New AKs good, bad and the ugly.

A buddy of mine had a WASR about 15 years ago. It had a canted front sight and the trigger slap was obnoxious enough that I put one magazine through it and said “no thanks”.

Another friend got a Century Arms WASR about 4 years ago and I was really impressed with the fit and finish, and the accuracy it was capable of. It came from them with a Tapco G2 trigger, which is excellent. Light, crisp, and not a hint of slap. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one of those if the price was right. I saw one for $700 at a gun show last month and was tempted.

Personally, I converted a Saiga sporter because it was a chance to own something produced at Izhmash. Then again I paid about as much as a WASR for the unconverted rifle so it was quite a bit more expensive. I don’t know how viable that is nowadays, I don’t believe they’re imported anymore.

One more good option is the Yugo PAP M92 pistols that Century imports. They’re completely build at Zastava and quality is excellent. I’ve seen them as cheap as $500 and you could always stick something like a shockwave brace in it or form 1 it into an SBR to make it more practical.

$750 these days really only buys you a Century WASR. AK prices have gone crazy.

I would probably avoid any current production. Even the last few imported Russian guns I saw had far too many castings used for small parts than I would be comfortable with.

Ive had the Maadi, M70b1, and 2 Norinco. My advice is save up and get a Norinco. Double-hook hammer, no BS cast or MIM internals, excellent rivets, and (usually) chrome- lined bores.

The Misr and the M70 were also pretty nice, though the Yugo had some nonstandard parts related to the grenade launcher. The Egyptian was by far the most primitive, as far as fit and finish, but shot just fine.

RUN away from the RAS47! These look good, but there are WAAY too many videos online of them coming apart in various horrible ways.

NIGHTLORD40K said:

Ive had the Maadi, M70b1, and 2 Norinco. My advice is save up and get a Norinco. Double-hook hammer, no BS cast or MIM internals, excellent rivets, and (usually) chrome- lined bores.

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Good advice. I've got a Century Romy and have shot a Mak-90, and the Mak-90 had a way higher build quality. I even kind of liked the thumbhole stock in its own goofy way.

Current production AK advice, if made in America with all American parts it is junk, especially anything Century or IO built.

Funny I never heard anyone say you “need an IO”. That made me chuckle. Wasrs have always been good to go. Their fit and finish may have been crude years ago, but functionally they were fine. Atlantic has been selling builds made with Polish FB Radom barrels and other Polish FB Radom parts that have been getting good reviews.

It seems that everything is crazy high prices now, unless its an ar. I have had one of those Zastava M70 AK's, and it was fine, well built, but so heavy! Another was the full wood stock on it, just didn't feel right on my shoulder for some reason. Traded it off on a H&K 22 MP5 clone, havn't look back since.

I like the thumbholes too....

The NHM 90 and 91 came with nice US made Bishop stocks- unfortunately mine was missing the Bishop foerend when I got it, but I modded this Russian for end to fit the Chinese receiver. Took a bit more work than I thought, because the Chicom front wood uses a steel spacer. Turned out OK, I think.

As imported, the MAKs had rather chunky thumbholes, functional enough I guess. The Maadi was completely ridiculous though- Andre the Giant couldn't have wrapped his mitts around it! Took quite a bit of sanding to get that one usable. Lol.

I'm very happy with my 2016 production WASR, but it is far from the "Cadillac" of AKs. It's more like my '87 Chevrolet 4x4 pickup. Nothing fancy, but gets the job done. Some AKs are now in the $1000-$1500 range.

I have a WASR I purchased two years ago and couldn't be happier with. If you're looking to see what AK's are like, I might suggest viewing the AK Operators Union channel on YouTube. Rob who runs it really puts various AK's through their paces and shows what works well and why, and which don't work (and why). That site gives you a pretty good education on AK's.

The WASR is definitely not the Cadillac of AK's, but certainly could be the Toyota Camry of AK's - reliable, no frills, and runs and runs and runs with minimal care

Time to move on to an AR platform. AK’s have priced out of their value.

I’ve always like wasr’s I even had a single stack model I converted with a die grinder. It was one of my favorites.

Saigas are $450 guns. They are a good value at that. You can spend some money and convert them.

N pap is the last I owned. It’s just an AK though. Nothing exceptional. (No side scope mount)

I’m in the market for non functioning Ak’s in the 200 and less range. They are always easy to fix and sell for good money when I’m done playing.

I have an older WASR....runs fine and does what AK's are supposed to do, but it'll never win any beauty contests. Now...if you want to enter the 'AK Beauty Contest'....the PolyTech AK-47S will win IMHO. If ever a 'Cadillac of AK's' was made....that's the one.

SamT1 said:

Time to move on to an AR platform. AK’s have priced out of their value.

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That's what I'm thinking. I've been considering getting one just to have but if they're neither good nor cheap, what's the point?

CraigC said:

That's what I'm thinking. I've been considering getting one just to have but if they're neither good nor cheap, what's the point?

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Would I be ousted from the group if I suggested an sks? Still relatively cheap and very good for what it is.

