AR47 build vs AK from the get go

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cd4337

cd4337

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So after the ammo craziness of the last few years (still ongoing), I have decided to go 7.62x39 and trade sell most of my 300 BO builds.

My question is has anyone had luck with a AR47 build? From my research the main issue is one of feeding. As realibility is my main "must have" I have the thought that a rifle built with 7.62 in mind from the get go is always going to be more reliable than a Franken-gun no matter how cool they look.
 
cd4337 said:
So after the ammo craziness of the last few years (still ongoing), I have decided to go 7.62x39 and trade sell most of my 300 BO builds.

My question is has anyone had luck with a AR47 build? From my research the main issue is one of feeding. As realibility is my main "must have" I have the thought that a rifle built with 7.62 in mind from the get go is always going to be more reliable than a Franken-gun no matter how cool they look.
Click to expand...


If it were me and I was that worried about reliability I’d just get an AK and be done with it the end
 
If reliability is your main goal, get a good AK. While the 7.62x39 ARs have made progress, they’re not going to be as reliable as a good AK.

If you really want to go with an AR, get one that feeds from AK mags. That might be a good compromise if you were really interested in getting as much mechanical accuracy as possible (and using brass cased handloads). But a real AK is still going to be more reliable and should be reasonably accurate anyway.
 
Telekinesis said:
If reliability is your main goal, get a good AK. While the 7.62x39 ARs have made progress, they’re not going to be as reliable as a good AK.

If you really want to go with an AR, get one that feeds from AK mags. That might be a good compromise if you were really interested in getting as much mechanical accuracy as possible (and using brass cased handloads). But a real AK is still going to be more reliable and should be reasonably accurate anyway.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input, I was 99% thinking your way but just needed to hear it from another person. Plus I have a BCA side charging upper and a few dozen AK/AR mags that I bought so I just wanted to bounce around the idea before I sold them.
 
I’ve owned 2 ARs chambered in 762x39, they were both reliable, very accurate. I don’t run my rifles in the dirt, but an AK might have the edge in that department. Be sure if you get an AR that takes AK mags, that it has a provision to keep the mags from over insertion, so the mag won’t hit the bolt carrier. My RRA LAR-47 did not have that provision, and you could literally stop the bolt carrier from moving with the mag.
 
i know nothing of the various problems and pitfalls of the AR47 because all I have ever had are quality AKs in this cal. But if I get real 2.5 moa out of them I am happy. And if you do some culling it is possible.
 
Sometimes the 7.62x39 AR's have problems with steel cased ammo.
I've had a broken extractor, failure to fire, failure to extract, cases stuck in the chamber and having to pry the action open, rims torn off and blown primers.
Your mileage may vary.
SC45-70
 
I have had good luck with Duramags running in my 7.62x39 ARs, especially the 10 rounders. I would recommend changing to a trigger spring set from JP Enterprises with the red hammer spring (or similar) if you are consistently running steel case ammo and get a spare bolt.
 
Does he want a 7.62x39 AR or an AR-47?

Two different animals.

A 7.62x39 AR ( or an AR M43) is a standard AR lower with a 7.62 x 39 upper. If one does not want very limited mag capacity one buys special magazines for it.

The plus side is it is a standard AR lower so you can drop any old AR 15 upper on it and use AR formate magazines int it woth feed lips and follower to beat work with the chosen caliber.

Colt actually made one as a 16 inch short guard carbine back in the day. A standard AR 20 round mag would feed Seven rounds and a 30 round 9. Some folks claimed more but reliably those were the numbers.

At least two companies make nice mags dedicated for 7.62x39 M43 today

An AR-47 was originally a brand name for a special AR lower set up to use AK magazines. It does not take AR magazines so you are limited to using that magazine. This basically means you are limited to 30 shot mags or ten shot mags. ( being an old fart I like 20 shot mags for ground clearance issues and shooting from tables and such)

So actually two different rifles.

I went with an M43 caliber upper on an AR lower because I admire the KISS system and Though AK mags are cheaper…. I liked as much being the same on the gun as a standard AR as possible.

Everyone to their own tastes… said the old lady as she kissed the cow.

As a kid I wondered if she was the same one that swallowed a fly.

-kBob
 
AR magazines in 7.62x39 that I have seen are very frail. The transition from the curved section into the tower has much friction. There is not much room left in the well to make a better magazine in that caliber. An AK magazine is built like a tank & has near zero friction when feeding. I would just get an AK, myself. Custom frankenguns always have issues.
 
brunowbe said:
Galil Ace in 7.62x39, the best of both worlds.
Click to expand...

On a whim, I bought a few 7.62 uppers a while back and just was looking for specifically AR47 feedback. Although I am getting closer to the idea of selling all of my 300 BO builds and going all 7.62
 
SC45-70 said:
Sometimes the 7.62x39 AR's have problems with steel cased ammo.
I've had a broken extractor, failure to fire, failure to extract, cases stuck in the chamber and having to pry the action open, rims torn off and blown primers.
Your mileage may vary.
SC45-70
Click to expand...
Thats what I was thinking about, most of what makes Kalashnikov's design such a success is the loosey-goosey tolerances. I am starting to think that a purebred AK is the way to go, and thank you for the feedback!
 
Bcwitt said:
AR magazines in 7.62x39 that I have seen are very frail. The transition from the curved section into the tower has much friction. There is not much room left in the well to make a better magazine in that caliber. An AK magazine is built like a tank & has near zero friction when feeding. I would just get an AK, myself. Custom frankenguns always have issues.
Click to expand...

More and more I am thinking your way. I never want to be in a situation where my gun FTF or just doesnt go bang because I am trying to slam all of these desperate parts togather.
 
citizenconn said:
I have had good luck with Duramags running in my 7.62x39 ARs, especially the 10 rounders. I would recommend changing to a trigger spring set from JP Enterprises with the red hammer spring (or similar) if you are consistently running steel case ammo and get a spare bolt.
Click to expand...

I have heard both things in my research and thank you for confirming
 
7.62x39 AR's have less meat on the bolt head than a standard bolt head; as I learned when my gun jammed on one of the busted lugs.
X39 AR BUSTED BOLT HEAD.jpg
With a 7.62x39 AR, depending on what you're using it for, the 5- and 10 rd mags work fine, but if you want 20 or 30-rds, I'd recommend C-Products mags. However, the AR-47 utilizes AK magazines, of which there is a vast range of quality; and you still have the aforementioned bolt head weakness.

If you are deciding about truly building an AR from an 80% or building an AK receiver from a flat and adding a parts kit; those are two different kettles of fish. They require different tools and skillsets. Both require jigs, but the AR is done with a drill press, router, Dremel, etc, whereas the AK receiver requires a hydraulic press and rivets.
 
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