AK/AR - Should I buy one now?

Charlie Martinez said:

I have wanted an AK-47 or AR-15 style rifle (probably an AR) for some time and with this new ban threat I'm thinking it's now or never.

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1. You should have bought one last year. Or years ago.
2. Never buy at the peak of panics.
3. Don't contribute to panics by alarmist talk.
4. As always, the threat of bans will pass and so will the panic.
5. Buy when things return to normal.

JShirley said:

I also bought a x39mm upper from PSA. Mine would malfunction every couple of rounds. My 5.45x39mm from S&W was somewhat better, but would still malf at least a few rounds per mag.

No mention of hate or "bad", but a neophyte AR shooter would be well advised to buy a common AR-designed caliber like 5.56x45mm or .300 BO.


John

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It's unfortunate that you had a bad experience. Mine has been just the opposite; in fact, I enjoy my AR so much that I sold both of my AKs.

It’s a gamble on what’s going to happen with AR’s and high capacity firearms . I would gamble and buy some high capacity magazines for now and that way if they ban AR’s you haven’t lost much and if they ban high capacity magazines , you already have 30 round magazines .

I bought a lower unit when I thought HC might get elected, it has sat unfinished ever since. Waisted money on a sub par firearm imo.

JShirley said:

Sorry, I thought it clear from context that a 7.62x39mm AR should not be the OP's only- or first, for that matter- AR.

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You did make it clear. I just wanted to add more information/options for the OP to think about.

allisd17 said:

There seems to be a lot of hate in this thread for 7.62x39 ARs, but nobody has given any concrete examples of why they are so "bad". Your post nailed it; uppers are cheap. I bought an x39 upper from PSA several years ago and, coupled with ASC mags, it has been absolutely flawless.

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Because most own and/or have experience with ARs and they have little to no experience with AKs would be my guess. They are going to promote what they like and know and try to steer others in that direction.

X39 ammo is currently the same price as 9mm, so there's that too. I have a 8" 7.62x39 AR15 PDW build. For a sub 16" PDW short barrel AR, x39 is better than 300blk because of ammo cost and availability IMHO.

Charlie Martinez said:

I saw that an AR lower is available for either 308 or 243 Winchester.

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That requires a much longer mag well than the AR15. It will want an "AR10" lower. Which come in two general formats, and you have to pick one or the other and stick to that one (SR-25 & AR-10, if memory serves, and it might not).
The magwell limitation is what inspired the 6arc, which is a 6x45, which handily fits in the generally ubiquitous AR-15 lower. Performance is near-enough to 243 to be as no real difference (yes, I know such talk is heresy in the 6mm community )

Because of the split, and the somewhat lesser demand, AR-10 sized rifles are more expensive, and there winds up being a lot more arguing over which manufacturer is better.

allisd17 said:

There seems to be a lot of hate in this thread for 7.62x39 ARs, but nobody has given any concrete examples of why they are so "bad"

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I probably would not call it "hate" not in the way people can hate online at least.

It's more an irritation, as the AR mags adapted to 7.62x29 have something of a troubled history. Which is not helped by the geometry change requirement for the straight part of an AR magwell.

Now, get an AR-15 lower set up to use AK rock-n-lock mags, and most of the issues go away. Now, that's a bit more investment than, just get a lower and slap an upper on it.
Which is a notion, but is also why uppers so often "spawn" dedicated lowers "somehow"

CapnMac said:

The magwell limitation is what inspired the 6arc, which is a 6x45, which handily fits in the generally ubiquitous AR-15 lower.

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Not quite. 6x45 is 6x45, 6ARC is 6x39 (essentially). Both will work in a standard AR15 lower, with just a few differences. The 6x45 uses the standard 5.56 bolt and magazines, while the 6ARC uses the 7.62x39/6.5 Grendel bolt and magazines. The 6ARC is also pushing the bullet a good bit faster.

CapnMac said:

I probably would not call it "hate" not in the way people can hate online at least.

It's more an irritation, as the AR mags adapted to 7.62x29 have something of a troubled history. Which is not helped by the geometry change requirement for the straight part of an AR magwell.

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True but that's several years old news. C-Products DuraMag are reliable, and are what is usually used and recommend. They come in 5, 10, 20, 28, and 30 rounds. They are the only reliable 7.62x39 AR15 mags on the market.

Styx said:

True but that's several years old news. C-Products DuraMag are reliable, and are what is usually used and recommend. They come in 5, 10, 20, 28, and 30 rounds. They are the only reliable 7.62x39 AR15 mags on the market.

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I guess I'll have to get a couple of those, although I don't really need them. I have quite a few ASC mags and they have always been 100% reliable for me.

Charlie Martinez said:

Does anyone have an AR in 243 Winchester or any experience with one? If so please advise.

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I have 5 of them. Just realize you are talking AR-10/.308 sized frame rather than AR-15. They can be a little heavy. With the .243 you are gonna want a 20" barrel at minimum. I also have 22" and 24", fluted because they can get a tad heavy.
Mine shoot like lasers and are in 1:8 twist so I can load a little heavier, longer bullets than my bold action .243 which is in 1:10 twist.