I put an FEG folder in my truck because I thought it was cheap high-capacity protection that wouldn't be painful to replace in case of theft. I can't believe the ridiculous prices I'm seeing, for stamped sheet metal and low-grade wood. I may be leaving a fortune in my truck! I still don't want an AR-15, though, because I want AK ballistics.

I'm going to be in the minority here, but I have an American made Century C39 V2 and it is a head and shoulders nicer than any imported AK I've even seen. It's accurate, nice looking, has nice furniture, made in the USA and wasn't terribly expensive (used i paid $500 like new, no box or papers). I understand they've had some issues with QC, specifically bolt hardening issues, so do the research and check to make sure you get a heat-treated bolt. Mine's been twice the AK that an actual AK is. I don't like it better than my ARs, but it's fun to shoot. Some people may balk at the provenance, but it's a well-made gun and it will out-shoot an "authentic" one...

Several months ago, I decided I wanted to purchase an AK so I sat down and did a bunch or research. Based on what I read on a variety of websites and forums was I should stay away from American made rifles as the quality is far lower and look for a well built gun from a ComBloc kit.

I spent some time asking around on one of the AK boards and was told over and over to "buy a WASR" because it is a "good first AK." This advice come from people who own several. Well, what I learned about the WASR as I read a bit more was they run quite well. The parts are well made and they don't fail...but the fit and finish is often poor and they sights are frequently canted. They are also on the cheaper end of the ComBloc kit spectrum. From this, I decided that a WASR was likely a reliable rifle to make a lot of noise and smoke with but I wanted something a little better.

I decided that I didn't want a "good first AK" as I didn't plan on buying several...I wanted a "good last AK." So, I did more research and a couple other ComBloc rifles seemed to be on the top end of the spectrum. From what I read, Polish rifles are quite nice. Also are East German. Ultimately, I decided to purchase an East German parts kit gun from Atlantic Firearms. I spent about $1000 for it...but I absolutely love it. Comparing it to WASR rifles that I have shot in the past...the fit and finish is in a whole different realm. I'm thrilled with the rifle that I picked.

Based on my limited research prior to making a buy...I would avoid US made rifles and purchase a rifle from a quality builder off a nice ComBloc parts kit. Again, Polish and East German were high on the list from my research. A work of caution about the East German guns...they have plastic furniture and the stock is a bit unusual (pebble pattern)...so if you want wood Polish is probably a better choice. Personally, I like the East German furniture because it gives the rifle a unique look.

Since AK's have gotten so expensive, Marc Krebs' AKs, and Riley Defense, are looking pretty good....

Moparnut said:

I am in the market for a new AK. Years ago the Wasr was junk ( according to the internet and gunshow afficianados). I always heard "you don't want that Romanian, you need a Yugo/ IO/ insert whatever here, but not a Wasr." Now, it seems times have changed. The Wasr seems to be the Cadillac of AKs. So my question is with a budget of about $750+tax what would buy? I would like people with real experience or who have shot one within the last year or two.
Thx

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WASR is definitely NOT the Cadillac of Ak's. I had an early Norinco - excellent gun. Even so, Ak's are not renowned for accuracy. Yes, you can hit a man sized target well enough up to 200 yards or so, but beyond that they are not the kind of rifle that is fun to try to group at a range. I found that with mine, and I have had several varieties including a WASR, I got bored just putting rounds down range at the target. The things that makes them great, their reliability and ammo capacity, also makes them more expensive to shoot. Maybe as a "bug out" gun.... But beyond that I don't know. They are in my experience less finicky and more reliable than an AR and easier to handle too.

Sushigaijin said:

I'm going to be in the minority here, but I have an American made Century C39 V2 and it is a head and shoulders nicer than any imported AK I've even seen. It's accurate, nice looking, has nice furniture, made in the USA and wasn't terribly expensive (used i paid $500 like new, no box or papers). I understand they've had some issues with QC, specifically bolt hardening issues, so do the research and check to make sure you get a heat-treated bolt. Mine's been twice the AK that an actual AK is. I don't like it better than my ARs, but it's fun to shoot. Some people may balk at the provenance, but it's a well-made gun and it will out-shoot an "authentic" one...

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I will agree that Century has sourced very accurate barrels. I personally shot a RAS47 which would regularly group generic Tula fmj into an inch-and-half at 100 yards, often with two or three bullet holes overlapping in a 5 shot group. HOWEVER it is not a durable gun in the sense of a combloc bullet hose. The gun went back to Century for repairs by 800 round count due to peening and mushrooming parts. Yes the parts were replaced and the gun was reliable. If the owner is a typical occasional shooter who might use a box or less a couple times per year it will be a fantastic AK. Accurate and dependable and last for a decade before anything looks askance.

If you purchase ammo in cases a few times per year, self destruction is highly likely. I would note I haven't seen one actually blow up despite internet rumors. I have seen them with horrible wear and sloppy peened parts after a couple thousand rounds. I would note the internet torture test guys literally shoot just for noise and round count. So if you like to do mag dumps every weekend they are a poor choice.

If you can find an old Romanian SAR-1 with 1900 rounds of ammo like I did for $550, don't hesitate to pick it up!

The new WASRs are GTG, so are the new N-PAP DFs