banned
-are extremely durable, you can bury them in sand for months, dig it up shake out the sand and it will fire.
-kids with no education whatsoever can and do use them on a regular basis, they are simple.
-Come in the origional 7.62x39 or the 5.56 Nato(.223-same as AR)
-Are cheaper.

The AR
-Are generally more expensive
-somewhat durable, jam more often than an AK but are generally reliable.
-Much tighter tolerances during manufacturing mean they need to be cleaned.
-Most are 5.56 Nato(.223), but some rarer variations are 6.8SPC, 7.62x39, .22LR, .50 Beowolf, and 9mm. But most are 5.56 Nato.
-Also mean looking and thus likely to be banned sooncuss: )

Thats just barely breaking the surface, so dont crucify me if i left something out, just add it too.

 

[lee n. field]

What exactly will make your decision?

That's something I want to try to think through. Parts availability is important, which is why I'm looking at these (got another suggestion -- let me hear it).

I'd like to be able to handload for it (but what I'm reading here and elsewhere make me think that might not work well with the AK.)

Cost is a big factor, and I am not a rich man by any stretch of the imagination. I could probably parlay my copy of Bill Ruger's .223 auto into an AK right now, but I'm not sure that's wise.

Relability is big. Malfing guns are no fun at all, and what I've read of Sweeney's book gives me the impression that ARs are finicky.

 

[tnieto2004]

get the AK .. they will always has AR's around

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

You know what Boston says about the AR vs. the AK.

Get the AR... or two...

 

[benEzra]

If you can afford an AR, I'd suggest an AR. I have an "AK" (SAR-1), love it, but I'd have an AR in the safe beside it if I could afford it. Particularly if you are handloading or might want to shoot it much from the bench (AK's are notoriously hard to shoot from a rest).

This site will give you a feel for what configurations are available:

http://www.rockriverarms.com/subcats.cfm?Category=01

This one is my favorite (and if another AWB looms, I'll get one if I have to take out a second mortgage to do it):

 

[lee n. field]

You know what Boston says about the AR vs. the AK.

Reread Boston -- check.

That's two book suggestions. No more?

 

[EricTheBarbarian]

well an import ban would pretty much crush any chance of getting an ak without spending too much. Not to mention an import ban on russian ammo would also hurt it quite a bit. however, you can get a wasr10 and 3 cases of ammo(3000 rounds) for the price of a quality ar. good luck though

 

[Kaylee]

No book will tell you what five minutes with each rifle will.
For that matter, the same goes for every thread on this and the other boards. The AR-vs-AK debate has been going on for forty years, and hasn't substansially changed since.

Find someone who owns both who'll let you shoot them. Even better if he'll break 'em down and let you help clean 'em when you're done. It's good maners to buy him ammo to replace what you shoot up, of course.

Get an idea for yourself how they handle and how they shoot and how they work. Either way you decide, well... it served well enough to arm half the world against the other half.

-K

 

[JWarren]

The AK-is meaner looking, thus more likely to be banned
-are extremely durable, you can bury them in sand for months, dig it up shake out the sand and it will fire.
-kids with no education whatsoever can and do use them on a regular basis, they are simple.
-Come in the origional 7.62x39 or the 5.56 Nato(.223-same as AR)-Are cheaper.

If you go the Saiga route, you can add .308, 410 shotshell, 20 gauge shotshell, and 12 gauge shotshell to the AK mix.

With a little know-how, a Saiga can be converted back to the AKM platform. And in 308, at least, it is a very accurate rifle.


John

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

No book will tell you what five minutes with each rifle will.

Damn Kaylee's good.

 

[ConfuseUs]

I have both, an AR with a RRA 16' upper and Bushmaster lower, and a Romanian WASR-10 AK.

First, the AR-15: I've read a lot about its legendary unreliability, so I clean it religiously, even though it's never failed me. Do you like tinkertoys and mechanical automata that make nice tight groups? Do you like small parts (yes, children could choke on them) and a rifle that takes a half hour to clean? Then the AR-15 is the rifle for you. I will say that right now it's much easier to roll into the local gunstore/sporting goods store and buy ammo too.

The AK: Mine had the mag well expanded with a dremel to take hi-caps by the drunk monkeys at Century Arms. The magazine flops from side to side a little. Nevertheless, the thing will eat the garbage I cram into it. Do you like a gun that you pound on w/ a hammer to adjust the windage zero? Do you like a gun that you clean only because that cheap nasty Wolf ammo makes it smell bad? Do you hate comparison shopping? Then get the AK.

Of course, I had to get both. For the AK, I guess you could buy a book. It's overkill, but you could. I only bought the Guns & Ammo Book of the AR-15, or something like that. It's a good idea to at least look through the US Marine Corps M-16 manual.

 

[ConfuseUs]

Oooooh I forgot one thing more for the comparison:

AR-15: Are you willing to baby magazines that were made out of old pop cans? All the good English steel magazines are gone.

AK: Do you like the idea of a magazine that you could run over with a truck, wipe off, open a bottle of Bud with, load 30 rounds of garbage ammo into, and fire them all off without a hitch? Magazines are still cheap. Hit up a few internet suppliers and find out.

Also, it's a sad state of affairs, but most of what you want to know, aside from history or technical details, cannot be found in books. PArticularly with the AR-15, there are manufacturers who turn out highly dependable rifles made to exacting standards, and then there are manufacturers who make rifles and/or parts with seemingly no standards. THey will never be badmouthed in a book, the publisher would risk a lawsuit. Most AK-47s are made to hit a human sized target at 300 meters. An AR-15 can vary from that standard to a level of accuracy that is world class. For AR-15 rifles and parts, Armalite, Bushmaster, Colt, DPMS, and Rock River Arms are very good companies to buy from. In the AK world, just watch out for Century, some of their rifles have crooked front sights.