I mainly use them for long range target shooting. Not sure of your intention, but the .308 can go 16" and be lighter and a bit more versatile. Your mileage may vary. Good luck.

allisd17 said:

I guess I'll have to get a couple of those, although I don't really need them. I have quite a few ASC mags and they have always been 100% reliable for me.

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I have both and recommend the Duramags (formerly C-Products.)

AlexanderA said:

1. You should have bought one last year. Or years ago.
2. Never buy at the peak of panics.
3. Don't contribute to panics by alarmist talk.
4. As always, the threat of bans will pass and so will the panic.
5. Buy when things return to normal.

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I think now is an excellent time to buy in terms of both price and availability.

citizenconn said:

I think now is an excellent time to buy in terms of both price and availability.

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They believe we are going to see Trump level pricing again, and they are holding out for prices to go back to "normal." IMHO, with all the stimulus money given out, the government print and spending money it does not have, high gas prices and taxing and over regulation of imports, the current pricing is the new normal because of inflation. Ammo and firearm inventory seems to be just about caught back up. People aren't panic buying right now.

I have ARs and AKs, and both platforms in 5.56 and 7.62x39.
Nothing wrong with an AR in 7.62x39, no reliability issues, and cheap steel case is fun.
The two biggest things to be aware of are mags & bolts.
For me CPD/Duramags are the best, I’ve had issues with ASC brand mags. The 30 rounders work but fit absolute 100% reliability I use the 20 rounders.
Buy a good quality bolt, they’re opened up for the bigger 7.62x39 round so the wall is thinner. A spare bolt is a good long term investment, which is true for a 5.56 AR too.
AKs are more expensive to get in to. A great platform, but not as modular or optic friendly as an AR. I’d swap an AR bolt in a heartbeat and never worry about headspace, I would not do that with an AK.

AlexanderA said:

1. You should have bought one last year. Or years ago.
2. Never buy at the peak of panics.
3. Don't contribute to panics by alarmist talk.
4. As always, the threat of bans will pass and so will the panic.
5. Buy when things return to normal.

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In thirty years this will be "years ago" when they were cheap and legal. Buy AK now and start having fun. Get a SKS also.

If you want one, go ahead and grab one.

You may want to check around, specifically at bigger pawn shops, to see if anyone local is a "dealer" for any brands. One of the shops near me is a Palmetto State Armory dealer... if I order directly through the shop instead of online, I don't pay a transfer fee, and they will meet the online price. Sometimes they have it in-stock (a stripped lower, for example), and I buy it that day. Sometimes, I have to place an order and wait for it to come in. Either way, I no longer buy an Anderson (etc) lower, unless the cost + transfer fee beats the PSA price... which hasn't happened as of yet.

The pros here can correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is this:

• a lower is a lower, as long as it's in spec.
• the lower (as of today, who knows what the future brings) is the only part that needs an FFL
• the upper, as long as it fits on the lower, will run as it's intended
• You can put a Colt, Daniel Defense, PSA, BCA, Radical, etc upper on a lower.

I've got lowers from Radical, PSA, Karri's Guns (that was $125+transfer, before I knew of the PSA deal), and I can swap everything around and it all runs fine. Some were complete, a couple PSA's were stripped with the cheapest parts kits I could find. All are milspec, the only difference is the rollmark and finish (and the finishes are comparable).

The way the laws are today, if I were just starting, I would buy a couple of stripped lowers (PSA), at least 2, and build one as a rifle and the other as a pistol; or alternately for the price I would get one complete pistol and a stripped. I would not buy a complete rifle, nor would I buy a complete rifle lower.

I guess, to future-proof as best as I could, you might grab spare buffer-tube assemblies and barrels, in "rifle" format, for as many pistols as you own. Or at least, barrels.

Buy an AR for $450-750 and trick it out later as you see fit. They’re not going anywhere.

They are going after ghost guns and online parts sales. So buying just a lower could bite you later.

just buy a couple built rifles now and be done with it. Everyone’s budget is different but me personally pay I have a rifle (and then some) for every member of the family. If they ban stuff my kids have their own AR15’s that they can pass down to their kids.

W.E.G. said:

The AR will be much less-expensive to buy/build than an AK.

AK's struggle to match accuracy of even the cheapest AR's.

AK triggers are generally horrible compared to quality AR triggers.

X39 AR's are really the bastard of the AR-15 breed. Although somebody will probably be along quickly to defend it. With all the other choices in firearms out there, I wouldn't have an X39 AR myself. For lots of reasons.

If you must have a .30 caliber AR, build a 300 Blackout.

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AK stock triggers are better than all stock and most custom AR triggers. It's not even close. I'd probably go AR for a choice now with the Russian ammo ban.

Ban the most popular Gun in America?

They are also owned by a Huge number of voters in the party that often is not very pro-gun.

Somewhere is a photo of Gabby Giffords holding as. AR-15, next to a target with lots of holes in it.

I saw the photo on AKfiles and it appears to be authentic.

“Mark Kelly’s AR-15 stunt provokes Giffords photo leak”.