Ak47 a good idea?

Not sure why you would sell a model 29 to buy an AK even if ammo were readily available.

if you want one, buy one. I don’t see the attraction of the AK personally. I have one in each rooskie caliber but they don’t really do anything for me. Ergos are weird particularly for a lefty. Sights are archaic. I guess I don’t really have a use for one, even just for fun. They aren’t particularly fun to shoot IMO.

I much prefer the big US .30 cal battle rifles, or if you want a go to war rifle, a good AR or SCAR is hard to beat for reliability and versatility.

AK’s are great everyone should have one. No they are not an AR15, which IMO is a better gun, but you can shoot the crap out of them and they work.
Also all the ban means is no more really cheap ammo, but there are lots of Eastern European countries making it.

Get an M1A before your get an AK, and I own one that I like.

But 7.62x39mm ammo is set to be as expensive as .308 now that the Russian ammo ban has made that caliber virtually extinct. Might as well shoot a .308.

I guess I'll offer a counterpoint. I've had a couple of AKs and SKSs, and IMO they're simply not great guns for a gun person. Yeah, probably great for something you'll leave in a rice paddy or buried in the desert but the ergos suck. I didn't like mine enough to keep even when ammo was $150/1000 and it's sure not worth it to me if I have to pay $.60/round for ammo. Of course maybe cheap steel ammo will flow freely again someday but now is not a great time to getting into an AK. YMMV of course.

As much as I love my AK their ain’t no way I’d sell my 29-2 to buy one. Now I’d sell an AR to buy one before quick could get ready, I’d be like selling a Yugo to buy a tank.

On a serious note my advise would be not to rush, we don’t really know at this point what the future of 7.62x39 availability and prices is going to be, wait it out and see what happens. That 29-2 isn’t likely to lose any value.

I guess mag dumps with cheap ammo is one of the attractions of an AK.

If that’s not your thing, then if you’d like one, get one.

Some other Eastern European country will probably fill the cheap ammo pipeline anyway.

As much as I like my AKs, I wouldnt sell a pre-lock 29 for one, especially right now.

I mainly bought them and their ammo supply for apocalypse survival on a budget when they were cheaper than ARs, and still maintain them as such, but they wouldnt be my first choice to go into a firefight with and both guns and ammo are alot more expensive now.

They are still fun to shoot, with low recoil, superb reliability, and adequate accuracy- your range buddies whove only known ARs will get a kick out of their quirks for sure. But for serious work, assuming theres something better at hand- they just arent that great.

I don't like them, because IMO there are too many better options in that class of rifle- and cheaper. Never thought I would see a day when a AK would cost considerably more than ANY AR. As far as the ammo situation, I think that's an even better reason to stay away from one. I have 2 SKS rifles, bought back when they were dirt cheap (no way these things should cost almost as much as a AR now, but apparently they do). The main reason I kept them is (was) the relatively cheap cost of import ammo to blaze away at steel with iron sights. Looks like the truth might have changed. I guess we'll see what we see.

KY DAN

Sell a S&W Model 29 for an AK???

You had me going there for a second!

I mean AKs are alright, though a bit outdated and don't have the best of ergos for most people. They still are incredibly reliable in some of the worst weather conditions on this planet. Why I even have one myself, but the thought of selling a Model 29 (and I'm assuming it's in decent condition), for an AK might even be considered by some as being, dare I say, unamerican!

Just kidding of course!

Another thing that has spurred on AK sales was the low price of Russian ammo for so many years. With the ammo ban in place (and who's to say that the current administration might not try to ban other imported ammo), you should first see if you can get any sort of deal on 7.62x39 ammo before you go ahead with buying an AK.

On the other hand, if you still want an AK then now might be a good time to buy one if only for the possibility of getting one cheap because some people might be unloading theirs (unintentional pun there), out of concerns for future ammo availability.

So if you still really, really want one, save your money, be on the lookout for an AK at a good price (same for any deals on ammo), and hang on to your Model 29!


And, oh yeah, and to this day, this is still one of the nicer looking and better finished AKs I have ever come across!

There are a lot of AK’s out there. Someone will make the ammo.

I don't know if my observation is correct but from the images I see in the news it appears that every Taliban that has had the chance to replace their their AK with an AR has done so. Perhaps that says something about which of the two is better.
Maybe a little off the subject but I can't resist mentioning that I would love to have an AR and a new truck but can't afford them yet these Talibaners are carrying new AR's and driving new Humvees bought with our (my) tax money. Very frustrating.

I fail to understand why an AK would become a "shiny turd" if there was no more steel-case ammo.

I do understand that selling a S&W 29 to buy an AK, regardless of ammo, would not be a smart move.

Charlie Martinez said:

I don't know if my observation is correct but from the images I see in the news it appears that every Taliban that has had the chance to replace their their AK with an AR has done so. Perhaps that says something about which of the two is better.
Maybe a little off the subject but I can't resist mentioning that I would love to have an AR and a new truck but can't afford them yet these Talibaners are carrying new AR's and driving new Humvees bought with our (my) tax money. Very frustrating.

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They are replacing their AK’s probably due to a few different reasons.

1. Their clapped out Russian antique AK’s are probably pretty worn out by now.
2. Good ol Taliban Joe left them a great deal of ammo no doubt for their upgraded arsenal.
3. The AR and the 556 especially in their region (longer shots, with greater winds) are a more effective weapon. This is especially true with the vastly superior optics we left them, and NODS, and peq15’s, etc, etc.

Your comment on the disparity of you as a tax payer not being able to afford an AR and a new truck in comparison to the Taliban’s new improved situation is right on and beyond frustrating to say the least.

But back to the OP I wouldn’t make the trade for your S&W but I would however look to buy an AK, if one gets a good one they are very effective and fun to shoot, at least for me. The design is also a great piece of history for anyone who enjoys guns.

For a quality budget AK I would look at the Zastava Serbian models with the chrome lined bore and bulged trunnion. They are in my opinion the current best non-American option for value.

An Arsenal AK built in Bulgarian milled receivers are cream of the crop, but one will pay for them.

The PSA Gen5 AK’s with CHF barrels made with machine gun steel by FN and their forged trunnions is a very good American option.

Before you buy do your research and spend some time watching AK Operators Union he is a wealth of knowledge and does a great job on what appears to be very unbiased reviews of current AK options.

I like the AK. I have bought two and built several more. 4(?) AK Variants still reside in my gunsafes ... and they all fire brass-cased ammo just fine.

Also, in one of those gunsafes, is the 3" 629-1 that I purchased in the late 80s.

FWIW, I would not consider selling my 629 to finance the purchase of one of the, IMO, overpriced AKs that I periodically see advertised online.

Some of that reflects a bias that I sport from both acquiring a couple at low prices (underpriced) ~20 years ago and being intimately familiar with their construction/quality from my Builds. In addition, I have always really liked my 629.

Common sense rule #1.....Never trade a gem for a turd.

Buy a Galil Ace. Best of all worlds. Pick your caliber as well.

Would you sell a 1969 Chevelle 396 SS to buy a Yugo?

I think everyone should have at least one AK but I have to agree with others, wouldn’t trade a 29 for one.

If you can’t be convinced otherwise at the very least trade me for one of my AK’s.

gunlaw said:

There are a lot of AK’s out there. Someone will make the ammo.

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And SKS's and Mini-30's.

The government did not ban steel cased ammo. They banned ammo & guns from Russia. There are a lot of other countries that make AK rounds including the US. There will still be AK caliber imports coming in so if you want an AK now is the time. With everyone in fear of being with out ammo AKs are starting to sell.

Hillbillies with AK's have kept the U.S. of America (and others) frustrated for over half a century and on the losing end of the stick at least a couple of times, the latest in Afghanistan. I didn't fight there, but we were pantsed and I am enraged at the cost in terms of loss of American (in particular) lives and property. I wouldn't label the rifle as archaic or pathetic, or a fun-to-mag-dump turd like these other guys. I also wouldn't trade a 29-2 for one!

My opinion? Just because the Russian ammo
Ban is in effect doesn’t mean it’ll be permanent. It also doesn’t mean that cheap ammo won’t be available. Plenty of former Soviet block countries as well as China still make it and may even ramp up production to capitalize on the now wide open American market.